If you have ever removed a painting from one of your walls, you may have been surprised to see that the color underneath is brighter than the rest of the walls. Oddly enough you wouldn’t notice the walls changing color over time, but fading does happen. The primary culprit is the ultraviolet rays of the sun. However, there are other elements that cause your paint to fade as well. Read on to learn what factors fade your paint.
What Causes Paint to Fade?
One factor that causes paint to fade is the sun. The UV rays of the sun cause what is called photo degradation, whereby the UV light breaks down the chemical bonds in the paint, including the pigment. The process of breaking down the pigment in paint isn’t limited to the sun, though. Electric light, temperature, ozone, and oxygen also cause your paint to fade. The quality of your paint also plays a role; lower quality paints will fade more quickly because the quality of their ingredients is lower.
How Do Color and Sheen Factor in?
Color and sheen play a role in how fast your paint fades. Colors that absorb light, such as dark reds, blues, and greens, will fade faster than colors with reflective properties, such as white or other lighter colors. In addition, flat paint has no reflective properties, and it will fade more quickly than a semi gloss or high gloss paint. These are factors to consider when you are choosing your colors and your finish.
How to Minimize Fading
The first thing you can do to minimize fading is to use better quality paints for your walls. These paints use better ingredients, and the paint job will last a lot longer before fading. Not only do premium quality paints use better ingredients, but they have a higher volume of solids, which means that there are more pigments and binders.
You can also make sure that you have blinds, shutters, or curtains on your windows. If you draw them when you aren’t home, it will cut down on the harmful effects of the sun coming through the windows. You can also turn lights off when you aren’t using them.
In addition, keeping your home at a stable and consistent temperature will help hold off fading. Temperature fluctuations also cause the chemical bonds in paint to break down over time. These are all factors that cause paint to fade.
Make Sure the Walls Are Painted Well
The way to get the most out of your paint job is to make sure it is done well to begin with. You will want to use premium quality paint with a higher concentration of solids (pigment and binders). The surfaces should be prepared so that the paint adheres to the walls. You will want to start with primer, and make sure that it dries before the first coat of paint is applied. In addition, the first coat should be dry before you apply the second coat. If you follow these steps, you will get the most out of your paint job.