Key Developments in the U.S. Architectural Coatings Market

By Cynthia Challener

The origin of paint reaches back in time over 30,000 years ago to its use by early cave dwellers. Over the millennia since matically. Now, paints and coatings are expected to do more than decorate; they must protect our environment, preserve our materials, and provide increased functionality. But how did this transformation occur and what were some of the key developments that influenced the growth of this ubiquitous product? Below, we provide a brief overview of some of the major milestones in the evolution of architectural coatings, specifically in the United States.

Thomas Child established the first recorded paint mill in America in Boston in 1700. In the late 1700s, Devoe and Reynolds was the first company to be associated with the manufacture of coatings in North America, producing oil-based enamels and alkyds. The :first patent for prepared or “ready mixed” paints was issued to D.R. Averill of Ohio in 1867. By the early 1900s, numerous companies were producing their own versions of oil-based coatings and offering their products to local markets.

This decentralized structure remained in place through the middle of the 20th Century, and even today many small to mid-sized paint produc­ers still serve regional markets. One of the biggest technology breakthroughs in architectural coatings arrived with the introduc­tion of acrylic emulsions as paint binders in 1953 by Rohm and Haas Company (now Dow Coating Materials). This led to the rapid development of modern latex paints during the late 1950s and 1960s. “With nearly 16 million American service­men and women returning to civilian life in the late 1940s post-World War II, the U.S. housing and