How Natural Light Can Help or Hinder Your Home’s Painted Walls

There are few home design projects as exciting as interior repainting! However, one aspect that’s often overlooked is how paint colors can be influenced by light—and unfortunately, your results might end up looking quite different than you’d imagined if you aren’t careful. Here’s some insight into how both natural and artificial light can influence the color of your painted walls, along with a few tips for preserving your beautiful results.

Can Natural Light Influence the Color of Paint?

Natural light, or light that enters your house through things like windows, doors, and skylights, is notorious for changing the appearance of paint. This is because natural light varies heavily in consistency throughout the day. For example, morning light tends to be a little cooler and bluish in tone, whereas evening light is warmer and yellow/reddish. In both cases, paint can end up looking quite different than what you’d intended. Another more obvious example of this is seasonal light; if you’re in an area with long, blazing summers—like the Lone Star State—you need to be mindful of the intensity of the light entering your home! Likewise, winter sunlight might seem paler in comparison.

Will Artificial Light Affect My Paint?

Even though it’s often not quite as intense as natural light, artificial light can also indiscriminately affect the color of paint. Artificial lighting includes light that originates from interior sources; things like floor and desk lamps, wall sconces, overhead lights, chandeliers, and even nightlights.

Like natural light, these bulbs vary greatly in intensity and produce different tones of light. Incandescent bulbs produce warmer, yellow-toned light that can make your painted walls seem brighter than normal.

On the other hand, LED and fluorescent bulbs can produce cooler, bluish light that especially impacts lighter tones of paint. Any interior light source can also produce shadows or even block light in some cases.

How Can I Ensure My Paint Retains Its Original Color?

The best way you can ensure that your paint isn’t influenced by natural lighting is by controlling the amount and intensity of the light entering your home. Curtains and blinds can help you maintain an excellent deal of control and are easy to install. Doors without windows can function similarly—and have the added benefit of being easily paintable!

When it comes to artificial lighting, be mindful of the positioning of your light sources and consider moving around any portable ones as needed. All it takes is one odd shadow to detract from your beautiful results, so choose your interior bulbs wisely.

Of course, if you’re about to repaint and worried about how light will impact your results, it’s wise to consult with a team of professionals and utilize paint sample sticks. They’ll be able to provide expert advice and guide you toward colors and lighting that look tasteful and spectacular no matter the time of day or year.

About Platinum Painting of Flower Mound

For over 15 years, our talented team here at Platinum Painting of Flower Mound has proudly assisted homeowners in the area with a wide range of interior and exterior painting projects, and we’d love to help you with your next venture! If you have any questions about the blog or you’d like to get in touch with us to set up a FREE in-home estimate, visit us online or give us a call today. Telephone: (214) 304-7133.