What are the latest trends in paint?

Paint manufacturers are always coming up with something new. Some of it works and some of it doesn’t. Here are a few newcomers you might run into in the paint aisle:

• Primer and paint in one can. If you’re switching from a dark color to a lighter one or if your wall requires a lot of spackling for repairs, you’ll need to prime it before painting it. A few paint manufacturers have introduced “self-priming” paint, and they claim it covers even dark blue or brown walls, along with hard-to-mask stains like crayon marks, with two coats. The product might save you time and a little money, but the professional painters I’ve talked to say they’re sticking with old-fashioned primer and then a separate coat of paint.
• “Green” paint, and I don’t mean the color. More and more paint brands are lowering the VOCs (volatile organic compounds, which cause the bad smell in paint because they omit gasses as they dry) in the paint. We can thank our neighbors in California for the rush of eco-friendly paints on the market, as the state has banned the use of interior paints with more than 50 grams of VOCs per liter. Check the label next time you buy indoor paint to make sure you’re buying a health- and eco-conscious brand.
• Heat-stopping paint. A few paint manufacturers have introduced “insulating” paint that they claim can keep the heat out of your house. The paint contains ceramic beads that are supposed to make it hard for the walls of your house to conduct heat through the painted surface. One manufacturer says its ceramic-barrier paint reflects up to 90 percent of the heat. Hy-Tech insulating paint products are based upon our exclusive blend of insulating ceramic microspheres or "vacuum beads", that are designed specifically for mixing into paints, coatings and composites to form a tight interlocking matrix which reduces conductive heat through the painted surface. The ceramic barrier reflects up to 90% of the heat back to the source. The professional painters in Rosie’s Referral Network have not endorsed ceramic paints, saying they’re no match for the Arizona sun.

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