Improvements in the housing market are good for nearly everyone. New home constructions are up, as are renovation projects.

As a result, the demand for interior architectural coatings has increased and is expected to rise nearly 4 percent through the end of 2019 in the U.S. alone. According to a report by The Freedonia Group – Paints & Coatings to 2019 – this $31.5 billion industry will grow to reach 1.4 billion gallons. This is very good news for interior coatings manufacturers.

“Gains will be driven by a strong rebound in construction activity, which will stimulate demand in the architectural market,” researchers found. “Environmentally friendly, low VOC paint and coating products will continue to see particularly strong growth as manufacturers develop new products to meet stricter government regulations and changing consumer tastes. Additionally, new technological advances, such as nanostructured coatings, will drive future growth as they open new applications by providing antimicrobial, self-cleaning, sound-dampening, anticorrosive, and light-emitting functions.”

According to the report, architectural markets for paint and coatings will continue to be the main outlet for the industry, growing at an above average rate through 2019 as demand is driven by an improved outlook for both residential and nonresidential construction.

“The fastest growth for paint is expected in new residential construction as housing completions rise at a double-digit annual pace, but demand in improvement and repair applications will increase as well. Overall, demand for interior paint, which accounts for about two-thirds of the market, will outpace demand for exterior paint due to increased use of siding materials that do not require painting. Additionally, water-based paint formulations will continue to grow faster than solvent-based formulations due to environmental concerns, although most architectural paint has already switched from solvent- to waterborne formulas.”

Growing, trending

Paint manufacturer Dunn Edwards has remained steady with high single-digit growth in the interior coatings segment.

“We have continued to show growth through the new residential and repaint market, as well as the new and repaint commercial market for interior paint lines categories. Interior flat paints continue to make up about two-thirds of all interior paints sold. The outlook for 2017 remain steady, with forecasted growth in the mid to high single digits for 2017,” the company said in a statement.
Dan Passinault, PPG’s director of innovation, products and commercialization said that the increase in new home construction and the ascending values of existing homes have benefited the interior architectural coatings market. “According to ChemQuest’s 2016 Wells Fargo Industry Analysis Report titled ‘Paints, Coatings and Adhesives,’ the architectural coatings market’s growth in both sales and volumes is expected to continue into 2017,” he added.

PPG’s senior color marketing manager Dee Schlotter said that the trends consumer can expect to see in 2017 include grayed-off violet.

“After seeing its presence on fashion runways and in the hospitality industry over the past year or so, one of the main trends consumers can expect to see is an increased usage of a grayed-off violet in home décor and in paint colors. In keeping with consumers’ ever-expanding mindsets and the blending of many conventional definitions of male/female, work/play, young/old, and traditional/modern, indoor/outdoor 2017 will usher in moody, chameleon-like shades that blend calming, introspective hues with the sense of luxury typically associated with violet.

PPG Paints brand’s grayed-off Color of the Year Violet Verbena perfectly embodies this innovative mix of sultriness and serenity, while Olympic paints’ Cloudberry offers similar minimalism encapsulated in a rich, elegant plum hue. Glidden paint’s Byzantine Blue is another great example of chameleon-like color, as it appears to be grayer when paired with dark neutrals yet looks more blue or purple when partnered with white colors. These trends represent a manifestation of the increasingly bohemian consumer lifestyle that places a high emphasis on spiritual exploration and introspective thinking,” Schlotter said.

In keeping with this trend, Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year 2017 - Shadow (2117-30) – is a rich, royal amethyst. At the time of its release, Ellen O’Neill, Benjamin Moore’s creative director said, “Allusive and enigmatic, Shadow is a master of ambiance. It is a color that calls to mind a ‘past’, yet it can also make a contemporary, color-confident statement. Shadow is sophisticated, provocative and poetic, it can bring energy to a space or harmony and a moment of respite.”

The Benjamin Moore Color Studio forecasts color trends after a year of research attending major industry shows around the world, while also taking cues from standouts in architecture, fashion, textiles, home furnishings and the arts. Fine art emerged as a leading inspiration, highlighting the correlation between an artist’s use of color and light to create mood.

