Faded paint is an eye-soar. And the culprit is almost always exposure to ultra-violet rays. However, the sun light isn’t always the culprit. Sometimes it’s moisture, but many times it is the commercial painter applying the incorrect paint. So here are the best paints to use if considering exterior painting.
What Causes Paint to Fade?
Before we can serve you the best product recommendation, we’re going to first touch on what actually causes paint to fade. And although it might be easy to assume that it’s a natural by product from aged paint, there are some other considerations to make, that help accelerate the process.
And the biggest culprit is the weather. Weather is great if you’re a Lancaster, PA landscaping contractor. But the opposite is true if you’re a painter. Sunlight or excessive water can put unnecessary stress on the pigment that’s used to tint the paint. And that pigment will eventually break down from too much sunlight. So when you see a can of paint that says “interior,” make sure you don’t use that paint outdoors. Because your finish will not last long enough to provide an amount of satisfaction that’s equally proportional to the amount of work required to prep and apply that paint.
But it’s not just the sunlight. So don’t think that keeping your interior paint in a shaded area will help. All it will do is make is susceptible to only moisture. The incorrect paint is missing the bonding agents that can repel the water from the pigment. If too much water comes in contact with the pigment, it can actually dilute it, or displace it, causing an unequal distribution of color into the surrounding finish.
And then the 3rd, and most critical reason for faded paint is the paint applicator. The weather can’t be controlled. But the painter certainly has enough influence to increase the likeliness of a successful paint job, depending on which paint he or she chooses.
So here are the Paints the Painter Should Select:
Firstly, if you’re trying to do the project yourself, then just keep it simple. Only use paint that says “exterior” on the can, if you’re doing exterior painting. Or, only use paint that says “interior” on the can, if you’re doing interior painting. And that’s the simplest method way one can approach painting drywall, or decks, or other residential substrates.
But if it’s a commercial or industrial coating application, then you’ll want to select something that has superior adhesion, and excellent features to combat the stresses that occur in each environment.
One of our favorite exterior paints to use is mastic urethanes. The major benefit of urethanes is their color retention. Through excessive weather, UV rays, thaw cycles, urethane has proven to be a superior commercial and industrial paint. However, the one draw back with urethane is that it doesn’t offer the greatest adhesion.
However, mastic is a very sticky substance that is found in gum trees. And when it’s mixed with urethane, it drastically increases the urethane’s ability to adhere to the substrate.
So when you combine the power of urethane with the bond ability of mastic, then you have a superior coating, that can withstand the exterior conditions.
And if you select the proper commercial painting contractor, then your coating application should withstand the outdoor elements, without fading in color.