Let's Talk Lightfastness
The popularity of flake floor coatings for outdoor surfaces continues to grow. However, not all flakes may be suitable for full sun exposure. The sun’s powerful UV rays can cause many pigments to fade over time. That is why is important to use products that are more resilient to UV exposure or lightfast.
Lightfastness is how stable a color or pigment is when exposed to UV or ultraviolet light. The main source of UV light comes from the sun; however, UV rays can also be emitted from artificial sources such as some halogen, fluorescent or incandescent lights.
Our lab measures lightfastness in our pigments/paints using the standard measurement scale defined by the ASTM or the American Standard Test Measure. All of our colors are tested in a Q-UV Xenon Arc test chamber for 1000 hours to reproduce the damage caused by natural sunlight that occurs over months or years in a full-sun environment.
Samples being tested in the Q-UV chamber.
Product colors are measured using a spectrophotometer.
This test is meant to discover each color’s ΔE after periods of constant UV exposure. ΔE is the degree of change in the measured color after exposure in the Q-UV chamber. Per the results of this testing, our colors are given a lightfastness rating based on their ΔE. Colors with a low ΔE are more lightfast than colors with a high ΔE.
Our FLAKE swatch book includes a key to identify a color’s lightfastness--or UV stability-- in our palette. Look for the circle icons next to each color.
- A solid circle means the color may not be stable with direct sun exposure
- A half circle means the color has a moderate level of lightfastness
- No circle or symbol next to the color means the color is considered stable or has excellent lightfastness.
Our FLAKE swatch book has a key to identify the lightfastness of our solid colors.
The purpose of identifying lightfastness is ultimately to determine which color or blend of colors will work best for the space that you are deciding upon. For example, if the project is an outdoor walkway or patio with full sun exposure, we may recommend colors from our UV+FLAKE blend collection. UV+FLAKE is uniquely formulated to improve color stability of FLAKE for use in outdoor spaces. This specialty line of FLAKE contains Tinuvin® UV Absorbers from BASF to improve UV stability and reduce risk of discoloration due to sun exposure.
For added protection from the effects of UV light, a UV protective topcoat is recommended. This will ensure the color of your flooring will look great for years and years. If you have questions about UV+FLAKE or regarding lightfastness, our customer service team is always here to help.