How Paint is affected by different Types of Light

One of the best ways to improve your interior living spaces is by applying a fresh coat of paint. However, choosing the right color can be a daunting task unless you work with Right Track Painting & Sealcoating when making your decision. Consequently, it’s important to understand how the different types of lighting can affect the color of paint that you choose and how it will look when the light changes.

 

Here’s an example of what we mean. Have you ever pulled a t-shirt out of your dresser drawer thinking it was a particular color, only to discover that it was a different shade when you walked out into the sunlight? This is a phenomenon commonly referred to as “illuminant metamerism.” It means that certain colors will look different when the light changes. This is important to consider when choosing a paint color for your interior walls as it may not look as good as you expected when you saw it at the paint store.

 

The Effect of Artificial Lighting on Paint Color

 

It’s important to understand how artificial lighting can affect paint colors compared to how sunlight affects them. Color temperature is measured in Kelvins and rates color tones. Household light bulbs are rated anywhere from 2,700 Kelvins to 5,000 Kelvins. The lower temperatures of incandescent bulbs (2,700 to 3,000K) are considered warmer tones whereas higher temperature light bulbs give off cooler tones.

 

A 5,000K light bulb will emit light that’s comparable to natural daylight. Typically, light bulbs that emit higher color temperatures will make light colors looked washed out while darker colors will look brighter. If you want your paint color to look as close as possible to its true representation (what you saw on the color swatch at the paint store) use bulbs with the highest CRI or color rendering index rating.

 

The Effect of Sunlight on Paint Color

 

Natural light that enters through your window provides the truest color representation. This is the reason why colors will look different on the interior walls of your home compared to how they looked under the fluorescent lighting in the store. North-facing windows let in indirect natural lighting which makes dark colors look darker while light colors will look muted. Southern-facing windows let intense natural light in. This makes darker colors appear brighter while pale colors and whites look dull or faded.

 

Thus, you can choose the paint colors based on whether your house gets more of natural light or you use indoor lighting most of the time. To learn more about the effects of lighting and sunlight on paint colors, call Right Track Painting & Sealcoating today at (617) 480-9831.