Glowing paint in the dark it looks simply incredible, giving a huge scope for imagination when using it. In this article we will consider the principle of operation of such paint, its characteristics and give advice on choosing. Let's talk about the technology for making luminous paint at home.
Composition and principle of action of luminous paint
Luminescence is the ability of materials to glow with the onset of darkness or when the artificial light source is turned off. This effect can be given to any object by treating it with a special luminous paint, which is also called phosphor, luminescent, fluorescent or self-luminous.
Enamel accumulates light energy during the day, and then continuously releases it in the dark. The duration of “work” of such paint without external lighting is about 8-12 hours. The cumulative glow process is a continuous cycle and can be used for several years.
The glow of the paint occurs due to the presence of a special component - phosphor (luminescent pigment). Glow powder adapts well to environment, frost- and heat-resistant, has stable chemical, physical properties and long service life - more than 30 years. It is used for both external and internal work.
The phosphor is combined with a transparent carrier, usually an acrylic, alkyd or polyurethane-based varnish. The standard proportion of components is 1:3. The type of varnish does not affect the brightness of the glow, but this criterion largely determines the scope of the paint and the durability of the coating.
Scope of application of reflective paints
Glowing paints have a wide range of applications.
1. The material is in demand when creating a glowing effect in the interior, for decorative finishing ceilings, walls, application artistic painting, in the interior design of cafes and night clubs.
2. Original design furniture, paintings, interior items.
3. For body art and creating glowing makeup and manicure.
4. Decoration of artificial or live flower arrangements.
6. For wooden fencing, gazebos and window frames.
7. Applications in silk screen printing - advertising stickers, posters, notepads, etc.
8. Bicycle and car tuning: luminous wheels, hubcaps, calipers, bicycle spokes and frames, protective helmets, spectacular designs on the car body.
9. Creation of warning signs and protective clothing.
Types of luminous paints and features of their use
Glowing paints can be roughly classified according to basic parameters.
Type of active substance (luminescent pigment)
Fluorescent paint, glowing in ultraviolet rays: such paint will not glow on its own, the fluorescent effect disappears after turning off the UV lamp. This type of paint is very often used when decorating exteriors, club rooms and car tuning.
Acrylic varnish is most often used as a base, which makes the coating safe for health. The pigment can have different colors; red, green, pink and yellow look the most impressive.
Glowing (luminescent) paint based on a phosphor: the painted product glows in the dark, releasing the accumulated energy of the sun. To “recharge” this paint, 10-15 minutes of bright daylight or artificial lighting is enough.
Reflective paint begins to glow when light rays hit it. Mainly used for territory markings, road markings, reflective elements and signs. This enamel significantly increases the level of safety on industrial enterprises and roads.
Phosphorescent paint contains an active pigment - phosphorus, which is dangerous to human health. Phosphorus paint is used for car decoration and interior decoration. They try not to use it in the interior, and replace it with paint with a phosphor.
Degree of transparency
Colorless (translucent) in normal light they are practically invisible and have a slight whitish tint. In the dark, the paint glows blue or yellow-green.
Colored paints visible in daylight and emit light in the dark. Often colored enamel contains a phosphor and fluorescent pigment, which allows it to manifest its properties under UV rays and in complete darkness.
The composition of the paints and the presence of special components is determined by the intended purpose of the enamel:
- paint for PVC surfaces and plastics - contains polyurethane-mineral resins that improve the adhesion of materials;
- flower paints are made on the basis of water-acrylic dispersion, which does not harm plants;
- heat-resistant paint for processing metal and glass surfaces— contains polyphenyl resins (maximum permissible exposure to temperature +500 ° C);
- paints for aquatic environment— durable water-repellent polyurethane varnish is used.
