There is evidence of painting done by early human beings in Lascaux, France around 1500 B.C. in the form of crushed berries and animal blood. When people observe modern paint they should appreciate the evolution that paint has taken throughout time. Paint has come from simple mixtures of berries and fruits to the more complex formulation of water and oil based paints. Paints are liquids that are used to cover a surface for the purposes of protection and decoration. It protects the intended surface from burning, rust, disintegration, oxidization, and overall degradation.
Paint becomes solid when it is exposed to air.
Varnish and other solutions are added to the dry coating to protect it. Polymers and monomers are very important components of the chemical compounds in paint. Polymers and monomers are important to the understanding of the overall formulation of paint. The binder is a polymer that forms an ester from the chemical reaction of a long chained carboxylic acid. The drying oil in paint is a monomer when it is in the can, but when exposed to the surface it becomes a polymer.