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This sign at Leytonstone tube station is a typical enamel-painted metal sign

An enamel paint is a paint that air dries to a hard, usually glossy, finish. In reality, most commercially-available enamel paints are significantly softer than either vitreous enamel or stoved synthetic resins.

Some enamel paints have been made by adding varnish to oil-based paint.

Typically the term "enamel paint" is used to describe oil-based covering products, usually with a significant amount of gloss in them, however recently many latex or water-based paints have adopted the term as well. The term today means "hard surfaced paint" and usually is in reference to paint brands of higher quality, floor coatings of a high gloss finish, or spray paints.

[edit] Related topics

• Smalt

[edit] Uses/categories of enamel

• Guitars – may be used as a DIY solution to a dead and scuffy guitar.
• Floor enamel – May be used for concrete, stairs, basements, porches, and patios.
• Fast dry enamel – Can dry within 10–15 minutes of application. Ideal for refrigerators, counters, and other industrial finishes.
• High-temp enamel – May be used for engines, brakes, exhaust, and BBQs.
• Enamel is also used on wood to make it resistant to the elements via the waterproofing and rotproofing properties of enamel. Generally, treated surfaces last much much longer and are much more resistant to wear than untreated surfaces.
• Nail-enamel – Used on finger and toe nails to color or make them shiny (aka 'nail-polish').