Comparative characteristics of luminous paints from different manufacturers
The technology for making luminous paints is quite simple and does not require expensive equipment. Therefore, today the production of luminescent and fluorescent enamels is carried out by a large number of large and small enterprises. Let's compare the products of some of them:
| Noxton | LUMINOVATOR | Luminofor | |||
| fluorescent paint | fluorescent paint | fluorescent paint | fluorescent paint | fluorescent paint | |
| Scope of application | painting metal, wood, glass, plastic, flowers, textiles, for body art | decorative works on paper, fabric, plaster, natural stone and primed metal | painting of metal, wood, textiles, PVC | ||
| Basic colors | green, blue, yellow, red, blue, orange, pink | white, yellow, red, blue, orange, green, pink | blue, green, yellow, red, white | light green, red, yellow, blue, purple | |
| The basis | depends on the purpose of the paint | water-soluble acrylic base | waterproof base | acrylic | |
| Packing | 0.5/1/3.5/10 l | 50/100 ml | 100 ml | 250 ml | |
| Consumption | 12-14 l/m2 (one layer) | 100 g per 1-1.5 m2 | 250 g/m2 | 10 l/m2 | |
| Storage conditions | paint for metal: -30 °C...+40 °C; for glass: -10 °C...+40 °C; | from +5 °С to +30 °С | protected from sun rays place | no more than 30 °C | |
How to make glowing paint with your own hands
You can prepare the coloring mixture yourself. To work you will need the following components and tools:
- phosphor;
- varnish suitable for the type of coating;
- varnish solvent;
- glass or ceramic containers.
Sequence of preparing luminous paint:
- Pour the varnish into the prepared container.
- Add luminescent pigment. The amount of phosphor will determine the brightness of the paint and the saturation of the glow; the indicator ranges from 15-50%. The optimal proportion of pigment is 30%.
- In order for the phosphor to be better distributed, you need to add a little solvent to the composition. The amount of solvent should not exceed 1% of the total mass.
- Mix the paint until it has a homogeneous consistency.
This technology produces transparent enamel. If desired, you can add a color to the composition, which will give the desired shade to the surface.
To obtain a uniform and rich glow of objects during painting, you must adhere to the following rules:
- The surface of the product must be clean and dry.
- The paint must be thoroughly mixed before use, since the phosphor particles precipitate over time.
- The second coat of paint must be applied after the first has dried. The interval between paintings should be at least 1-1.5 hours.
- The brightest glow will be on a plain white surface; a dark base absorbs more emitted energy, so when painting some products it is recommended to pre-treat the surface with white primer.
- When working with phosphorus paints, you need to take care of the means personal protection: glasses with side shields, gloves and a respirator. Painting should be done in a well-ventilated area.
Thanks to unique properties Glowing paints have found application in a variety of areas, and you can prepare the coloring composition yourself - just adhere to the given proportions and simple technology.
Glowing paint is a great way to decorate a room, but that's not its only purpose. Luminescent pigments glow in the dark and help create a real fairy tale in an ordinary room. Recently, the scope of application of phosphors has been rapidly expanding, and the trend of decorating the home with luminous dyes has not lost ground.
How luminous paint works, where it can be used and how to prepare a similar composition with your own hands at home - there will be an article about this.
How it works
Luminescence is the ability of a substance to accumulate light energy found in ultraviolet radiation and then release it again, that is, to glow. Glowing paint contains certain pigments called phosphors. It is the phosphors that are “saturated” with ultraviolet rays from a natural or artificial light source, and then begin to glow in the dark.
Attention! Fluorescent substances glow only under the influence of special ultraviolet lamps, while luminous paint is clearly visible in complete darkness without additional equipment.
Phosphors made from luminous paint are very stable substances; they are difficult to destroy both physically and chemicals. Therefore, surfaces painted with luminous enamels retain their properties for a long time - they will glow for at least 30 years.
The process of glowing phosphors is a reversible process. These paints only need 15-20 minutes to “recharge” and become saturated with light energy: then the surface will glow for at least eight hours in complete darkness.
Important! The brightness level of luminous paint directly depends on the amount of phosphors in its composition.
Do not confuse luminescent paints with phosphorescent paints, which contain phosphorus, which is considered a substance hazardous to health. Such dyes are suitable only for outdoor use, while luminous enamels based on phosphors can even be used in children's rooms - they are absolutely non-toxic.
Where can you use glow paint?
The second component of luminous enamel (after the phosphor) is varnish. The area of application of the paint depends on the quality and composition of this varnish. As a rule, the varnish is colorless; it can be intended for finishing wood, plastic, drywall, metal, plaster, wallpaper, glass or tiles and other surfaces.
Glowing paints are even used for body painting (body art) and for decorating living plants. Such dyes should contain an acrylic emulsion based on water based.
Thanks to this composition, luminous paint has a very wide range of applications:
- in the production of road signs and indicators, marking on asphalt, marking fences or poles;
- For decorative design interior spaces- decoration of walls, ceilings, drawings on various surfaces in the house;
- for decorating furniture or decorative elements;
- in the theater and circus, luminous paint is used to decorate sets, costumes, and create unique makeup;
- in florist shops, flowers and green plants are decorated with luminous pigments;
- in advertising, luminous enamel is used to illuminate banners, posters, and signs;
- The territory of a private plot can also be improved with the help of luminous paint - it is decorated with gazebos, hedges, facades;
- Motorists also often use phosphors - they tint rims, bumpers, and apply various patterns to the body;
- Glowing enamel is also used in workwear tailoring shops: markings are applied to the uniforms of road or emergency workers, for example.
