Hybrid water-based enamels with partially crosslinked latexes

In an aqueous dispersion of paint in which a carboxy-functional polymer is at least partially neutralized with a water-soluble amine and dispersed with an amino resin crosslinking agent selected from melamine-formaldehyde resins and urea-formaldehyde resins in an aqueous solution of water and a water-soluble amine, the improvement wherein the film-forming components of said dispersion of paint exclusive of said amino resin comprises the combination of:

• I. about 30-70 parts by weight of a solution polymer which is a carboxy-functional copolymer of acrylic monomers that:
• A. is at least partially neutralized with watersoluble amine,
• B. is essentially soluble in said aqueous solution,
• C. has average molecular weight (M.sub.n) in the range of about 3,000 to about 20,000 and
• D. has Tg in the range of -15.degree. C. to 50.degree. C., and
• Ii. about 70 to about 30 parts by weight of an emulsion polymer selected from carboxy-functional, hydroxy-functional and carboxy-and hydroxy-functional copolymers of acrylic monomers, the constituent monomers of said emulsion polymer consisting of
• A. about 98 to about 99.5 mole percent of monoethylenically unsaturated monomers consisting essentially of acrylates, methacrylates, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid and vinyl hydrocarbons, and
• B. about 0.5 to about 2 mole percent of multiolefinically unsaturated monomers consisting essentially of diacrylates, dimethacrylates, triacrylates, trimethacrylates, tetraacrylates, tetramethacrylates, and divinyl hydrocarbons, that
• 1. is essentially insoluble in said aqueous solution,
• 2. has Tg in the range of -15.degree. to 50.degree. C., and
• 3. has bimodal molecular weight distribution and comprises
• a. a noncrosslinked fraction having average molecular weight (M.sub.n) in the range of about 3000 to about 20,000 and
• b. a crosslinked fraction constituting a gel,
• and wherein said amino resin crosslinking agent is present in an amount in the range of about 15 to about 35 weight percent of the sum of the weights of said solution polymer and said emulsion polymer.