Term: poor hiding power

"Poor hiding power" refers to a paint's inability to effectively cover or obscure the surface beneath it, such as previous colours, stains, or surface imperfections. In other words, a paint with poor hiding power will require multiple coats to achieve full coverage and uniform appearance.

Key Points:

• Hiding power (also known as opacity) is a measure of how well a paint covers the substrate.
• Paints with poor hiding power are often thin, low in pigment volume concentration (PVC), or made with lower-quality pigments.
• This can lead to increased labour and material costs, as more coats are needed to achieve the desired finish.
• Common signs of poor hiding power include:
  • The previous colour showing through after one or two coats.
  • Uneven or patchy appearance.
  • Needing more paint than expected to complete a job.

Example in Practice (Australia):

If you're painting over a dark wall with a light-coloured paint that has poor hiding power, you might need 3 or more coats to fully cover the old colour. A professional painter would typically choose a high-opacity paint or use a tinted primer to improve coverage and reduce time on site.

Tip:

To avoid issues with poor hiding power, look for paints labelled as high opacity, high coverage, or check the spread rate and coverage per litre on the product data sheet.