Do not forget that the possibilities of using luminous enamel depend on the varnish included in its composition.
Varieties of luminous dyes
Paints that glow in the dark are divided into two main groups:
- Translucent, more often called colorless. The basis of such compositions is a transparent varnish. You can apply paint to almost any surface, even with a pattern, because during the day the paint layer remains invisible.
- Colored dyes consist of a phosphor and a pigment. During daylight hours, surfaces treated with them look like they are painted. in the usual way, and at night they begin to glow.
Depending on the chemical composition luminous paint is different and its performance characteristics. For this reason, luminescent paints and varnishes are divided into the following groups:
- Paints for plastic surfaces characterized by high adhesion - polyurethane-mineral enamels.
- Safe and quick drying acrylic emulsions water based.
- Heat-resistant dyes intended for hot glass, ceramics, and metal, the coating of which can withstand heating up to 500 degrees.
- Waterproof dyes that can be used in bathrooms and even swimming pools, creating a water-repellent film on the surface.
Important! Luminescent paints have a lot of advantages, but there are also significant drawback- luminous enamels are very expensive.
How to make glowing paint at home
It is quite possible to make luminous paint at home. To do this, you will have to get the main component - phosphor. You can buy this substance online or in large hardware stores. The cost of a phosphor depends on the intensity of its color: the lighter the shade of the glow, the cheaper the substance.
Attention! On average, to process 8 squares of surface you will need about 100 grams of phosphor.
The second ingredient - varnish - should be selected depending on what surface will be painted. This is the only way the finished dye will adhere securely and last a long time.
So, you need to prepare luminous paint in the following sequence:
- varnish is poured into a glass or ceramic container;
- add phosphor powder based on the proportion of 30% substance to 70% varnish;
- drop a little solvent (no more than 1% of the total mass);
- if you need to prepare a color dye, add a suitable color;
- Stir all ingredients thoroughly.
Paint made according to this recipe can be used in the same way as purchased luminous enamel. The timing and method of storing the composition depend on the qualities of the varnish that was used to prepare the luminous enamel.
Advice! Luminescent paints are convenient to spray with a spray can; you can use a brush or even a roller for application - the choice of application method largely depends on the consistency of the dye and the properties of the varnish included in its composition.
How to make your own phosphor
With some knowledge of chemistry and access to reagents, you can try to prepare a phosphor at home. This can save you a lot of money, but you will have to work hard.
Glowing paint can be a source of inspiration and material for creating unique decorative effects. It glows in the dark, turning an ordinary room into a fabulous place. But not only the interior is decorated with this paint. Luminescent pigment will help give unusual look any surface or object. And at the same time, the luminous composition is easy to prepare with your own hands at home.
What is luminescent paint and how does it work?
Luminescence is the ability of a substance to glow in the dark due to previously accumulated light energy. Luminescent paint contains substances such as luminous pigments (luminophores). They “accumulate light” over the course of a day or while it’s on artificial lighting. And when darkness sets in, the bright glow of the painted surface becomes noticeable.
Important! Luminescent (luminescent, self-luminous) compositions should not be confused with. The latter can glow only under the influence of ultraviolet rays (you need to buy special lamps for them).
Luminescent paints glow in the dark due to accumulated light energy The process of accumulation and release of light energy by a phosphor is reversible, so the luminous paint will “work” for years. Phosphor is a physically and chemically stable substance that will last at least 30 years even outside the building. In this case, only 15–20 minutes of “recharging” is enough bright light so that the painted surface glows for about 8 hours. The brightness of the glow depends on the concentration of the phosphor in the paint.
According to the principle of action, luminescent materials are similar to phosphorescent ones. But the latter contain phosphorus that is hazardous to health. Therefore, they are used very rarely and only for outdoor work. But phosphor-based materials are completely safe.
Scope of application of luminous paints
In addition to the phosphor itself, the luminous paint includes a transparent varnish (it acts as the basis of the material). The area of application of a particular composition depends on the properties of the varnish. It can be selected for almost any surface - metal and plastic, drywall and wallpaper, concrete and plaster, textiles and wood, glass and ceramics.
