Welcome to Valspars course on Color Matters.

Were glad youve joined us today.

Lets get started.

Color Matters
www.valsparinspireme.com
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 Well cover four key learning objectives today.

First, well discuss the importance of color in the

built environment, including specific industries and
building types.

Next, well explore the relationship between color,

Course Learning Objectives pigments, and architectural coating performance.

1. Demonstrate t he import ance of color in the built Then, well move onto the ASTM test methods.
environment, including specific industries and building types. Well wrap this session up with a brief discussion
2. Explain the relat ionship bet ween color, pigment s, and about AAMA specifications.
architectural coating performance.
3. Describe ASTM test methods used to define the performance
specifications for architectural coatings, including the effect that
exposure has on pigments and color retention.
4. Identify AAM A specificat ions for various coating technologies.

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 Lets get started with the first objective:
demonstrating the importance of color in the built
environment.

Learning Object ive One

Dem onstrate the im portance of color in the built environm ent,
including in specific industries and building types.
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 Heres an interesting quote from the famous painter
Pablo Picasso: Colors, like features, follow the
changes of the emotions.

How people feel about a color can be subjective.

But, there are some colors that have a more
universal influence on people.
Color is Emotion
Colors in the red area of the color spectrumred,
Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions. pink, orange, and yellowthe warmer colors, can
evoke emotions. The color red is often associated
Pablo Picasso with warmth, comfort and even love if you think
about Valentines Day. Think about the sunthe
warmth and comfort as well as life and energy it
gives to Earth. For some, those same warm colors
Red side of Blue side of can also evoke feelings of anger or strong energy.
spectrum evokes spectrum evokes
Colors on the blue side of the spectrum...blue,
emotions from feelings of calm, purple, and greenknown as the cool colors, can
warmth and sadness and evoke feelings of calmness. Think about the sky,
comfort to anger indifference the ocean and being on the beach. This is a cool,
and hostility calm and relaxing place to be. These colors can
also evoke sadness or indifference for some people
depending on how and where they are used.

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 Lets talk a bit about research and color trends.

Consumers react instantly to color.

Color sells and the right color sells even more.

Companies invest a lot of time in determining

Color Trend Research immediate color trends as well as longer-term
trends. They use this intense research, analysis
and forecasting to ultimately incorporate those
Color provokes instant reaction in consum ers colors into their products or businesses to help
Generates purchases through color attraction generate sales.

Com panies perform intense research, analysis and The automotive industry is another great example
forecasting throughout year to identify im m ediate and of color and how color sells. When you see a sports
car in the window of a dealership or going down the
long-term color trends road, the bright red or yellow car is going to catch
your eye faster than a more neutral color like black.
Most people wouldnt want a teal blue sports car, no
matter how much they liked the brand.

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 Where we live has a big influence on how we
perceive color.

In Western cultures, a bride typically wears white on

her wedding day. In many Eastern cultures, a bride
traditionally wears red. Think of how surprised the
wedding guests would be to see a bride in red in
Color Trend Research the U.S. or vice versa, a bride in white when all
other brides wore red in their culture.
Color inspiration, influence, Within the world of color forecasting, theres always
m ovem ent and prevailing a push for whatever is fresh and newwhat is
direction expressed trending. Companies want to follow customer
through: preferences. Color trend research is gathered from
fashion, food, interior product and architecture
Fashion industries worldwide. The information is compiled,
filtered and narrowed down to color trend themes.
Food
Interior products
Architecture

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 In this next series of slides, Ill be sharing some
color palettes that are trending right now.

Here we are looking at the get real colors for the

residential sector. These represent homegrown,
authentic colors that are inspired by nature and
reclaimed materials.
Color Trends Residential

get real
Homegrown, recycled and authentic colors
Nature-inspired lighter colors that reflect authentic, recycled and reclaimed materials.

Olive Floral Fools Gold Spring Hot Blue Royal Blue Copper Aged Medium Sand Dune
Branch White Green Pepper Metallic Brown Copper Bronze

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 Color trends identified in this residential/commercial
palette represent the bold, modern look. Inspired
from historical colors, they are described as
fearless and embracing. Some represent
weatherworn, repurposed textures that exude
history and authenticity.

Color Trends Residential/Commercial

bold modernity
Fearless, embracing and historical colors

Weatherworn, repurposed textures that exude history and authenticity.

