When we evaluate paint, we ask, “how much paint must be applied to hide the substrate below it?” or “does this paint hide better than that paint?” Opacity is a paint’s ability to prevent the transmission of light in order to hide the substrate below it. Throughout the paint industry, the terms hiding, opacity and contrast ratio have frequently been used interchangeably. Hiding is a general term used to describe all of these concepts, including hiding power. However, hiding power also takes into account the spreading rate of paint and will not be discussed here. (More information on hiding power can be found in ASTM D 2805.) More…
Making On Screen Magic with Movie Set Paint Reply
Even though special effects and superstars get top billing in most blockbuster movies, very little of what you see on the silver screen would be possible if not for the set designers and costume designers working when the camera isn’t rolling. These artists use fabric and makeup and wood and steel to create visual imagery that immerses the viewer in the experience. The painters on these crews are responsible not just for painting sets a specific color, but also for enhancing light and shadow, providing depth, and – above all – taking fake structures and objects and making them real.
Another Shade of Grey: Interior Paint Color Considerations Reply
It wasn’t long ago that if a client wanted a neutral interior paint color, their choices were limited to different shades of white or beige. Color names like “ivory”, “canvas,” “off white”, and “pearl” adorned the walls of homes. Occasionally a room would be painted green, brown, blue, or yellow…but instances of grey were few and far between. Furthermore, professional designers and paint professionals were loathe to suggest or recommend a grey pallette to clients because matching grey to other colors felt like an insurmountable challenge.
My, how times have changed.
A Shocking New Innovation in Coatings – See How Conductive Paint Could Change the Future Reply
For those that don’t work in the paint industry, they may think that paint is paint and there’s nothing much exciting going on there. In fact, quite the opposite is true. We’ve written about color changing paint and advances in graffiti-resistant coatings. Developing paint is essentially a chemistry project, but the advancement we’re going to discuss today came not from the mind of scientists, but a group of design creatives that engineered an exciting new paint that could change commercial and industrial painting – conductive paint.
Increasing Paint Business Profits with Time Optimization: Organizational Tips for Painters Reply
Building a business of any type is difficult. Market conditions and competition make it a challenge to succeed in even the best environments. Add in that once you’ve booked the business you also have to perform the service itself and it can seem like handling administrative tasks, driving sales, and actually performing the work are each full-time jobs in and of themselves. If you have any hope of actually having the time to handle more than one full-time job on your own, you have to make time management a priority.
4 EPA Guidelines You Must Know and Comply With When Painting a School or Learning Facility Reply
As a commercial painter, government contracts can be highly profitable, but they come with hurdles to acquire them and extra hoops to jump through for compliance. In particular, painting projects at schools and other educational institutions have more onerous regulations to deal with – most notably those issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Today we’ll take a look at four of the major guidelines you’ll need to contend with.
Let There Be Lights: 5 Ways Proper Illumination Improves Your Industrial Painting Projects Reply
When planning an industrial painting project, you’ll be focused on appropriate cost estimation, ensuring you have the equipment you need and the manpower to prep and get the paint on the walls, but how much time do you spend thinking about illumination? Stepping into a space and simply flipping on the light switches will rarely provide adequate lighting to do your work well. Today we’ll take a look at illumination standards and why they’re so important for your work.
Advances in Paint Chemistry: Amazing Solutions for Increased Aerodynamics Reply
It seems so obvious in hindsight: reducing the drag on an airplane, boat, or car would increase fuel efficiency and provide cost savings for the operator of the vehicle. Until now, that solution was best managed by trying to implement a smooth top coat as any imperfections, dents, or layering in the paint would increase drag. Even a microscopic imperfection would, over time, result in hundreds or even thousands of dollars in wasted fuel cost and increments of wasted time as a transport vehicle inefficiently arrived at its point of destination.
5 Tips for Professionally Refinishing Vintage and Antique Furniture Reply
Professional painters who can refinish old furniture back to its original state are few and far between. Old and antique furniture holds a special place in the heart of the owner and proper restoration requires patience, expertise, and a steady hand. Those that work with old furniture pieces, however, know that refinishing and repairing them is a lot less about paint or stain than it is about surface preparation. Here are the five places where you must pay the utmost attention to successfully refinish an old or antique piece of furniture.
Enhanced Service: Offer Commercial and Industrial Fire Protection with Intumescent Coating Reply
Fire protection is a concern for both your residential and commercial clients, but in certain types of commercial facilities, fire is a much greater risk and one that you can help address with specialized coatings as part of a paint project. Of course every business should have smoke detectors, sprinklers, fire alarms and extinguishers, but beyond this, many of your clients may be surprised to know they can get additional protection from fire risk in their choice of paint products.
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