According to the company, Benjamin Moore’s Color Trends 2017 palette features 23 rich and sophisticated hues ranging from muted pales to saturated deeps. In curating the palette, the Color Studio lent significant consideration to the pairing of colors and relationships between color families, as well as a newfound level of color confidence in deeper hues among design professionals and consumers.

The palette celebrates “how shadow and light travel throughout a space during the course of a day.”

Sherwin-Williams’  2017 Color of the Year, Poised Taupe (SW 6039), is described as “a modern take on a timeless classic.” It, too, strikes a balance between tones and moods.

“Poised Taupe signals a new direction in society’s ever-growing thirst for beautiful neutrals that bring warm and cool tones together to create one irresistibly versatile color. It celebrates everything people love about cool gray as a neutral, and also brings in the warmth of brown, taking a color to an entirely new level. Not cool or warm, nor gray or brown, Poised Taupe is a weathered, woodsy neutral bringing a sense of coziness and harmony that people are seeking,” said Sue Wadden, director of color marketing for Sherwin-Williams.

Performance and technology

One of the first things homeowners do – either when moving into a new place or sprucing up the old one – is change the paint color. While this is arguably the easiest way to change the look and feel of one’s home, interior coatings manufacturers know that color comes second to performance. After all, who’s going to notice that trendy paint color if it is marred with food stains or wear-and-tear from furniture?

According to Dunn-Edwards, a few performance properties that painting contractors are looking for with interior paints are excellent sheen uniformity, touch-up and blends well, good opacity, and ease of application.

Additionally, as more and more contractors and consumers are in search of sustainable products – particularly those that reduce odor, improve air quality, etc. – companies such as Dunn-Edwards offers a wide array of interior paints that are environmentally friendly.

“Dunn-Edwards offers a complete range of Zero VOC and Ultra-Low VOC paints lines for interior application. All Dunn-Edwards paints bearing the EG Free logo, are EG-free and TAC/HAP-free. Ethylene Glycol, a solvent often used in water-based paints, is listed as a Toxic Air Contaminant and Hazardous Air Pollutant. In 1983, we were the first in the industry to voluntarily replace EG with Propylene Glycol, a non-toxic alternative ‘generally regarded as safe’ by the FDA. Also, every Dunn-Edwards product with the EG-Free logo is free of any other TAC or HAP, too,” the company said.

PPG’s Passinault said that consumers are looking for paints and stains that offer high quality, durability, convenience, easy application and pleasing aesthetics without high VOCs or strong odors.

“In the architectural coatings industry, low-VOC is no longer a specialty product offering, it is a must-have option for all brands in the space,” he said. “In a crowded and competitive landscape, it is important to know how these products differ, understand the standards for low- and zero-VOC certification and how they impact job specifications.

“The main differentiator in the market is the classification as ‘low’-VOC vs. ‘zero’-VOC. Previously, painters were forced to make major sacrifices with product application to achieve lower VOC levels. However, low- and zero-VOC products have come a long way and now apply similarly to regular paints in coverage and spreadability. In addition LEED V4 is now a primary requirement for most commercial new construction projects which calls for a higher level of understanding and commitment to sustainability in product offerings.

“As the low- and zero-VOC paint space progresses, we find that consumers will be looking at additional ways to be environmentally friendly, such as using recycled paints or paints made from bio renewable resources, or participating in Paint Care programs,” Passinault concluded.

To meet these needs, PPG’s Glidden brand debuted earlier this year its newest product offering, Glidden Diamond interior paint + primer, which provides “a smooth, beautiful finish with diamond-tough durability at an incredible value.”

Also this year, the PPG Paints brand introduced the next generation of the <50 grams per liter volatile organic compound (VOC) version of Break-Through! interior and exterior water-borne acrylic paint.

“One of the PPG Paints brand’s most popular products, Break-Through! paint offers a unique and versatile technology that provides excellent adhesion, hardness and block resistance to a variety of residential and commercial surfaces as well as quick drying time,” Passinault said.

PPG’s Olympic Paints & Stains brand provided consumers with the opportunity to extend staining season, Passinault added, by introducing Olympic Maximum Stain + Sealant in One with Weather-Ready application. The product’s features enable homeowners to stain when they want to, even if the weather isn’t perfect.