Teal Suede Tulare Plastic Kiwi Right of Deep Coral Reef Gatwick Regal Blue Classic Lemon Charred Tahitian
Purple Way Tropic Silver Copper Shine Blue Copper

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 Here are some commercial color trends. They are
called the essence of Europe because they are
inspired by the old world color palette and represent
differences in cultural influences that you find in
different regions of Europe.

Color Trends Commercial

essence of europe
Collective consciousness, influenced and cultural colors

Old world palette representing differences in cultural influences between European regions.

Deep Red Yellow Leaping Grey Pale Blue Cranberry Bright Vintage Gallery Zactique Blue Pearl
Bow Frog Amethyst Sea Bog Gold Blue II

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 This commercial palette is called the Collective
effortreflecting community inspired colors. They
are similar to colors found at a farmers market with
vegetable and earth-toned colors. You have the
yellow of a squash, purple of an eggplant and red of
a tomato. Also the green, blue and brown
representing the Earth colors. The trend experts
Color Trends Commercial describe this palette as personal and global-
community inspired from authentic stories and
connections.

collective effort
Fresh produce, loyalty and community colors

Personal and global community-inspired derived from authentic stories and connections.

Caterpillar Dark Chateau Yellow Cactus Weathered Bright Red Gold Nisha Plum Autumn Textured
Denim Brown Bow Zinc Watch Blaze Copper

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 Aguathe Spanish name for water. You find
healing and soothing colors in this palette, such as
deep sea blue, spring green and pearlescent white.
They are inspired by earths most valuable
resource, water.

Color Trends Commercial

agua
Life sustaining, droughts and current colors
Healing and soothing palette inspired by water, the earths most valuable resource.

Deep Sea Golden Global Spring Creative Burnish Brick Red Hazelnut Pearlescent Olive Green Goldmine
Blue Hue View Green Flow Slate Mica White Branch Bayou

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 This palette is one that will be very familiarthe
traditional architectural color trends in consistently
dark hues and natural colors. There are several
special effects in this palette. Youll see a textured
black finish, metallic and high gloss. These neutral
colors have more staying power. They dont change
as often as the colors used inside buildings.
Color Trends Architectural

into the black

Charred, liquid and natural colors

Dark black hues that create striking contrast with natural surroundings.

Black Textured Black Gloss Black Metallic Matte Black Charcoal Bone White Chromium Gray Charred Blue

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 Another Architectural palette is metal. These
finishes are inspired by copper, iron and steel. They
include both polished and textured colors. They
provide a great option if youre looking for the look
of a metal finish but want to keep that great copper
color for years. In contrast, real copper would
quickly turn green with weathering.
Color Trends Architectural
Or, if you want an aged look, you dont have to wait
for a real metal to age on a building. You can
deliver that look with a coating.

metal
Finishes, polished and textured colors

Degraded and tarnished metal hues inspired by copper, iron and steel.

Chocolate Bronze Cool Zactique II New Aged Weathered Zinc Bright Silver Bright Gold Rusted Steel Copper Metallic
Copper

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 Color has a huge impact in the built environment.

Lets think about the five sensesyou have touch,

taste, smell, hearing and sight. The human eye has
7 million cones to see color. In the right conditions,
the eye can see the light of a candle from 14 miles
away. Color in our environment can have a
Color and the Built Environment profound effect on us.

Over the centuries, artists and architects have used

Can have profound effect on
colored pigments, paints, mosaics and glass to
hum an experience and users create unique experiences. They have an innate
understanding of the psychological effect of color,
Artists and architects create even though there was not yet a science behind it.
ambience in a building and In recent history, despite the emergence of color
unique qualities using: science, architectural design has more typically
concentrated on spatial dimensions and design
Paints/coatings schematics than on color.
Mosaics
Glass

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 But in more recent history, color has rapidly become
a much more important aspect of the built
environment. Architects and designers are using the
science and knowledge of color to create high-
impact environments that support the users of those
spaceswhether its an office, restaurant, school,
hospital or other type of building.
Color and the Built Environment
Color can reinforce spatial relations. With the
various shades of blue seen in this building, the
Through educated application of color, architects can architects have added visual interest while
create m ore hum an, user-supportive environm ents conveying the buildings dimensions and
proportions.
Effective use of contrasting colors and light:
Maintains and reinforces spatial
relations within a building
Conveys buildings
dimensions and proportions

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 Color can have a big impact on building exteriors.

