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Look around your home. Does the paint look faded? Do the colors not pop like they used to? While there is not much you can do about it now that the damage has been done, you should know the main reasons why house paint fades before re-painting.

When you know what typically causes paint color to fade, you can take steps to ensure that your new coat will look great long into the future. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the top causes of fading house paint:

• Low Quality Paint – All house paints are made of up of pigments and binders. The binder is responsible for adhering the pigment to a surface and the pigment, you guessed it, gives the paint its color. Low quality paints have a weak pigment layer. While the pigments may be bright to start out with, the layer that protects it will chip off and the color will fade over time.
• UV Damage – Direct exposure to sunlight and UV rays are another common problem for paint pigmentation. The ultraviolet light bleaches away color – especially brighter colors like reds and yellows. While UV rays do the most damage to exterior paint, interior paint is not immune. You may notice that the paint near windows and doors is more faded than in other areas. Basically, any painted surface that gets regular, direct sunlight will fade over time due to UV radiation.
• Weather Conditions –Harsh weather can also cause paint to fade. Moisture is the enemy of your paint job. If water is allowed to seep in between your coat of paint and the primer, it will start to lift and the color will rapidly fade. Proper caulking is therefore vital to long-lasting paint jobs. Coastal weather may also fade your paint. Moist winds and salty air can strip away the protective layer of your exterior paint and fade the color in no time.
• The Wrong Paint – It seems ridiculous but some contractors will make the mistake of using interior paint on exterior surfaces. Interior and exterior paint are different and interior paint does not have the protective components needed to stand up against the elements. If your exterior paint is fading before its time, your contractor may have used the wrong type of paint to begin with.
• Over Tinting – Too much tint can actually be damaging to your paint job. Tinting allows for the fine-tuning of coloration but it can also affect the sheen of paint. Your paint may seem duller because the tint is lowering its sheen. Too much tint can also lead to improper curing and compromised abrasion resistance.

In most cases, you can correct any of these problems with a new coat of paint. But if the fading has led to chipping, the old layer will have to be completely stripped away before a new coat can be applied. If you are in need of re-painting services, be sure to call us here at Century Painting!