Factors That Affect The Appearance of Paint After They Dry
The type of paint, finishes, environmental conditions and surrounding decor can all affect the final look of your paint. The interplay of these components can lead to colour shifts, changes in texture and alterations in sheen. To achieve your desired outcome, take careful consideration of the following options when choosing your paint.
Types of Pain
Acrylic Paint
Acrylic paint is a water-soluble paint that adheres to the wall surface and dries rapidly upon application. As a result, the colour usually remains consistent with the paint swatch after drying with minimal colour shifts.
Latex paint
Latex paint is also a type of water-based paint, but it tends to dry darker than acrylic paint. This is due to the emulsion in the composition, which separates the paint components (such as pigments and solvents) over time. This leads to a deeper and darker shade of the latex paint colour appearing when it is dry.
Oil-based paint
Oil-based paint contains high pigment content, hence it takes a longer time to dry. As the pigment settles, the paint colour also becomes denser and more opaque on the surface. In addition, oil-based paint may discolour over time due to lighting and moisture levels in the room, affecting its eventual colour.
Types of Finishes
The type of finish your paint has can also impact its appearance upon drying. Light interacts with different types of painted surface in varying ways, which influences our perception of colour.
This means a gloss finish can make a colour look richer as it reflects more light than a matte finish. On the contrary, paints with a matte or flat finish absorb more light, hence they may look lighter after drying. As for paints with satin finish, they may dry darker after they are fully cured
Colour of Your Primer
The colour of your primer can also influence the hue and vibrancy of the paint applied over it. Using a dark primer under a light paint can make the final appearance of the paint look darker, vice versa. When painting with light hues, it’s best to opt for a white or lightly-tinted primer. Conversely, for darker shades, a primer with a grey base is more suitable.
Environment
Humidity
The environment surrounding the painted wall can have a substantial impact on how the paint appears after drying. Paint takes a longer time to dry in spaces with high humidity, as solvents require more time to evaporate. The slow drying process can lead to issues like uneven drying, streaks and surface leaching, leading to paint discolouration.
Lighting
Lighting conditions can alter the way colours are perceived. Daylight may make a colour appear lighter, so if your room receives plenty of natural light, your paint colours may appear brighter and warmer.
Incandescent lighting casts warm, yellowish hues. As a result, warmer tones like red, yellow or orange can be amplified. In contrast, fluorescent lighting can cast cooler tones, which can make certain colours look cooler than they actually are.
Temperature
Temperature can play a major role in how the paint appears when it’s dry. When painting at a lower temperature, paint takes longer to dry, hence causing it to saturate and look darker. On the other hand, painting in a warmer space results in the top layer drying faster than the lower layers. This eventually causes the paint to warp, crack or develop blisters.
Underlying Surface
The texture of the wall surface being painted on can also influence the final look. Uneven, porous surfaces like wood or brick may absorb or scatter the paint, diluting the colour into a lighter shade. Such surfaces may require multiple coats of paint to achieve colour uniformity.
