Murals have taken a special place in street art. They are perfect not only as an aesthetic variety in a city and public space, but also as a great and effective form of advertisement. Murals are currently used in marketing, business and social purposes. Graphic designs of building facades catch eyes to the point it is difficult to pass by them indifferently. A key to a good mural are high quality paints, however, it is more common these days to abandon standard solutions in favour of the innovative ones. Fluorescent paints, which allow to achieve completely new visual effects., are growing in popularity. How exactly do fluorescent paints work? Why are they worth choosing? What to pay attention to when buying them?

What exactly are fluorescent paints?

Fluorescent paints absorb ultraviolet light, somewhat „turning” them into a visible light. That is why fluorescent paints glow with incredibly bright and pure colour during the day, meanwhile in the night, when illuminated with UV light (blacklight lamp), they emit neon glow. It makes them truly unique and other than regular paints.

What differentiates fluorescent paints are, first of all, bright, expressive colours. Thanks to this, murals and advertisements are visible both during the day and after dark, and also in the night, when there is only a slight access to UV light, which can be easily achieved by using ultraviolet fluorescent lamps.

Fluorescent paints, appear in two different versions. During the day, they are bright, neon and visible from a far. The other face of fluorescent inks is the night. When UV light from a special fluorescent lamp only hits them, they emit glow, all thanks to the realtime fluorescence phenomenon.

Fluorescent vs. Phosphorescent (sometimes called luminescent) paint

One should not confuse the terms „fluorescent” and „phosphorescent” (sometimes called luminescent) paint, because these are two different products. They both use the phenomenon of luminescence, but in case of fluorescent paint, the effect disappears immediately after the exciting factor (UV lamp) is stopped, and in case of phosphorescent paint, the effect lasts after the exciting factor is stopped (it glows in the dark after prior „charging” with the light, releasing the accumulated light energy after the light goes out).

Fluorescent paints – how to use them?

The use of fluorescent paint is basically no different than regular paints. In most cases of fluorescent paints, it is possible to apply the paint directly onto a painted surface. In case of acrylic paints or difficult substrates, it is required to use a base coat, e.g. an acrylic primer.

It is applied directly under the target paint. It is worth remembering that a single coat of fluorescent paint may not give a desirable, fully opaque effect, and therefore it is sometimes necessary to repeat the process twice or apply a thick paint coat. Fluorescent paints are suitable for many surfaces, e.g. for painting concrete, wood, plastic, and even metal. SPLinx fluorescent paints can be applied both by using high performance machines at industrial or processing plants as well as manually.

The use of fluorescent paints

Fluorescent paints are becoming more popular because of interesting effects which can be achieved by using them. They found their use in various fields by both investors and developers as well as individuals. Fluorescent paints almost immediately established themselves in street art.

They are perfect for accentuating individual details. Small details, glowing with light under the ultraviolet radiation, attract attention with their expressiveness the most. Fluorescent paints established themselves so well in street art because they look amazing at any part of the day and night and because of their clear visibility even from greater distances.

This type of paints is used not only in streets, but also in public places, as well as in nightclubs, pubs and bars to obtain interesting effects, and even during events and performances. The glowing effect stimulates the human senses and creates a unique vibe.

An overview of available fluorescent paints

Currently, there are many different kinds of fluorescent paints on the market, which will work perfectly in various places and conditions.

• phthalic-carbamide fluorescent paint has many different applications. It is mostly used outdoors, because of its resistance to difficult conditions and harsh weather. Works perfectly at painting murals and advertisements on building facades,
• acrylic fluorescent paint has high pigment content and is more dense than standard paints. It works best in small designs and when applied manually.
• sprayable fluorescent wall paint, thanks to fast and convenient way of application, is used for large, demanding designs and covering larger surfaces. Sprayable paint is very ofted used together with painting stencils because it allows to quickly fill them in with colour.
• polyurethane fluorescent paint – can be used both indoors and outdoors. It is characterised by a good adhesion to a substrate, hardness, elasticity and resistance to changing weather conditions.

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