Poor gloss retention is the deterioration of the paint film, resulting in excessive or rapid loss of luster of the topcoat.
What Causes It?The paint film may deteriorate if an interior paint has been used outdoors or a lower-quality paint has been replied.
Using a gloss alkyd or oil-based paint in areas of direct sunlight may also cause poor gloss retention.
How to Solve ItDirect sunshine can degrade the binder and pigment of paint, causing it to chalk and lose its gloss. While all types of paint will lose some degree of luster over time, lower- quality paints will generally lose gloss much earlier than better grades.
The binder in top-quality acrylic latex paint is especially resistant to UV radiation, while oil and alkyd binders actually absorb the radiation, causing the binders to break down. Surface preparation for a coating showing poor gloss retention should be similar to that used in chalking surfaces (see Chalking).
Note: Images provided by The Rohm & Hass Paint Quality Institute.