Light Reflectance of Silicate Paints

Due to their film forming tendency acrylic paints are smooth and thus have a high amount of reflectance at sharp angles resulting in glare. The glare combined with the fact that acrylic polymers are amorphous and tend to absorb light results in a shiny plasticky but dull look.

Silicate mineral paints consist of potassium silicate as the main binder instead of acrylic polymers (See our article on “What is Potassium Silicate”). This results in a paint matrix on the surface is that is filled with tiny microscopic crystals of high transparency. This allows the incident light to contact the pigment directly and intimately resulting in a brilliant look. The sharp-edged nature of the crystals imparts a deep matt effect to the paint which helps in scattering light evenly and avoiding glare. This results in the crisp, bright and monolithic look that silicate mineral paints are known for. The structures are radiant even in low light conditions such as morning and evening hours and also under artificial lighting at night.

Zydex Silicate Mineral Paints with their fade-free pigments (Seer our article on “Non-Fading Property of Silicate Mineral Paints“) and crystalline binders provide your home with a brilliant and radiant look that lasts for decades!