If you want to know how long glow in the dark paint can last for glowing, first of all, we need to find out why luminous paint can glow in the dark?
How does luminous paint glow?
Luminous paint contains a certain energy-storage luminescent material-glow in the dark powder, which itself has specific properties of light-storage and luminescence. It can store light energy under light and emit the stored light energy in a dark environment to produce a glowing effect.
How long can the brightness of luminous paint last?
Due to the characteristics of the luminous powder itself, there are particular prerequisites for the luminescent paint to glow. First, it must be charged by light and only emit a glow in a darker environment. The shiny time of glow in the dark paint depends on the following factors:
① The luminous duration of the glow in the paint depends on the brightness level of the glowing powder used in the luminous paint. The higher the brightness level, the longer the glowing time. Generally, the bright time of the high-grade luminescent paint will last more than 12 hours.
② The proportion of glow in the dark powder added in the luminescent paint, the higher the combined ratio, the better the bright performance. The common adding proportion in the market is usually about 20%, and the high-grade luminescent paint can reach 40%, the brightness and the duration of bright would naturally increase.
③ How much absorption of light energy, generally 10-30 minutes of charging, can make the luminous paint full of energy. The required charging time depends on the energy intensity of the light source, such as 365nm purple light, which can make the luminescent paint quickly filled with light within 5 minutes. The fully charged glow in the dark paint can glow for more than 12 hours in a dark environment.
④ There are some other factors, such as the particle size of the luminous powder used in glow in the dark paint. The larger the particle size, the better the glowing effect. But the excessively large particle size will affect the flatness of the luminescent paint film, and the glowing effect will not as uneven as the ultra-fine particle size luminous powder. At this point, you can choose according to your specific painting location needs.
Therefore, in summary, combining various factors, the luminous time of the glow in the dark paint with excellent performance can exceed twelve hours. Of course, this is for the industry standard; the so-called luminescence describes that the brightness value is higher than 0.32mcd / ㎡ . But human eyes have different perceptions of brightness, so there is no fixed conclusion.
How to apply to luminescent paint?
Luminous paint is mainly applied by three methods: brushing, roller coating, and gun spray.
For a relatively flat surface with a large area, and the effect of the paint film is required to be uniform, a paint spray gun is needed for the spray operation. For small surface irregular surfaces, you can choose to brush or roller. The relative effect of roller coating is more uniform.
Apply steps when painting the luminous paint:
(1) General luminous paint has to be stirred evenly to make them fully mixed. Glow Technology’s luminous paint can be used directly without mixing. The floor paint needs to add a curing agent.
(2) Remove the impurities on the brushing base to keep it flat. It is recommended to apply a layer of closed primer. If the color of the base is dark, you can apply a layer of white primer on the base to enhance the luminous effect of the glow in the dark paint.
(3) When applying, avoid repeated application on the same part to cause thickening, and apply evenly and regularly. You can apply a layer of luminous paint and wait for the paint film to dry before applying another layer of glow in the dark paint to increase the luminous effect.
(4) The temperature of the construction shall be controlled at 10 ° C-35 ° C (50 ° F-95 ° F), avoid painting in a humid environment to prevent the adhesion of the luminous paint from decreasing.
(5) After painting, you can add a layer of water-based transparent top coat to protect the luminous paint and increase the service life. Just leave it at room temperature for about one day.
Luminescent paint spraying method of use:
- When spraying with an air gun, you need to add less than 10% water for dilution according to the weight. Referring to the spray viscosity, demand fr dilution and avoid reducing its covering power.
- The surface of the base should be cleaned before spraying. If it is not smooth, please repair the surface of the base first; and after it is completely dry, it is recommended to spray white primer in advance.
- In order to make the luminescent paint have a better light storage effect, it is recommended to spray white primer as the bottom layer before spraying. After the spray primer is completely dry, then spray the luminescent paint. Please spray 15-25 cm away from the surface of the coated object. Apply a thin layer of spray.
- The time between spraying is preferably 1-2 hours Two layers can be sprayed, depending on the uniformity after spraying; more spraying is possible, and the light storage capacity is stronger as the thickness of the spray paint film increases. After the luminous paint is sprayed, the transparent paint is resprayed as demanded, so that the surface of the luminescent paint is brighter and the use time is longer.
Matters needing attention in luminescent paint:
- Luminescent paint can only function after being painted to form a paint film, so it must be thoroughly dried.
- Remove dust as much as possible: Dust will not only affect the performance of the paint film but also damage the appearance, so clean it as much as possible.
- If you need to stir before using, do not use metal containers and metal agitators, and avoid high-speed friction.
