The barium sulphate paint enables surfaces to be below the ambient air temperature, even in direct sunlight, because it reflects so much of the sun’s light and also radiates infrared heat at a wavelength that is not absorbed by air. “The radiation can go through the atmosphere, being directly lost to deep space, which is extremely cold,” said Ruan. Spray on reflective paint contains tiny glass beads mixed into the paint itself. The glass beads are very small and spray on reflective paint needs to be applied sparingly so the glass beads won’t sink into the paint too deeply. You also need to shake the can frequently since the glass beads are constantly sinking to the bottom of the can. Light Reflectance Value (LRV) is the total quantity of visible and useable light reflected by a surface in all directions and at all wavelengths when illuminated by a light source. (I suggest you don’t copy and paste this definition – shouldn’t have to say that but I do. You can always look it up yourself. I referenced British Standard BS 8300:2001/A1:2005) Which is why I include both LRV and Value in all the Colorographies over in The Colorography Lab and The Paint Color DNA Table too.

Ruan says there is a double-pronged positive effect because the paint sends energy away from our planet. “We send the heat to space, we’re not leaving the heat on Earth,” he says. “Traditional air conditioners leave the heat on Earth’s surface, it’s just moved from the inside of your house to the outside.” Spurred on by B&Q’s offer of a half-price Paint Pod I deviated to DIY en route from a busy morning of gelato deliveries. Having stowed the hallowed instrument in my trolley I surveyed the available colours with dismay. I’d assumed said gadget could be used with the full range of Dulux paints: alas, no; &‘Light & Space’ certainly isn’t available. Years ago people used to use glossy paint to reflect more light in dark rooms. I hate this as every bump and bobble on the surface of the walls and ceilings are highlighted. On the uneven walls of a very old house it looks even worse, it’s like looking at a choppy sea. All exterior products have color specifications. Siding, windows, doors, garage doors etc. have color specifications that states a requirement of paint colors with an LRV of (some #) or higher. It’s usually in the range of 55 to 65.

One of the depressing things about being a decorator is making other peoples’ houses look beautiful and not having time to decorate our cottage. In the real life spectrum of paint colors, the darkest and lightest colors available don’t quite reach the ends of that scale. The pros at your professional paint store can advise about product and process to use. (More about this coming up.) I could speculate why there are three different published LRV values for Chantilly Lace. But it doesn’t matter, kind of not a big deal, and I’ll tell you what to do about it shortly.

Lila Wiese on Perennial vegetables: Tree cabbage Maybe I missed someone stating this but is it possible to obtain seeds for this in the US?Understand that LRV is “reasonably informative” and it’s plenty accurate enough for a color design application. If you know how to use it correctly. LRV is a measurement that tells you how much light a color reflects. If you do the math, you can figure out how much it will absorb too. 100 – LRV = % absorbed. Simple, right? For example, the LRV of Smoke from Benjamin Moore (shown on the beadboard in this post) is somewhere in the middle of the charts, coming in at 56. A zero would mean that a color literally absorbs all light in the room, whereas a 100 would mean it reflects all the light.

If you do not use one of the specially formulated products, you are limited to a paint color that is within the same tight LRV range as the original color.Or, best case, the warranty is voided. Worse case, your house ends up like this. Yes. The new color created would need to be measured to get its LRV. There is no way to predict how its luminance will be different from the old color.I put a little more careful, considered thought into what I wanted to achieve. Whilst the Paint Pod would have been ideal for our dark-&-dingy Dining Room, the whole house could do with a brightly-painted smile. Being a traditional Welsh farmhouse there’s lots of woodwork; including a tongue-&-groove ceiling upstairs. As you can imagine, in places it gets a bit dark at times.

Color consultants, architects, and all types of designers use LRV information throughout their planning process. What is LRV? Also, may I remind you that the science behind LRV is controversial and the few who understand why might not want to deal with the fallout. (apparently I’m feeling prepared because this is one of the longest blog posts I have ever written) How is LRV Different from Chroma

It will help you define what’s too light or too dark so you can zero in on the right color. LRV and Exterior Paint Colors By: Lori Sawaya, Color Strategist |Albert R. Sawaya II, EE, MBA • Metrology Expert Where Do I Find LRV for Paint Colors?