JUMPS AT OLD ORCHARD FARM

A Note About Paints

Oil-based acrylic paints are very nice if you only use your jumps occasionally and don’t leave them out in the weather a lot. The hard, brilliant colours are hard to beat, particularly for jumper jumps. But if you hate scraping peeled paint, oil-based acrylics are not optimal as they tend to lift anywhere that water is able to sit for a while, particularly if you didn’t prime the jump properly.

For environmental reasons, oil-based paints will be all but phased out in Ontario by September of 2011. We won’t miss them, as we have found that water-based latex paints and stains just keep getting better and better. In particular, we have found that solid-colour stains are a great way to go for jumps, particularly in the hunter ring. In our experience, stains don’t need a primer, don’t peel and there is very little surface build-up. After a few years, you can give your jumps a new coat of stain to freshen them up and you’re good for several more years. Stains are now available in any colour that you can think of. And if you still pine for the brilliant look of the old oil-based paints, then glossy latex acrylic paints are a very good substitute. You can specify either latex paints or stains for your jump order and we will be happy to oblige.