Surface
Plain wood board, lightly sanded before painting.
Student observation project
Measuring how long paint takes to dry.
Elfinor is a small classroom-style project that observes painted surfaces at fixed intervals. The subject is ordinary, slow, and not intended to be exciting.
Method
A thin layer of water-based paint was applied to a small wooden board.
The board was left indoors at room temperature and checked every thirty minutes.
The surface was considered dry when it no longer felt tacky during a light touch test.
Environment
Indoor room, no direct sunlight, no fan.
Observation
Checks were made at regular intervals with simple notes.
Recorded observations
| Time after painting | Observation |
|---|---|
| 30 minutes | Surface looked wet and remained clearly tacky. |
| 60 minutes | Gloss reduced slightly, but the surface was still soft. |
| 120 minutes | Surface was mostly dry to light touch. |
| 180 minutes | Paint appeared dry, although full curing was not tested. |
Notes
This project does not provide professional paint guidance.
Drying time depends on paint type, thickness, humidity, airflow, temperature, and surface material.
The conclusion is limited: paint dries slowly enough to make observation boring.