Colorful Coatings

Colors are a fundamental aspect of architecture, playing a crucial role in shaping our perception and experience of the built environment. Ultimately, color is a powerful design tool that architects leverage to craft immersive, emotionally resonant experiences that can shape our appreciation of the built world around us. Architectural designs offer exciting possibilities for the use of color.

Vibrant, bold colors can energize a space, while muted, earthy tones create a calming atmosphere. The strategic use of color can manipulate our perception of scale, making a space feel more expansive or intimate depending on the shades employed. Color can be used to focus attention on a specific component of a building.

Branding includes the use of color. When painting commercial buildings, the choice of color, technique, and finish can be as crucial as the architectural design itself. It’s not merely about aesthetics but about creating a strong brand identity that resonates with your target audience.

What is Color?

Color is the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, ranging from 380 to 700 nanometers in wavelength. This visible spectrum is what the human eye perceives as color. Color perception is related to an object’s light absorption, reflection, emission spectra, and interference.

Types of Pigments

Organic and Inorganic Pigments

While organic and inorganic pigments differ chemically, their disparities extend beyond just their molecular composition. Inorganic pigments come in a wider range of colors than organic pigments. Inorganic pigments offer better color retention when exposed to light and heat, and they are generally more resistant to fading.

Functional Pigments

Coating formulators are faced with a complex and multifaceted challenge when developing new products for the market. Not only must they formulate coatings that are durable and visually appealing, but they must also contend with demands for sustainability and added functionality. Functional infrared-reflecting (IR) pigments are a remarkable innovation that addresses both these issues. By incorporating IR-reflecting pigments, manufacturers can develop coatings that dramatically reduce the amount of heat transferred into a structure, leading to decreased energy usage for cooling and air conditioning.

Special Effect Pigments

A pearlescent pigment is an effect pigment that may be utilized in a variety of coatings. These weather-resistant mica-based pigments create unique luster and color effects. They can be used to provide fascinating visuals that offer the look of brilliant copper and gold metallics. They are also available in reds, blues, silver, and other colors.

Color Retention

Color retention is a crucial property for architectural coatings, as it determines how well the coating can maintain its original look over an extended period of time. This retention depends on the ability of the coating to resist the natural processes of chalking and fading that can occur due to exposure to sunlight, weather, and other environmental factors. At the heart of achieving optimal color retention is the delicate balance between the resin system and the pigments used within the coating formulation.

Acrylic resins are known to provide good color retention capabilities, as their chemical structure allows them to better withstand the degrading effects of UV radiation and other weathering agents. However, for applications that demand even more robust and long-lasting color preservation, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) resins offer an exceptional performance advantage. The exceptionally strong carbon-fluorine bonds in PVDF provide unparalleled protection against the ravages of sunlight, precipitation, and other environmental stresses, resulting in coatings that can maintain their vibrant, uniform color for dramatically longer periods compared to acrylics or other resin systems. This enhanced color retention is a major reason why PVDF-based coatings are the preferred choice for high-end architectural applications where preserving the aesthetic appeal of a surface is of paramount importance.

Kynar Aquatec® Waterborne PVDF resins are state-of-the-art materials that are actually hybrid dispersions containing 50%-70% fluoropolymer resin and proprietary acrylic resins. These resins make possible the formulation of high-performance coatings with a sufficiently high PVDF content to provide outstanding color retention. Ultimately, the careful selection and optimization of the resin and pigment components work in tandem to deliver the desired color retention properties that meet the unique performance requirements of each coating application.

Conclusion

Thoughtful use of color can dramatically enhance a building’s aesthetics and can elevate the ordinary, transforming it into the extraordinary. When it comes to choosing a coating for your building, one of the most critical factors to consider is color retention. The ability of a coating to maintain its vibrant, original hue over time is essential for preserving the aesthetic appeal of your property. Inferior coatings may quickly fade, chalk, or discolor due to exposure to the elements, leading to an unsightly and unkempt appearance that can diminish the value and overall impression of your building. High-quality, color-stable coatings, on the other hand, are formulated with specialized pigments and binders that resist fading, chalking, and discoloration, ensuring that your building retains its fresh, eye-catching look for years to come.

Kynar Aquatec® is a registered trademark of Arkema Inc.