Why does white gloss paint yellow?

Why does white gloss paint yellow?

Yellowed Woodwork?

 

If you are a professional painter or even if you have ever done any painting at home you may have noticed that over time your once pristine white woodwork has become yellow.

 

What's the cause?

Smoking, dirt, magical yellow paint fairies that sneak around your home at night painting your skirting boards a disgusting nicotine yellow?

The real answer is that it is your paint. Before 2008 in the UK most woodwork paint was oil based and contained a high level of VOCs or Volatile Organic Compounds, which have been linked to adverse health conditions. Since then various pieces of legislation have been released which limit various chemicals that used to be used in oil based paint.

These changes in formulation have resulted essentially in an inferior product which will ALWAYS yellow over time. 

Some oil based paints are better than others but the main factor is light. Areas which receive high levels of natural light can stay white for years whereas those which are not well lit or only by artificial lights can be discoloured within months. If you open a painted cupboard door you will notice the side facing the cupboard will be much yellower, much faster than the side facing out.

What's the Solution? 

The simplest answer is you need to switch paints. There are various options for woodwork paint which will not yellow or will yellow more slowly than oil based paints. Hybrid paints (water borne but still enhanced with alkyd) will yellow much more slowly than oil based but in our opinion pure water based is the way to go.

Some water based paints are known not to perform as well as their oil based counterparts in terms of durability and finish. But that does not need to be a sacrifice you make when choosing which paint to use.

 

There are 2 Completely water based acrylic paints in the UK market which are renowned for not only long lasting whiteness but also durability.

Benjamin Moore Scuff X

This paint from US manufacturer Benjamin Moore has been taking the UK market by storm over the last few years. The main benefits are durability and ease of application but it is also extremely low odour and leaves a beautiful finish in a wide variety of luxury shades.

Also unlike many other water based paints Scuff X can be applied directly to solid old oil based paints without the need for a separate bridging primer. Simply key the surface with fine sandpaper ensure the surface is clean and dry then paint. Available in Matt, Eggshell, Satin and Semi-Gloss this paint really is the top of the tree when it comes to pure water based interior woodwork paints. 

Johnstones Trade Aqua Guard

 

Similarly to Scuff X Johnstones Trade Aqua Guard is a premium pure water based interior paint which will never yellow. It is also quick drying, low odour and can be applied to old oil based paints. The durability and finish of this paint is absolutely excellent.  

In summary both of these paints are excellent alternatives to traditional oil based paints that will stay white without sacrificing on quality.

In our opinion Scuff X is the easiest to apply out of the 2 and has slightly better coverage giving it the edge. But both are absolutely awesome paints which will keep your woodwork as bright white as the day it was painted.

 

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.