The Intense Color Journey: More Than Just a Passing Trend

Previously published in Coatings World - Read Here

The importance of color is lost on no one. It is one of the biggest factors that shapes our lives and view of the world. Color conveys emotion and defines cultures; it inspires us and provokes reaction. Though the end goal has always been to produce an exceptional coating that conveys a point of view on whatever structure it is applied to, the trends that architects use in order to tell that point of view have changed. Color requests are getting more varied, and texture and prints have become extremely popular in the last few years as they increase the aesthetics that a panel and coating alone can provide.

Every color trend starts as a small idea in someone’s mind. Whether an architect dreams of a vibrant red never before used on a building, or a coating manufacturer sees the possibility of a true blue pigment in a lab test tube, dozens of dimension-defying colors are created every day. These colors are talked about behind the scenes, introduced in cutting-edge projects and then asked for by the masses. But at the beginning, coating formulations are just as important as the idea itself, and years of research are put in before a product is ever brought to life and considered a trend.

Coating Creation and Formula Make-Up

In the paint and coating industry, we know that it takes more than mixing a few pigments and resins together to create a beautiful, long-lasting color. During the development process of a coating, art and science are carefully combined to produce the desired end product: a vibrant finish that is durable, sustainable and imaginative.

When designing boundary-pushing products, innovative methods are explored and new materials tested to see what achievements can be made that will ultimately advance the industry as a whole. One of the more interesting and popular developments in coatings over the years is a pearlescent finish that can add shine, shimmer and even change colors.

Research and development teams put much thought and testing into creating this illustrious type of coating, testing different formulations to achieve exactly what they were looking for. Pearlescent pigments contain mica flakes that are coated with different oxides, including titanium dioxide, tin oxide or iron oxide. When light hits the oxide-coated mica particles, it is partially reflected out and partially absorbed in. As the light travels into the particles and the various layers of oxide surrounding them, a sense of visual depth is created which adds dimension and distinction to the finish and product featuring the coating.

Essentially, the color that is produced depends on the oxide coating, which varies in thickness related to the chemical process used to coat the mica particles. Consequently, coating colors and the amount of shimmer vary by changing the thickness of the oxide. For example, on the same structure you might see a silver appearance at one thickness level, and on another you will see yellow or blue.

The same scientific and chemical process applies for color-shifting pigments, as well — the color-change depends on both the chemical formulation of the base coat pigment and the oxide-coated mica particles. The formulations are so advanced that they can affect how transmitted light at a particular angle will be seen and “assign” different colors to different light angles. The color-shifting mica pigments are suspended in a fairly transparent clear coat that is then layered on top of a base coat. Consequently, you can take the same color-shifting pigment, the micas in the clear coat, and layer it over a black or white base coat to see completely different colors and intensities in coatings.

Now, there are ways to expand these pearlescent finishes beyond the average colors of white, silver and beige to create a spectrum of colors, including reds and oranges. Historically, there have been issues with these particular colored coatings because they contained undesirable materials, like lead and cadmium. While responsible coating manufacturers stopped using these chemicals in their formulations, eliminating these materials also changed the make-up of the finishes and restricted the creation of these coatings, which happen to be some of the most sought after colors from architects.

Over many years, research has been conducted and products have been tested time and again to create these specific color coatings in a responsible way that still hold their vivid hues for many years. Thankfully, some coating manufacturers have found a way to produce rich colors that add dimension and last for more than 20 years, keeping in mind the fact that the durability of the color is just as important as the initial bold color impact. Fluropon® Rustica is one of these product lines that features super intense pigments that stand up to extreme weather elements. Fluropon Nova is another that contains the pearlescent finish that so many architects want for their most prominent projects. By using newly created specialty pigments, the industry as a whole is moving into color spaces that haven’t been reached previously.

Coating manufacturers want to provide more offerings and styles to architects while keeping the durability and quality of the product in mind. They also want to encourage a broader conversation around color and discuss what is trending and why. It can be hard to imagine all of the color possibilities that are attainable without actually seeing them, so let’s explore some of today’s trendiest projects that feature bold colors and innovative formulations.