Think about what makes you notice something. It

will be something that stimulates one of your five
senses. Whether you hear something making a
noise, smell something producing an odor or you
see something because of its color or form. Color
Use of Color on Building Exteriors and architecture are intimately related because
form first reaches the human eye through color.
Color and architecture intim ately relatedform first Architects can use exterior color, and the cultural
reaches hum an eye through color and emotional associations that arise from it, to
influence the built environment. They might use
Architects can use exterior color to: color to bring harmony to a building and its
Influence surrounding surroundings. In other situations, they may want to
built environment differentiate a building or even community with
color.
Fine-tune appearance and
bring harmony with surroundings For example: Think about a planned community
Differentiate, contain, unite, where all of the houses have similar architectural
equalize and accentuate styles. Through the use of color, you can make
each house look different.
elements of building

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 Next, Ill share a couple of architectural projects
where color made a big impact.

This building had one tenant for many years

occupying all three buildings and 20 floors in each
building. Over time, business changed and that
tenant vacated, so the owner had many vacant
Color Matters floors. They had a problemthey needed to get the
building rented quickly. They contacted an architect
who brought in a color consultant and asked, What
can we do to rebrand our towers and attract high-
tech clientele? The color consultant took a look
and said this building looks like everything else. You
need to change the exterior to bring people in.

The architect used a series of aluminum panels and

changed out all of the window walls to blues, grays
and whites. The building now stands out from the
skyline. It has a unique look of its own compared to
the other buildings behind it. Occupancy has
soared just by changing the color. Thats a major
return on investment by changing the physical look
of the structure.
Pacific Corporate Towers in El Segundo, California
Photo courtesy of Durability and Design

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 Heres another example.

This was an office building in San Francisco. At one

time, it was the interim headquarters for an online
start-up company called Twitter.

The owners wanted to sell this building and attract

Color Matters potential high-tech clients. They got a lot of
feedback that the building blended into the
streetscape. Once again, they brought in an
architecture firm who brought in a color consultant.
And they didnt want to make a lot of structural
changes. They just wanted to sell the building.

They painted the building white and used four

different colors around the windows. By making
simple color changes, they added dimension to the
exterior of the building and made it look
dramatically different. The building sold for a
tremendous profit.

Office Building, San Francisco, California

Photo courtesy of Durability and Design

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 In the next series of slides, we will look into the
science behind color and what the experts know
about using color in a variety of different
environments and industries.

First, lets talk about the food industry.

Building Types and Industries
Experts know that an inviting restaurant stimulates
Restaurants and Food Service the appetite. The use of color in restaurant design
should emphasize color's psychological association
An inviting restaurant arouses with appetite supporting the popular saying, We
appetite through m ulti-sensory eat with our eyes first. For example, yellow makes
stim ulation people happy, and they are more likely to eat. It is
no accident that many fast food restaurants use
Will be more successful, if food yellow in their branding.
and service are acceptable
In addition, we associate certain colors with certain
Use of color in restaurant foods. French fries are yellow and apples are red. If
design should: someone gave you green French fries and a brown
Emphasize psychological association apple, youd think something was wrong with the
with appetite and smell food as Heinz ketchup found out with their green
and purple ketchup in the early 2000s. The novelty
Stimulate appetite quickly wore off, and they quit making it because
people didnt like green or purple ketchup.
Present desired image

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 Studies have found that poorly designed conditions
in industrial work environments can lead to
monotony and boredom. This can cause fatigue,
lower motivation, more negative interactions with
co-workers and even accidents. In short, color
affects the overall work climate as well as the
Building Types and Industries quality and quantity of production.
Industrial Work Environments Proper color specifications in an industrial setting
Poorly designed conditions in industrial will improve depth perception, which protects
work environments lead to: employees eyes from unnecessary strain. It can
Monotony increase efficiency and safety. Experts have also
Boredom
found that good use of color in the work
environment can compensate or counterbalance
Fatigue
occupational hazards such as noise, heat, cold,
Lack of m otivation odor, dryness and moisture.
Negative interaction
Accidents
Proper color specifications:
Im prove perception
Increase efficiency
Minim ize errors
Increase safety and
im prove orientation

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 In offices, studies show that work efficiency and job
satisfaction are directly related to an employees
work environment. It pays to provide an
environment that is physically and psychologically
supportive of its employees. A color specialist can
help set the correct mood and image, paying close
attention to the relationship between color, visual
Building Types and Industries Offices efficiency and comfort.

