Low voc additives for extending the wet edge and open time of aqueous coatings

A coating comprising:

• water;
• a binder;
• and an additive composition, wherein said additive composition has a VOC content of less than about 20 weight percent, and wherein said coating has a wet edge time of at least about 1.5 minutes, a scrub resistance of at least about 500 cycles, a wet adhesion of at least about 3, and a water resistance of at least about 3.

A method of making a coating additive composition, said method comprising:

• a) neutralizing a water-dispersible polymer having a Tg in the range of from about 20 to about 160° C. and
• b) combining the neutralized water-dispersible polymer with a water insoluble plasticizer, optionally the amphiphilic component, and any other desirable components, wherein the resulting combined mixture has a VOC content of less than about 20 weight percent.

A method of making a coating additive composition, said method comprising:

• a) mixing a water-dispersible polymer, a water insoluble plasticizer, optionally an amphiphilic component, and any other desirable components,
• b) heating the resulting mixture to a temperature of about 150 to 200° C. to obtain a homogeneous mixture,
• c) allowing the homogeneous mixture to cool to about 80 to 120° C., and adding an aqueous solution of a base to the mixture at a suitable rate so as to obtain a homogeneous aqueous dispersion.