Monday, May 18, 2015

Make Sure Your Exterior Paint Colors Don’t Give Up the Ghost

It can be discouraging to painstakingly create an attractive exterior color scheme, then watch it fade away in just a few years’ time. Fortunately, this is a problem easily avoided if you arm yourself with just a little knowledge about color and paint quality.

When it comes to fade-resistance (aka color-retention), all color is not created equal. Paints made with certain pigments – most notably, inorganic red oxides and brown earth tones – have superior color retention. At the other end of the spectrum: organic colors such as bright reds, blues, and yellows, which can fade more quickly.

When it comes to fading, the culprit is often the sun. Painted surfaces with Southern exposure that get a lot of direct sunlight will be more prone to fading, those in the shade or with Northern exposure will be less affected. Be sure to take these factors into account when selecting exterior paint colors for your home.

Whatever colors you choose, you can buy some added protection for your exterior paint job by using top quality 100% acrylic latex paint. These paints are made with very durable pigments that resist breaking down and superior “binder” that holds the pigment particles together. The result is a paint film with better fade-resistance than you get with an oil-based paint or a lower quality latex paint.