On a note! The luminous composition can be applied to fresh flowers and used for body art. But it must be a water-based acrylic dispersion that is safe for health.
Glowing paints are often used when performing body art work.
Luminescent paint is used:
- when applying road markings, painting fences and road signs;
- for decorating interior surfaces (applying drawings to walls, ceilings, floors);
- for painting furniture and other interior elements;
- in make-up, stage art, in the creation of theatrical costumes and scenery;
- in floristry;
- in the production of advertising products (from signs to souvenirs);
- V landscape design(from painting gazebos and fences to creating complex patterns on facades);
- in tuning cars, bicycles, motorcycles (for airbrushing, painting wheels, hubcaps, bumpers, spoilers);
- for the production of workwear for road and emergency services workers.
Car tuning is one of the areas of application of luminous paint
All compositions on the market can be divided into two large groups:
- Colorless (or translucent). These are varnishes that are practically invisible in daylight. They can be applied over any “visible” pattern.
- Colored. In addition to the phosphor, these enamels contain a coloring pigment (color). During the day they look like regular paints, but at night they glow.
There is a wide range of luminescent paint on the market. Also, luminescent coatings differ in the composition of the base and operational properties. Among them are:
- Polyurethane-mineral enamels. They have high adhesion and are suitable for painting various plastics.
- Water-dispersed (acrylic) emulsions. Safe and dry quickly.
- Heat-resistant paints. They create coatings that can withstand heating up to +500 °C. Good for coloring metal structures, glass, ceramics.
- Waterproof compounds. Create a thin waterproof film on the painted surface. Used for painting swimming pools, drainage systems, and bathroom elements.
How to make glowing paint from phosphor powder?
You can make paint with a glow effect with your own hands. To do this, you need to buy a phosphor, select a transparent varnish and a solvent for it. You will also need ceramic or glass dishes for mixing the ingredients.
Phosphor desired color can be found on the Internet or a building materials store. It is quite expensive, but 100 g of this powder is enough to completely color about 8 square meters. m of surface. The price depends on the color of the glow: pigments in light green, blue and white shades are cheaper, but brighter ones - red, orange, blue, green - are more expensive.
Phosphor – luminous powder for making luminescent paint Important! The varnish should be chosen according to the surface that will be painted. This is the only way the finished paint will adhere well.
How to make glowing paint at home:
- Pour varnish into the dishes.
- Add powdered phosphor (the ideal ratio is when the composition consists of 70% varnish and 30% luminous pigment).
- Add a little solvent to the mixture (up to 1% of the total mass).
- Stir thoroughly.
- If you need to get a colored composition, color is also added to the dishes.
Materials and tools required for preparing luminescent paint The paint made in this way is used and stored in the same way as ordinary varnish of a similar type.
If you really want to, you can make your own phosphor. True, this will require more effort and special reagents. What do we have to do:
Before making a phosphor, you should calculate the required volume of luminous paint. It is quite possible that it will be easier and cheaper to buy in a store ready material. In addition, “branded” paint will always be of higher quality than artisanal paint, and the color of the glow can be selected immediately, without lengthy experiments. And having one or several jars of luminescent paint in your arsenal, it’s easy to create unusual thing, stylish tuning or unique interior.
When you are planning a long-awaited party with best friends and friends, or one of your family members is about to have a birthday, then the question arises bluntly - how to entertain guests, how to surprise those gathered and cause a surge of joyful emotions in them. The easiest way is to surprise and amuse little children, who will enthusiastically blow out the candles on the cake, participate in various scenes, or excitedly look for a gift hidden by their parents in the room.
In order to interest adult participants in the festive event, you will have to show your imagination and organize an original scene or tricks. To help you organize an entertaining activity, we will tell you in this article how to make glowing liquid or do-it-yourself luminescent paint at home. Glow-in-the-dark paint can be used to cover inflatable balls, ribbons and other room decoration elements, and any container can be filled with liquid and when it gets dark, the room will be filled with bright fabulous colors!
There are quite a few ways to make such water or paint. But most of them are labor-intensive and not entirely suitable for homemade or too complex for an unprepared person. In this article you best options, with the help of which you can easily and quickly (and most importantly - safely for yourself and others!) make your own phosphor. 
First, we will tell you how to make luminescent liquid at home using improvised materials that you can easily find at home or purchase at a nearby store. point of sale.
