Outdoor fittings suffer a continuous beating from sun, cold, heat, snow, ice, rain and wind. The largest reason for fading is ultraviolet sunlight, says Jeffrey Dross, corporate manager of education and business trends for Kichler lighting company. It’s hard to place something outdoors rather than have an influence on the finish, Dross says, but deciding on a finish that’s UV resistant or stable is useful.” . Dross clarifies there are 3 basic types of lighting fittings, people who have painted finishes, people who have powder coated finishes and people manufactured from strong substance, like aluminum or brass. Strong material fixtures are the most durable and will last longest, Dross describes.
Evidently, their finishes will change, but they don’t fade, they develop a visually attractive patina, such as verdigris in copper and a burnished patina for brass” . FAST FIXES – What can you do if you have a perfectly good fixture that’s just lost its color? Giving your lighting fixtures a brand-new lease on life is often as simple as adding a brand-new paint coat. As always, follow good painting principles: sand the surface completely, wipe dust off, and spray lightly with the best quality spray paint you can find. For another measure of security, add a UV protective coating, such as Krylon’s UV Resistant clear spray coat
This is the simplest way to squeeze another two to 3 years out of your lighting fixtures. Powder coating may also brighten things up. There are powder coating companies which will take rusty lawn furniture or faded light fixtures, blast away the old finish and apply a brand new one. Search for these on-line under powder coating.”. Powder coating involves electrifying the fixture, then spraying on the new finish, a type of coating that is electrostatically applied to the surface. Ensure you enquire about if the powder coating used is UV stable. Even when it isn’t, this process will yield you a fixture that looks new and will wear longer than paint.
BUY NEW – Obviously, there is always the option to purchase new fixtures. These generally run about twice the cost of off the shelf fixtures, but they last much longer.
