...And Then There Was Light!

Have you ever gone to the store, picked out paint chips or colour only to find it looks completely different once you get home? This is very normal, it's called "metamerism", a phenomenon that happens when colours appear different under different light sources. For best results always view the paint chips in the actual space you'll be painting before purchasing a can of paint. This way you can see what light source you are working with, and have a full understanding of what the colour will look like in your desired room. Several colours that are prone to metamerism are; tans, taupes, greys, greyed-blues, mauves, lilacs and greyed yellow-greens.

There are 3 different lighting sources; direct sunlight, indirect sunlight and artificial light. Direct sunlight is considered to be the ideal light source. Natural sunlight maintains a neutral balance between warm and cool and gives the truest rendition of the colour. Indirect sunlight is not consistent, and changes throughout the day. Lastly, artificial light leads colours to appear warm under incandescent and halogen lights. Reds and yellows are enhanced, and blues and greens are dulled. However, with fluorescent lights it's the complete opposite, blues and greens are enhanced and reds and yellows are dulled.

Have you ever experienced this? Let us know! Leave a comment below, we'd love to hear from you!

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The Colour Wheel

Do you consider the colour wheel when choosing a colour to paint the walls in your room? Do you know the difference between monochromatic, complementary, analogous and triad? You may be wondering when picking a simple colour got so complicated. It's completely the opposite, the colour wheel is your best friend! It will help you choose colours that will complement existing flooring, adjacent rooms, it will also add depth and character.

Let's get to the basics to help you understand the full scope. As you can see the colour wheel is separated into 12 different high-concentrated, pure colours. From there, there are three different categories; primary, secondary and intermediate (tertiary).

Primary colours - pure red, blue and yellow

Secondary colours - a combination of two primary colours; orange (red + yellow), green (yellow + blue) and violet (red + blue)

Intermediate (Tertiary) colours - a combination of a primary and secondary colour; red orange, yellow orange, yellow green, blue green, blue violet, and red violet.

Now on to the colour schemes. A colour scheme is based on the principles of the colour wheel. They are a helpful guidelines that can be used to achieve the look you desire. Colour schemes are the combinations or pairings that create an aesthetic look and feel of your room. Thus bringing us back to; monochromatic, complementary, analogous and triad.

Monochromatic - a colour scheme that uses tints and shades of the same colour on the colour wheel. This can be on either end of the scale, soft and subtle or brave and bold.

 Complementary - a colour scheme that uses two colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel

Analogous - a colour scheme that uses adjacent colours on the colour wheel

Triad - a colour scheme that uses three colours that are equally spaced out on the colour wheel

As you can see each room has a flow and compliments each colour within the room nicely.

We would love to see any rooms you've created based on the colour wheel! Share a picture with us on our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/trendzpaint 

What's VOC?

By now you’ve probably heard of the term “VOC” when talking about paints and finishes. Like many you’re probably wondering what this exactly means. VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound, meaning organic chemicals that have a high vapour pressure at room-temperature. Their high vapour pressure is because of a low boiling point, thus causing large molecules to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form.

For example, formaldehyde has a boiling point of -19 degrees Celsius. Slowly, over an extended amount of time the chemical would slowly exit the paint and diffuse into the air we breathe.

VOC’s are regulated by law and have a low concentration. Although VOC’s are considered to be acutely toxic to humans, long term exposure to these chemicals can cause a slow development of several different health complications. Several health effects being; eye, nose and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney and central nervous system. Some organic compounds can cause cancer in both humans and animals. The health effects are all in determinate to the length of time exposed and level of toxicity within the paints. 

Canada considers VOC’s to have a boiling point of 50-250 degrees Celsius. “The term “organic compound” covers all chemicals that contain carbon and hydrogen” according to the government’s webpage. Check out this table taken from the government’s website as well. Do you recognize any of them?

Chemical	Source
Acetone	Paint, coatings, finishers, paint remover, thinner, caulking
Aliphatic hydrocarbons (octane, decane, undecane hexane, isodecane, mixtures, etc.)	Paint, adhesive, gasoline, combustion sources, liquid process photocopier, carpet, linoleum, caulking compound
Aromatic hydrocarbons (toluene, xylenes, ethylbenzene, benzene)	Combustion sources, paint, adhesive, gasoline, linoleum, wall coating
Chlorinated solvents (dichloromethane or methylene chloride, trichloroethane)	Upholstery and carpet cleaner or protector, paint, paint remover, lacquers, solvents, correction fluid, dry-cleaned clothes
n-Butyl acetate	Acoustic ceiling tile, linoleum, caulking compound
Dichlorobenzene	Carpet, moth crystals, air fresheners
4-Phenylcyclohexene (4-PC)	Carpet, paint
Terpenes (limonene, a-pinene)	Deodorizers, cleaning agents, polishes, fabrics, fabric softener, cigarettes

As you can see a source for many VOCs is paint. That’s why we pride ourselves on offering extremely low, or no VOC paints. Our customer’s health is our number one concern.