Em ployers should provide environm ent physically and

psychologically supportive of em ployees
Color specialist:
Sets correct mood
and image
Pays attention to
relationship between
color, visual efficiency
and comfort

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 Color schemes for schools used to be institutional
grays and beiges. Today, color is being used to
inject affordable fun. Experts have found the
physical environment has a powerful impact on
students. Appropriate color design can promote
learning, protect eyesight and improve the health of
children.
Building Types and Industries Schools
Designers using color to inject
affordable fun
Physical environm ent has powerful
psycho-physiological im pact on
students
Appropriate color design:
Creates surroundings conducive
to studying
Promotes physical and
mental health

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 Traditional hospital settings used to have no color.
Today, color plays an important role in a patients
experience of a healthcare facility being viewed as
competent, efficient and caring."

Research shows that color can enhance the healing

process. Patients feel more confident, color can
Building Types and Industries Healthcare facilitate medical diagnosis and surgical
performance. Color even helps maintain a patients
stimulatory balance to support the healing process.
Color plays im portant role in
experience of healthcare facility
as com petent, efficient and caring
Color can:
Enhance healing process
Inspire user confidence
Facilitate medical diagnosis and surgical
performance
Maintain stimulatory balance

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 Now, lets talk about color and architectural
coatings. Color is a key selling feature for building
components. Traditionally, color choices have been
more conservative with whites, beiges, bronzes,
metallics and grays the leading color choices for
years.

Introduction to Color and Architectural Coatings Yet, changes are taking place in the way people
think about color. Both consumers and the design
industry are expressing greater creativity through
Color consistently a key selling feature the power of color. They are looking to color trends
for building com ponents and making bolder color choices for their projects.
This poses a unique opportunity for manufacturers
Color choices tend to be conservative of high performance architectural coatings. They
Heightened consum er and design need to deliver bright, eye-catching colors that can
also deliver long-term performance and durability.
industry desire to express creativity
through the power of architectural color
Looking to color trends and bringing
bolder color choices to projects
Poses unique opportunity for high
perform ance architectural coatings

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 In the next few slides, Ill show a series of photos
that show the impact color has on the design of
these buildings.

This is a photo of an elementary school in

Maryland. The different colors help show spatial
dimension in the project. By using greens, reds,
Introduction to Color and Architectural Coatings yellows and whites to differentiate the buildings, the
colors also help with wayfinding. Its easier for
students, visitors, parents and teachers to navigate
the campus.

Bells Mill Elementary School in Potomac, Maryland

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 Heres another school project. Georgia State
University. They used a really nice contrast from
both sides of the color wheel. The reds and blues
are tied in very nicely with white as well as glass to
create a clean design. This color palette also ties in
with the school colors, making this an inviting place
to eat for students.
Introduction to Color and Architectural Coatings

Georgia State University Piedmont North Dining Hall in Atlanta, Georgia

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 This is a really interesting project in Hollywood,
California. The design team used different shapes,
different sized panels and different shades of red to
create architectural interest. The project depicts a
great application of color.

Introduction to Color and Architectural Coatings

Formosa 1140 residential building in Hollywood, California

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 This is the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in
Phoenix, Arizona. This is a great example of using
earth tone colorssilver and brownscombined
with reddish and orange colors. It works well with
the desert geography of Arizona.

You could take this exact structure, put it in Boston

Introduction to Color and Architectural Coatings and put historical colors on it likes red and blues,
and it would work really well in that environment.
You could take the same structure to Miami and use
turquoise and pink. This is a great example of
designing around the environment with color. The
architects did a fantastic job with this building.

Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Com m unication

University of Phoenix, Arizona
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 Heres an interesting project. Its the Public Safety
Headquarters in Detroit. They had an abundance of
vacant buildings in Detroit, so they repurposed an
abandoned casino.

Because this was a retrofit project, they were

locked into the existing structure. But, they had
Introduction to Color and Architectural Coatings design flexibility in color, contrasting the blue panels
with the dark gray. It really does work well. They
achieved a high-tech look through the use of
contrasting colors.

