I can't tell you whether section 112 at PPG Paints Arena has a good sightline. But I can tell you why the walls there probably aren't painted with the same material as the restaurant kitchen floors a few blocks away.
I'm a quality manager at a coatings company. I review product batches and spec sheets before they go to customers—roughly 300 submissions a year, maybe 280, I'd have to check the system. This year I've rejected about 8% of first submissions for viscosity or color issues. That's the part most people don't think about: matching a paint to a surface is a decision with consequences.
The question I get asked most is about choosing a paint. Are epoxy earrings made of paint? Is vinegar a solvent? What's the difference between art paints and industrial coatings? Most of it comes down to one comparison—water-based acrylic paint vs. epoxy resin.
Epoxy vs. Acrylic: What You're Actually Choosing
Acrylic paint is water-based. You brush it on, water evaporates, and tiny polymer particles melt together into a film. It's forgiving, low-fume, and easy to clean with soap and water. Epoxy is different. Epoxy comes in two parts—resin and hardener—and when you mix them, a chemical reaction creates a dense, glassy plastic. You're not applying a paint film; you're creating a solid material.
That explains a lot of confusion around art and craft projects. Epoxy earrings don't use paint at all. You mix resin, add pigment, pour it into a bezel, and let it cure. The result is a hard, clear piece of plastic. Some people paint over cured epoxy with acrylic afterward, but the resin is the structure, not the paint.
In a commercial setting, the same chemistry shows up on floors and walls. Public buildings—like arenas—need coatings that are economical, easy to maintain, and safe to apply. Most of the visible surfaces near section 112 at PPG Paints Arena are probably painted with architectural acrylic or similar waterborne products. Epoxy is more likely on the concrete ground plane or behind kitchen equipment. That's not random. It's about exposure and cleaning.
Durability: What Happens When Life Hits the Surface
Acrylic can be durable, but it's not impermeable. It breathes, which is useful on walls and some substrates. Epoxy doesn't breathe. That's why it's so good at blocking grease, moisture, and chemicals. If you need a surface that can survive repeated scrubbing, hot pans, or cleaning chemicals, epoxy will almost always outperform acrylic.
Restaurants by PPG Paints Arena are a perfect example. Their kitchens face grease vapor, acidic sauces, and aggressive sanitation chemicals. A standard acrylic wall paint might look fine for the first month. Then you start seeing brown stains bleeding through, or the coating softens when you wipe it with degreaser. I've seen that happen.
When I compared a premium acrylic wall paint and a waterborne epoxy side by side—same panels, same grease-test spray, same cure time—I finally understood why a busy kitchen does not use ordinary wall paint. The acrylic panel stained and softened. The epoxy panel cleaned up like a countertop. That side-by-side contrast is the whole argument in one image.
Application, Cleanup, and the Solvent Question
Acrylic and most waterborne paints clean up with water. Epoxy is not as forgiving. You need a solvent or an epoxy-specific cleaner, especially if the resin starts to set before you clean your tools. There are waterborne epoxies that are easier, but they still don't react to soap and water the way acrylic does.
So is vinegar a solvent? Technically, yes. Vinegar is a solution of acetic acid in water, and it can dissolve or soften certain materials. I've used it to loosen dried acrylic paint from glass. It works well enough for that. I want to say it can also soften dried acrylic glue, but don't quote me on that. However, vinegar won't dissolve cured epoxy, and it's not a replacement for mineral spirits or acetone in an oil paint or resin workspace.
I learned that the hard way. Someone told me to soak an epoxy mixing cup in vinegar overnight to soften the resin for disposal. I didn't listen enough. The vinegar didn't do anything—the epoxy was still bonded to the cup the next morning. That mistake taught me what most solvents really are: specific tools, not universal magic.
Different Types of Paints for Art: A Short Guide
Now for the art side. If you search for 'different types of paints for art,' you're likely choosing among watercolor, gouache, acrylic, oil, and maybe tempera. The heavy comparison is usually acrylic vs. oil.
Acrylic dries quickly, cleans up with water, and allows you to layer without waiting days. Oil dries slowly, gives you more time to blend, and has a richer optical depth, but it needs mineral spirits as a solvent and a well-ventilated space. If you're in a small apartment or you're impatient, choose acrylic. If you're ready to commit to the process, oil might be worth it.
Epoxy resin is another option for art, but it's a different category. It makes jewelry, coasters, and heavy surface coatings rather than traditional paintings. If you want an epoxy earring pair, you're working with resin, not paint. The pigment you add is a coloring agent, not an acrylic or oil on canvas.
How to Choose: Context Over Opinions
I don't have a single favorite coating. I have a preference for using the right material in the right place. If you're painting a wall in a low-traffic room, a good acrylic wall paint is the rational choice. It's repairable, affordable, and easy to refresh. If you're coating a floor that will see grease, wheels, and heavy cleaning, choose epoxy. It costs more and the installation is less forgiving, but it will outperform the alternative.
After choosing a waterborne epoxy for a food-service area, I kept second-guessing. What if it couldn't withstand the spray-down chemical? I didn't fully relax until a cured panel passed the exact wipe test with the client's cleaner. It took a few minutes, but the tension was real. You can read data sheets all day; sometimes you have to see it in person.
And if you make a mistake, that sticks with you. Looking back, I should have checked the slab moisture before approving a high-build acrylic for a commercial floor. At the time, the vendor's generic recommendation seemed enough. It wasn't. The floor failed in small areas, and we had to grind it out. Now I verify site conditions before I approve any spec.
Final Thought
The industry has evolved. Waterborne epoxies are better than they were in 2020, and some low-VOC acrylics now outperform older solvent-based paints. Local VOC rules, as of 2025, are stricter in many regions than they were a few years ago. What was best practice five years ago may not be best practice today. But the fundamentals haven't changed: know your surface, know your chemical exposure, and check the data sheet.
So next time someone asks 'is vinegar a solvent?' say yes—then ask what they're trying to dissolve. Or if you're standing in an arena hallway and wondering why the wall paint differs from the kitchen floor, look at the nearest restaurant. That contrast between acrylic and epoxy is not a brand preference. It's chemistry, applied.