So, let's start with the easiest way:
Recipe 1
Today you can easily purchase luminescent markers or felt-tip pens. To make sure that the marker has luminous properties, draw a few thick lines on a piece of paper that will glow in a shaded area. All that remains is to remove the fiber rod from the marker body and rinse it thoroughly in water.
Recipe 2
how to make glowing paint without using luminol? Everything is very simple!
Simple means at hand - boric acid and pine concentrate. If these products are not at hand, then you can definitely buy them at the nearest pharmacy for ridiculous money;
Now pour 50 ml clean water into an aluminum container (for example, a ladle or ladle) and dissolve 3 grams in it. pine needle concentrate. Add a pinch to another small container boric acid and add a solution of pine concentrate there a little at a time;
Gently mix everything and continue adding the solution drop by drop. Hold the container over the fire and bring the mixture to a boil;
After boiling, wait for the mixture to cool, add another solution of pine needle concentrate with water. Boil the mixture again until a yellowish liquid - phosphor - forms. This DIY phosphor will glow beautifully in the dark and can be used as paint to decorate various interior objects.
Recipe 3
How to make luminescent water using hydrogen peroxide and other available materials.
First, let's take care of safety precautions by protecting your eyes and open areas body (thick fabric);
IN glass jar pour 300 ml of water, add a couple of tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide 3%, a tablespoon of salt, a little vinegar;
After this, tightly close the jar with a lid and shake it very vigorously and continue shaking until glowing water.
Recipe 4
Using this method, a liquid with a blue glow can be prepared, but the color of the glow can be changed by adding a fluorescent dye.
Prepare a glass flask with a tight-fitting stopper, 0.15 g of luminol, 30 ml of dimexide, 35 g of dry alkali.
Place all components into the flask and cap tightly. Stir everything vigorously until a bluish glow appears. When the glow weakens, carefully open the cap and let in air to make the glow brighter.
Recipe 5
From hydrogen peroxide and luminol
Prepare a tall glass beaker or flask, a solution of 3% luminol - 5 ml, 3% hydrogen peroxide - 10 ml, a couple of crystals of potassium permanganate, a solution washing powder.
First, you need to pour the washing powder solution into a glass and add the luminol solution and peroxide there;
Now you need to thoroughly grind the potassium permanganate and also add it to the mixture;
Mix the liquid in a glass. It will begin to sparkle and glow beautifully. Adding a little tap water the glow effect is enhanced.
HOW TO MAKE GLOWING LACES AT HOME?
1 way:
What we need: tall glass or flask, 300 ml of water, 2 tablespoons of soda, 3% hydrogen peroxide (2 teaspoons), thick cotton laces.
First you need to pour soda into a glass of water, close the lid and mix thoroughly. Then open the lid and pour in the peroxide. Close the lid tightly again and mix everything thoroughly. Then you need to put the laces in a glass with the mixture and hold them there for 10 minutes.
Method 2:
What we need:
150 ml of clean water;
5 gr. luminol (sold in specialized stores with chemical reagents) or 200 gr. phosphor (this ingredient easily converts energy into glow);
90 ml of hydrogen peroxide 3% (usually sold in any pharmacy);
15 ml of sodium hydroxide solution;
3 g copper sulfate;
Ruben or any other fluorescent dye.
Pour the prepared luminol (yellow powder that glows bluish in neutral or acidic solutions) into a tall glass flask with water. Mix thoroughly.
Now slowly pour in the peroxide and mix the solution again;
Add caustic soda solution and mix everything;
All that remains is to add to the mixture copper sulfate and fluorescent dye;
Mix everything thoroughly and dip the laces into the liquid. After 15 minutes you can pull them out. They will glow in the dark.
3 way:
The surest way to make yourself not just slightly luminescent laces, but laces that glow brightly in the dark. A great feature for lovers of dancing in nightclubs!
But this method will appeal not to amateur chemists, but to lovers of electrical gadgets and all sorts of fashionable devices. Design for manufacturing glowing laces The next step is to make a miniature electronic unit with a thin LED. This LED will run along the center of the silicone cord, allowing light to pass through. The unit will be recharged from a battery. But the lacing should be loose - if you tighten the laces on your shoes too tightly, you will damage the LEDs.
In the photo: phosphor applied to various objects (paint) or poured into containers (liquid consistency)
VIDEO MATERIALS
Glowing walls in an apartment are modern, unusual, in a word, very original. Only neon glowing paint is not sold in stores. Let's see if you can make this kind of paint yourself.