Public Safety Headquarters in Detroit, Michigan

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 This is the conclusion of the first learning objective:
At this point you should understand how color is
used in the built environment.

COM PLETED: Learning Object ive One

Dem onstrate the im portance of color in the built environm ent,
including in specific industries and building types.
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 Next, lets talk about the relationship between color,
pigments and architectural coating performance.

Learning Object ive Two

Explain the relationship between color, pigm ents, and
architectural coating perform ance.
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 The three main components of a coating are:
pigments, resin and solvents.
Pigments supply the color and opacity, and
somewhat determine the performance of the
coating.
Resins are the glue: they determine the durability
and performance of the coating.
What is a Coating? Solvents enable us to properly control application.
Additives are added to paint to help with wetting,
dispersion, flow and settling or to provide special
Com prised of three principal ingredients: effects.

The percentages of pigments, resin and solvents

15% 35% 50% will vary depending on the coating type.

Pigments Resin Solvents

Addit ives: Special effects chemicals added

to paint typically in small amounts

Percentages vary by product type and color.

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 Lets talk a little bit about the importance of
pigments. Coating manufacturers face the
challenge of pleasing the customer with the exact
color they are looking for while providing a quality
product that will last. One key ingredient can make
or break a coating: pigments. The pigment
component in any formulation can either enhance
Introduction to Pigments or degrade the overall performance of the protective
color coating.
Provide coatings color In architectural building components, chemical
Can enhance overall perform ance of resistance of the pigment is crucial. This sometimes
restricts the exact color that can be achieved. No
protective coating matter how well a coating is made, certain colors
In architectural building com ponents, are more affected by the outside environment than
others. For example, bright colors such as yellows,
chemical resistance of pigment is oranges and reds will fade faster.
crucial

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 There are several different pigment types. In most
colors, there is a combination of pigments blended
to create the desired colororganic pigments,
inorganic pigments and in some cases, there are
some specialty pigmentsmica, metallic, color
changingeven Solar Reflective pigments.

Types of Pigments Pigments offer additional properties such as total

coverage or hidethe ability to cover the substrate
Blended to create desired color to suit so you have uniform and consistent color. There are
aesthetics of application also select pigments that offer corrosion resistance.
Types of pigments include: These pigments are especially good to use if you
have a project in an aggressive environment where
Organic
there are industrial chemicals, or there is ocean-
Inorganic front where theres airborne salt-spray. The coating
Specialty pearlescent and color-shifting system will have the ability to resist corrosion with
Solar Reflective (SR) these corrosive-inhibiting pigments.
Depending on application and desired
color, sometimes each type of pigment Ceramic pigments are extremely well-performing
is used in same formula pigment system. They are a subset of inorganic
pigments, have good color stability in heat and
Pigments can: weather well. Ceramic pigments got their name
Provide opacity because they are stable at the firing temperatures
Im prove corrosion resistance of molten glasses. These pigments can be used in
ceramics, architectural coatings and other coatings.
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 Colors from organic pigments have a very bright,
vivid appearance; these are sometimes known as
cleaner or purer colors. Theyre carbon-based and
often made from petroleum compounds. Because
they allow UV light and oxygen to penetrate and
break the chemical bonds, they have less hiding
power. They also have poor weatheringlow
Organic Pigments resistance to fade and heat.

Colors from organic pigm ents Organic pigments are combined with inorganic
pigments when formulating a high-performance
can be very bright with vivid architectural coating. This ensures that both the
appearances right color and durability can be achieved.
Carbon-based
Often made from petroleum
com pounds
Less hiding power than inorganic
pigm ents
Poor weathering
Low heat resistance

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 Inorganic pigments are manufactured from
naturally-occurring mineral compounds that are
mainly complex metal oxides.

Their color stability is far better, and they are more

heat and chemical resistance. They are also more
resistant to acid rain and cleaning compounds.
Inorganic Pigments
Colors coming from inorganic pigments are less
Mineral-earth type pigm ents are bright. As you can see here, they are the earth-tone
colors.
very simple and naturally
occurring colored substances In the past, there were some very bright colored
Manufactured from m ineral mixed metal oxides in use. But today, they find very
limited use due to the toxicity of the lead and
com pounds that are m ainly cadmium compounds. Most high-performance
complex metal oxides coatings dont use the bright colored inorganic
Have superior: pigments anymore.

