Time to renew tree guards - what to use?

[applestar]

It's time to inspect and renew the trunk guards on my fruit trees.

I didn't remove them this spring so I'm in for some surprises, but hopefully nothing damaging....
I did notice yesterday that some of the ties on the espalier are getting really tight -- when of course I disn't have my pruners/knife on me AND I was holding something in one hand that I couldn't put down So I'm anxious to check them all to make sure nothing is strangling the branches/trunks, but I won't be able to do anything until Friday or the weekend.

So I was reviewing what to use, and noted that even though I've read about them, I have never tried painting the trunks. I have plastic spiral guards and wire hardware cloth guards against mice/rabbit nibbler damage.

Interior white latex paint. I only buy natural zero VOC paint. Will that work as long as it is water-based paint and not oil-based?

Use undiluted? Diluted? Mix with horticultural lime in some ratio? Is that better? Mix with Kaolin clay? Mix with Diatomaceous Earth? Mix with Baking Soda?

Paint AND use physical barrier against animals?

[JONA878]

Never found anything that would keep the bunnies at bay other than a good quality guard Star.
Prefer the wire myself as you can keep a check on what's going on behind it.
Have seen a new sort of plastic one over this side though that expands much better and is not likely to stick and strangle like the old twisted ones do.

[!potatoes!]

had a bunch of fruit trees we planted in public parks in town have pretty serious borer damage hiding behind repurposed plastic conduit guards we had on them. the guards are necessary there or the city workers will girdle the poor things with weedeaters. wire sounds like a good way to go.