6 Smart Ways to Use Glow Paint (and 3 Not-so-Smart Ones)

From the discovery of fire to the invention of car headlights so bright they almost vaporize everything in their path, human history has always been a struggle against darkness . Yet most of us don’t use one of the most flexible and powerful tools in our arsenal against him: glow paint. These days, glow-in-the-dark paint is very safe , as most of them use phosphorus as their main glowing ingredient. It comes in a wide range of colors and finishes and will last up to ten years with proper care. If you haven’t already thought about how fluorescent paint can improve your life, here’s how it can and can’t be used at home.

Light open tracks

You have invested a lot of money, time and resources in your outdoor spaces and you should be able to enjoy them at night too. While solar lanterns and other solutions can light up a space for evening enjoyment, sometimes the night sky is part of outdoor recreation, so being able to roam safely without glare is ideal.

Staining stones to mark a path in your landscape or a border around your plantings can provide subtle lighting that makes walking around your property much safer and easier when the sun goes down and allows you to appreciate the stars and fireflies all around you. .

Change the decor of the children’s room

The classic “stars on the ceiling” motif remains a winner for decorating chi rooms, but you can go further than old-school stickers that give off a faint, sickly green glow. Draw the entire solar system there, or add glowing paint to frescoes that magically come to life at night. Of course, you need to be pretty artistic to begin with, and you’ll probably want to play around with this a bit before fixing, but if done right, it creates a nice, subtle effect.

Mark the edges so you don’t hurt your toe

If your home is a minefield of bruised toes, gnarled shins, and other accidents when you walk at night, you can use glow paint (or glow tape ) to mark the edges of shelves, steps, or anything else that will help. you to navigate. . This is especially useful in a power outage situation where you’re not prepared for sudden darkness or having to go down to the basement to reset a tripped circuit breaker. The clearly defined edges of these basement stairs will make this potentially dangerous mission much easier.

Make light switches easy to find in the dark

If you’re constantly walking into dark rooms and blindly slapping the walls looking for a light switch, fix the problem with a daub of glow-in-the-dark paint. The small circle will show up very clearly in a dark room, making it easy to navigate through rooms in total darkness (assuming you also mark the edges of all those obstacles between you and the switch).

Put a little on what you need in an emergency

Blackouts and unexpected power outages often accompany inclement weather and other problems, so being able to easily find and return all of your collected emergency gear (you did, right?) is a big plus. Note things like the power reset switch box, the drawer you keep your flashlights and batteries in, the location of your first aid kit—anything you’ll need to quickly find in the dark.

Light up your house numbers

If your GrubHub orders are always delayed because people can’t see your address from the street, putting your house number in glowing paint can be a game-changer. Besides making sure those burritos arrive hot, making your home easier to spot from the road can make a real difference in an emergency. After all, if an ambulance or police car cannot easily determine which house belongs to you, there can be a critical delay in getting help.

Three ways not to use glow paint

As useful as glow paint is, there are a few specific ways not to use it:

• Do not overdo it with wall and ceiling decor. If you decide that decorating a nursery or other part of the house with glowing paint is a great idea, remember that not much can be achieved. Keeping these kids up all night with a wall of brightly glowing cartoons right next to their face is not a good idea.
• Do not use paint as a light source. While fluorescent paints are very good at detecting edges and helping you find objects in the dark, they don’t emit enough light to replace other lighting in your home, and they only glow brightly for a limited amount of time. You still need real emergency lighting, and you should keep flashlights and flashlights on hand in case the power goes out.
• Do not try to use it in a completely dark room. Luminous paints and tapes work by absorbing visible light during the day (or when indoor lights are on) and then releasing that light energy later. This means that they require light to charge – if you use it in a room or part of your house where there is never light, it will be a waste of your time and money.