Color stability
Weather resistance
Heat resistance
Chemical resistance

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 Pearlescent pigments give a coating a shiny
metallic appearance. Tiny reflective metal or
refractive mica pigments are added to the coating.

Optical effects are achieved by light interference

with the pigments rather than light absorption. Use
of a pearlescent coating can be a great way to
Pearlescent Pigments differentiate an architectural project.

Possess optical effects that serve decorative

purposes, offering eye-catching luster
Tiny flakes of reflective m etal or refractive
m ica pigm ents added into paint m ix
Several other elements added into paint
production process
Unique effect achieved by light interference
rather than light absorption

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 Color shifting pigments are added to coatings so
that the color will shift when viewed from different
angles or sunlight. A combination of pearlescent
mica and aluminum flakes are used. I am sure you
have seen an automobile with color shifting paint on
it. As it is coming towards you, it looks one color.
When it gets to you, it is another color; and as it is
Color-Shifting Pigments moving away, it is yet a different color.

Color-shifting pigments can be used for a more

Colors appear to change when viewed subtle or dramatic effect depending on what you are
from different angles or sunlight looking to achieve with your project.
Com binations of pearlescent m ica or
alum inum flakes are used
Change in color and degree of color change
controlled by com position and thickness of
core and precipitated pigm ent

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 The homeowner of this California residence wanted
the home to fit with nature. The color changes with
the natural rhythm of the sun throughout the day.
The color-shifting pigments are dramatic in that they
take on a yellow and green hue in the morning. In
the evening, they turn from silver to a bronze, brick
or dark brown color. This special effect is available
Color-Shifting Pigments in coil and extrusion coatings.

California Residence, Woodland, CA

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 This is the Welcome Center at Port Canaveral,
Florida, which uses color shifting pigments more
subtly. With this shimmering, iridescent exterior, the
color changes throughout the day and from different
angles.

Color-Shifting Pigments

Exploration Tower at Port Canaveral, Florida

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 When metal building components such as roofs are
coated with solar reflective pigments, they help
keep the building cooler.

SR pigments are altered to reflect infrared radiation,

allowing the roof to stay cooler. The coatings are
available in a variety of formulations and colors.
Solar Reflective Pigments
When SR coatings are used, owners can achieve
Metal components are coated lower energy costs, meet LEED and Energy Star
with solar reflective (SR) requirements, and not sacrifice the benefits owners
pigments to keep coating come to expect from a coatingdurability,
performance and aesthetics.
and building cooler
SR pigments altered physically
and chemically to reflect
infrared radiation, while still
absorbing same amount of
visible light
Products containing solar reflective pigments available in any
resin type such as 70% PVDF, SMP and polyester and numerous
colors
Meet LEED and Energy Star requirements

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 Answering a few questions at the beginning of a
project can allow you to choose the correct
formulation to ensure you select the right coating for
the project.
What is the end use application?
What is the applications environment? For
example, what is the percentage of direct sunlight
How Color Affects Durability the building will be exposed to each day. If it is
near the ocean where it will be barraged with salt
water, what are the performance requirements?
Analyze each architectural project in
term s of situation, function and needs: A manufacturer combines a variety of ingredients
What is the end use application? including pigment types based on the application.

What is the applications environment?

What are the performance requirements?
Pigm ent types selected based on
application

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 This concludes learning objective number two. At
this point, you have an understanding of the
composition of paint, how pigments are used and
how they affect the coating.

COM PLETED: Learning Object ive Two

Explain the relationship between color, pigm ents, and
architectural coating perform ance.
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 Next, well briefly discuss the ASTM test methods
used to gauge the performance of architectural
coatings.

Learning Object ive Three

Describe ASTM test methods used to define the performance
specifications for architectural coatings, including the effect that
exposure has on pigments and color retention.
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 Factors such as exposure to the sunlight, moisture,
humidity, high temperatures, and temperature
fluctuations can lead to color changes in coating
including chalking and fading. Understanding the
weather impact on painted metal helps
manufacturers develop coatings that meet a
projects performance requirements.
Testing and Coating Performance
Factors such as:
Exposure to sun (UV light)
Moisture and humidity Understanding
weather impact on
High temperatures painted metal helps
Temperature fluctuations manufacturers
develop products to
Lead to:
meet specific
Color changes performance
Chalking requirements.
Fading

