What Is Architectural Painting? Paints, Effects and Colors

Architectural painting is professional wet painting of architectural pieces, from reception desks and hotel doors to kitchen fronts at home. We paint in polyurethane and acrylic, in metallic and effect paints, in texture paints and in gradients. At Modulux the service is called Architectural Painting – LuxKote, and all the painting happens in our own production facility.

Two curved doors in glossy green architectural painting, standing in our production facility

In short

Architectural painting is paint, not metal. In our own production facility we spray polyurethane and acrylic paints, metallic paints, texture paints and gradients onto MDF, wood and metal, after thorough preparation and in the color you chose.

What is architectural painting?

It's wet painting of pieces that go into a space, such as doors, fronts, desks, panels and profiles. The piece comes to our production facility, we prepare it, spray primer and paint and, where it's needed, a clear coat, and it leaves ready to install. That's how our architectural painting service works.

What sets it apart from ordinary painting is control. We choose the whole paint system for the material and the use, prepare every surface before the paint and spray in thin coats. That way long surfaces come out smooth and edges come out sharp.

Which paints and effects can you get?

The base is polyurethane and acrylic paint in a solid color, at the sheen you chose. It's the paint on most fronts, doors and desks, clean and calm.

From there you move on to effects. Metallic paints that give a metal shine, texture paints you can feel under your hand, gradients from one tone to another, mottled effects, shading and layered color. And there are tinted clear coats that give the paint underneath extra depth.

We spray all of it in the same paint shop, with paints from Cerakote, which we import directly from the manufacturer, and from Mipa, Sikkens, Renner and Sayerlack. We choose the system by the material and by how the piece will be used.

Which materials do we paint?

MDF, wood, composite boards, aluminum, iron, steel and stainless steel. And when one project has wooden fronts and joinery, metal profiles and a reception desk, the same paint shop paints all of them.

That's how you get, for example, a hotel corridor with doors in a soft color gradient, a bar front in a metallic bronze paint or a deep green kitchen at home.

How do we match the paint to your color?

Choose from our finish catalogue, or bring a color of your own. We match paint from any color catalogue, or from a sample of yours, such as fabric, stone, a tile or an existing piece.

You judge the color and the sheen on a sample made for you, in the light of the space and not on a screen. The same color looks different on a smooth surface and on a texture, so the decision is made in front of the sample.

Why does preparation decide the result?

Because paint shows everything underneath it. A painted finish is judged on long surfaces, edges and corners, so every piece is prepared before the paint. We clean and degrease, fill and level where needed, work on the edges and choose a primer that suits the material.

Then we spray the paint in thin coats and let each coat harden the way the system requires, before the piece is packed and leaves the facility. And for surfaces people touch and clean all day, we add a ceramic clear coat over the paint.

How does a painting project run?

Send us your design, and tell us about the color or effect you have in mind and where the piece will stand. We come back with the paint system we would choose, and before production you see the color on a sample. From sample approval to finished pieces usually takes 2 to 4 weeks.

Since 2017, more than 1,000 projects in Israel and around the world, all made in our own production facility.

Frequently Asked Questions

Metallic paint or real metal?

It depends on what you want from the surface. Metallic paint is paint with a metal shine, in an even, clean color. When you want real metal on the surface, one you can polish, brush and give a patina, that's liquid metal coating, real metal powder in a binder, or arc wire spraying, where we spray a layer of metal. We walk through finish types on metal in our guide to architectural metal finishes.

Can you paint pieces for outdoors?

Yes, even on the first line by the sea, once we approve the system technically. Outdoors we paint on metal, and we choose the whole system, from the primer to the top layer, for the place. For ideas, see metal finishes for outdoor architecture.

Is this powder coating?

No. It's wet painting, with primer, paint and a clear coat that we spray in thin coats, onto wood, MDF and metal.

How do you care for a painted surface?

It's simple. Wipe it with a soft cloth and a neutral cleaner, with no abrasive products or tools. And every project comes with a 2-year warranty on workmanship and coating quality.

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