A little about the phenomenon of luminescence and its effects
Any materials that are treated with phosphors - special substances containing phosphorus or zinc sulfide compounds can glow in the dark. In some cases, glow is caused only when the phosphor is exposed to a source of external radiation - electromagnetic or ultraviolet. This is how cathode ray tubes of television receivers or fluorescent lamps glow.
There are two types of phosphors:
- Substances of organic origin, based on naphthalic acid derivatives. Their glow occurs under the influence of ionizing radiation. Feature organic phosphors - their ability to emit short-term flashes.
- Inorganic-based phosphors, which are created on the basis of crystal phosphorus compositions and have the ability to glow continuously.
Phosphor compositions are widely used in the production of self-luminous toys, for tuning cars, and for making Christmas tree decorations. Most of these materials are non-toxic, and therefore the proximity of a person to phosphors does not cause him any harm.
The choice of the type of phosphor at home is determined by the effect you want to achieve. If you want to make permanent lighting (for example, the walls of a garage that is adjacent to a dark opening), it is better to use crystal phosphorus applied to overalls. However, a constant glow often creates inconvenience, especially if it is bright and intense.
How to make regular paint glow
There are several ways to achieve the luminescent effect at home. You can, for example, purchase self-luminous paint, in which the phosphor components are already dissolved. This paint is often called neon, although there is no neon there. The glow is created by the luminescent pigment contained in ordinary acrylic paint.
The effect of such a pigment is as follows. During the day, such paint should be exposed to artificial and daylight(this is mandatory) which accumulates acrylic enamel, and then radiates into outer space as darkness falls. The radiation process usually lasts from 8 to 12 hours - a period sufficient for the room to be filled with external light again. At the same time, the surface layer of paint again stores energy, which it will release in the evening.
Since the process is cyclical, no destruction of the phosphor components occurs, and the emissivity of the paint can be maintained for a long period of time. However, such paints are quite expensive, and in addition, they have a very limited palette of shades. Therefore, it may be impossible to make, for example, a multi-colored glow on the walls in a room that imitates neon.
At home, it is much easier to make such neon paint with your own hands. To do this, you need to purchase a set of luminescent pigments. They have universal application, and therefore have the following positive features:
Self-luminous additives include chemical compounds, which dissolve well not only in acrylic, but also in other types of household varnishes (alkyd or polyurethane). The varnish must be transparent, otherwise the final paint color may differ from the desired one.
In any case, before creating self-luminous paint at home with your own hands, you should first check the final effect on a small and invisible part of the wall, where external light will constantly fall.
How to choose the right type of self-luminous coatings
The technology will be determined by the end goal. You can, for example, use such paint to highlight part of a picture or panel on the wall, or you can use it for painting large plot surfaces. Depending on this, the type of fluorescent pigment is selected.
The glow in ultraviolet rays looks especially impressive when illuminating the facade of a house. By themselves, such pigments do not glow. In order to create a “neon” glow of the exterior, it is necessary to direct a sufficiently powerful ultraviolet lamp or even a spotlight with a UV filter there. This solution is expensive and difficult to implement.
Phosphors can glow on their own: to do this, it is enough to direct the light flux to the surface for 20-30 minutes. Energy is accumulated by reflective material and then released into the surrounding space. Before this, you should choose the right color of the phosphor so that the glow does not irritate the eyes and is in harmony with the overall color scheme rooms.
Reflective pigments glow continuously when exposed to external light. It is advisable to do this type of painting to illuminate dark areas of the garden area, focusing the light directed onto the painted wall using reflectors or mirrors.
Making your own neon paint
At home, the base is acrylic, as it is the safest. However, when painting PVC panels with your own hands, they usually use polyurethane paint. The process of obtaining self-luminous paint is as follows:
- Varnish is poured into a glass or ceramic container and a pigment of a pre-selected color is added. The pigment concentration depends on the desired degree of effect, but should usually not exceed 25-30% of the base.
- Since the density of the composition will increase, a little (up to 1%) organic solvent should be added to the container, after which the paint should be thoroughly mixed.
- To make the luminous composition more intense, you can add a little coloring agent to the paint.
- When painting with your own hands, it is necessary to constantly stir the composition, since phosphors are heavier in mass and can fall to the bottom of the container. As a result, the color will be uneven.
Preparing walls for painting does not have any special features.
It is important that the original surface is uniform in texture and clean. It should be noted that on lighter surfaces the self-luminous effect of the walls will be more expressive.
Therefore, it is better to make a light primer of the original surface with your own hands before painting it.