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 Chalking is exactly what it sounds like. It is where a
white chalky film develops on the surface of the
coating that can be rubbed off. Chalking is caused
by degradation of the resin system at the surface of
the finish, due predominantly to exposure to UV
rays. As the resin system breaks down, resin
particles take on a white appearance, and
Why Coatings Fail Chalking embedded pigment particles lose their adhesion to
the film. The durability and performance of the
coating decreases.
Chalking caused by degradation of coating system ,
due predom inantly to exposure to UV rays
As resin system breaks down, particles take on white
appearance and em bedded pigm ent particles lose
film adhesion

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 Fading is caused by UV and hydrolytic degradation
of the resin system. It is measured in Delta E
values. In the left photo, the fade you see is about
Delta 9 from left to right.

The photos on the bottom right show examples of

fading over time.
Why Coatings Fail Fading
Fading caused by UV and hydrolytic degradation of
pigm ent and resin system
Color fade m easured with Delta E values; m inim um
detectable difference is about 1E

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 When you want a specific color for a project, the
coating manufacturer will take the sample and
measure the color on a spectrophotometer using
color software. Color is measured on three scales.
The L scale measures light to dark or white to
black. The a scale measures red to green. The b
scale measures yellow to blue. This may look like a
Measuring Color complicated equation, but it is a way to measure
color in three dimensions for a high degree of
accuracy. This is required when matching color to
Measured in three dim ensions using standard: an exact specification or brand, from John Deere
green to Target red.
L
axis m easures light to dark
(white to black)

a
axis goes from red to green

b
axis goes from yellow to blue

E = square root of Delta L squared + Delta a squared +

Delta b squared from a sample to the standard
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 One topic that is essential to understanding color
matching is Metamerism. The color of an object is
determined by two components: the chemistry of
the objects pigmentation and the type of light
illuminating the object. Using only one light source,
a given color could be matched with multiple
pigment combinations. But, change the light source
Metamerism and each of those matches will look visually
different from one another; some differences can be
Color of object determined by 2 components: quite dramatic.

Chemistry of objects pigmentation Metamerism: Does it match the Colors that shift relative to one another when a light
Type of light illuminating object standard under all illuminants? source changes are said to be metamers, or to be
Dyes
exhibiting metamerism. This is very important when
Using only 1 light source, given used: you are only going to paint half of a building and
color could be matched with Illuminants you want it to match. If metamerism wasnt
:
multiple pigment combinations considered, you could end up with two different
colors on the building.
Change light source and each of
those matches will look visually
different from one another
Colors that shift relative to one another when light source
changes are said to be metamers or to exhibit metamerism

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 Paint companies want to know how well a coating is
going to perform once they introduce it. One way to
understand this is through weather testing. The
photo on the left shows panels being exposed in
South Florida, which has the ideal conditions for
weather testing because of strong UV rays, high
humidity and salt spray conditions.
Rigorous Weather Testing
In conjunction with exterior exposure, many
Two key testing approaches manufacturers conduct accelerated testing. These
accelerated tests do NOT duplicate natural
exposure testing, but they are done in conjunction
to see if correlations exist. QUV testing cabinets
simulate a select spectrum of UV light that
manufacturers feel is most detrimental to a coating.
The test alternates cycles of light with water at
elevated temperatures. Manufacturers correlate
accelerated and natural exposure testing to
determine whether a pigment and coating system
are going to perform up to the standards they are
looking for when theyre formulating coatings.
Natural exposure to outdoor elements Accelerated testing

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 In addition to exposure testing, physical tests are
performed to gauge a coatings performance. The
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
test methods are used to measure color retention,
film thickness and hardness, gloss levels,
resistance to solvents and flexibility. ASTM supplies
a common testing protocol, but specifications are
Physical Tests agreed to by the supplier and customer.

ASTM test m ethods m easure:

Color retention
Film thickness and hardness
Gloss levels
Resistance to solvents
Flexibility

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 Weve just completed learning objective three:
knowing what happens to a coating out in the field
helps manufacturers formulate coatings for their
intended application.

COM PLETED: Learning Object ive Three

Describe ASTM test methods used to define the performance
specifications for architectural coatings, including the effect that
exposure has on pigments and color retention.
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 Now lets briefly cover our last learning objective:
the AAMA specifications for various coating
technologies.

