<P> Water is the main diluent for water - borne paints, even the co-solvent types . </P> <P> Solvent - borne, also called oil - based, paints can have various combinations of organic solvents as the diluent, including aliphatics, aromatics, alcohols, ketones and white spirit . Specific examples are organic solvents such as petroleum distillate, esters, glycol ethers, and the like . Sometimes volatile low - molecular weight synthetic resins also serve as diluents . </P> <P> Pigments are granular solids incorporated in the paint to contribute color . Fillers are granular solids incorporate to impart toughness, texture, give the paint special properties, or to reduce the cost of the paint . Alternatively, some paints contain dyes instead of or in combination with pigments . </P> <P> Pigments can be classified as either natural or synthetic . Natural pigments include various clays, calcium carbonate, mica, silicas, and talcs . Synthetics would include engineered molecules, calcined clays, blanc fixe, precipitated calcium carbonate, and synthetic pyrogenic silicas . </P>

The component of paint that provides the color is called the