Learning Object ive Four

Identify AAMA specifications for various coating technologies.

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 First, lets talk about some of the technologies.
Paint is designated by its resin type. Based on the
resin component, the durability performance
characteristics are going to vary. There are good,
better and best coating options available based on
resin performance and the different attributes each
one provides.
Resin Performance
In the Good category, a polyester resin is
Each resin type offers different outdoor durability usedwhich has more limited weather resistance.
perform ance characteristics.
In the Better category, there are three options
GOOD BETTER BEST depending on the type of coating. These resins
deliver more weather resistance, a harder surface
Polyester SM P Acrylic 50% PVDF 70% PVDF and higher gloss resistance.
Generic polymer Blend of Provides harder Provides harder Current state-
system with polyester and surface and surface, color of-the-art
limited weather silicone high gloss level retention and coating.
At the Best end of the spectrum is PVDF. This is
performance; intermediates. not seen with weather Carbon/fluorine the highest-performance resin used for monumental
can achieve Silicone improves PVDFs. resistance of bond is one of buildings. It is not only strong, it resists dirt and
wide variety of gloss retention fluoropolymer strongest stains with its non-sticky finish.
colors because and weather coatings. chemical bonds
of the organic resistance of known. Non-
pigments used . polyester sticky finish
coatings. enables
pollutants to
wash away.

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 American Architectural Manufacturers Association,
known as AAMA, was started back in 1936. AAMA
provides specifications for the architectural industry
to drive high performance and solve critical issues.

The AAMA specifications here are related to high-

performance coatings. They are designed to
AAMA Specifications address specific performance needs within the
industry and fall into three categories.

On the left, you have the highest-performance

coatingsAAMA 2605. This is a 70% PVDF
coating, most commonly used for high-rise
monumental and high-end residential for long-
lasting color. This specification calls for 20-year
performance.
In the middle, you have AAMA 2604 coating,
which is typically a 50% PVDF and is most
AAM A 2605 AAM A 2604 AAM A 2603
commonly used for high-end commercial and
70% PVDF 50% PVDF Polyester
condominium structures.
High-Rise High-End Commercial/ Industrial/ On the right, you have the AAMA 2603 coating,
M onumental/ Residential Commercial/ Condominium Residential which is typically a polyester resin and used on
Curtain Wall Curtain Wall Interior Extrusions and Panels commercial, industrial and residential structures.
Wall and Roof Panels Wall and Roof Panels Wall and Roof Panels
Window, Door Frames Window, Door Fram es Window, Door Frames
Store Fronts Store Fronts
Many factors need to be considered when selecting
S U P E R I O R P E R F O R M A N C E A R C H I T E C T U R A L C O AT I N G S
the right coating to ensure you are getting the best
overall coating for your project requirements.

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 That completes Learning Objective Four and the
AAMA specifications for architectural coatings.

COM PLETED: Learning Object ive Four

Identify AAMA specifications for various coating technologies.

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 We hope this course has demonstrated the
importance of color in the built environment. We
have talked about the importance of choosing
pigments based on the intended use. Weve also
talked about ASTM test methods and AAMA
specifications for architectural coatings.

Course Learning Objectives

1. Demonstrate the import ance of color in the built environment,
including specific industries and building types.
2. Explain the relat ionship bet ween color, pigment s, and
architectural coating performance.
3. Describe ASTM test methods used to define the performance
specifications for architectural coatings, including the effect that
exposure has on pigments and color retention.
4. Identify AAM A specificat ions for various coating technologies.

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 Thanks for joining us today! We hope you found this
course valuable.

You can learn more about Valspar by visiting our

website: valsparinspireme.com

Or, you can contact us at [email protected]

Contact Information
Robyn Ommen
www.valsparinspirem e.com [email protected]

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 This presentation is protected by copyright laws.

This program is registered with the AIA/CES for continuing

professional education. As such, it does not include content that
may be deemed or construed to constitute approval, sponsorship
or endorsement by the AIA of any method, product, service,
enterprise or organization.

The statements expressed by speakers, panelists, and other

participants reflect their own views and do not necessarily reflect
the views or positions of The American Institute of Architects, or of
AIA components, or those of their respective officers, directors,
members, employees, or other organizations, groups or individuals
associated with them.

Questions related to specific products and services may be

addressed at the conclusion of this presentation.

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