1 Shot red paint faded

[Dmab]

I painted a large outdoor sign 2 years ago. I primed and painted 2 coats with 1 Shot paint.
The red has faded completely away. How do I clean it to repaint?

 

[Billct2]

If it's good shape otherwise, I'd wipe lightly with an old scotchbride pad, clean and final wipe with alcohol and repaint. 1 Shot isn't what it was, and red is one of the worst.

 

[Johnny Best]

repaint with a good acrylic red, Nova Color paint is great paint to use.

 

[VizualVoice]

IDK much about OneShot, but I do know a bit about paint and chemistry and light. Red pigment is one of the fastest to fade when exposed to UV (aka sunlight), largely due to it absorbing a shit-ton of the energy from it, causing degradation. I'd seriously consider adding a coat or two of your favorite UV-stabilized clear coat over the top of it. IIRC OneShot is an enamel, right? If so, you can probably get a hardener for it to eliminate any potential reaction with the clear, but I doubt it's needed TBH as long as you allow sufficient dry time.
Once it's thoroughly cured (maybe give it a day or three depending on the weather) use a good 2K urethane like an automotive clear. Dust on your first coat or two as a "tack" coat to minimize any possible reactions but it ought to be unlikely, then hit it with a good medium coat and then a wet coat, and I bet it'll last a LONG time.
Oh, and what Billct2 said about prep, though you can also use a product by Krud Kutter called Gloss-Off. It's awesome for paint prep, especially on already painted surfaces or polymers.

 

[kcollinsdesign]

The only red I see on this sign is the bird, and it doesn't appear faded.

All colors will change through UV exposure, oxidation, and wear. Red is the worst (red paint reflects red, which is relatively low energy, and absorbs the higher energy blue colors from the opposite side of the spectrum).

Some paints are more susceptible to this than others. Red Oxide and Burnt Umber are remarkably colorfast (Red Oxide is Barn Red). Mixing blue (black) or green into your red will tone it down and add to its longevity.
Adding a UV protection clear coat will also help (it tones down your color as well).

One Shot is specifically formulated for outdoor use and to resist fading. Back when there was cadmium and lead in the formulation, it resisted fading better (along with covering much better, something essential for brush lettering). I have signs up that are 20+ years old that I painted with red One Shot bulletin (modern formulation, no lead – that's been gone for years) that show considerable fading, but they still look fine and the red is still red. It may come down to what you can tolerate. In the picture you sent, the red bird looks fine to me. If there was red somewhere else it must have faded away completely!

 

[Dmab]

The only red I see on this sign is the bird, and it doesn't appear faded.

All colors will change through UV exposure, oxidation, and wear. Red is the worst (red paint reflects red, which is relatively low energy, and absorbs the higher energy blue colors from the opposite side of the spectrum).

Some paints are more susceptible to this than others. Red Oxide and Burnt Umber are remarkably colorfast (Red Oxide is Barn Red). Mixing blue (black) or green into your red will tone it down and add to its longevity.
Adding a UV protection clear coat will also help (it tones down your color as well).

One Shot is specifically formulated for outdoor use and to resist fading. Back when there was cadmium and lead in the formulation, it resisted fading better (along with covering much better, something essential for brush lettering). I have signs up that are 20+ years old that I painted with red One Shot bulletin (modern formulation, no lead – that's been gone for years) that show considerable fading, but they still look fine and the red is still red. It may come down to what you can tolerate. In the picture you sent, the red bird looks fine to me. If there was red somewhere else it must have faded away completely!

This was the taken when i finished and had it placed at the business. I didn’t take a pic of the faded sign, though I can if you want to see it. I wiped it yesterday just with a cloth and there was a bit of oxidation, but still unacceptable. It looked so great when I finished it. I take pride in my work and I am so disappointed in the appearance after two years. 1 Shot really let me down!

 

[visual800]

take all the one shot in your possession and trash it and switch to latex. One Shot is crap and does not last...on another note that sign is cool!

 

[geb]

ronan oil base enamel topcoat, let dry completely (read can). Clear with Ronan UV Absorber when dry. Prep appropriately as needed. Has worked well for me.

 

[HotRodJen]

as already stated, Red is one of the fastest fading colors. a good quality exterior red latex paint will probably outlast 1shot or ronan these days. Nova is great for outdoor use but has to be ordered from them

 

[kcollinsdesign]

This was the taken when i finished and had it placed at the business. I didn’t take a pic of the faded sign, though I can if you want to see it. I wiped it yesterday just with a cloth and there was a bit of oxidation, but still unacceptable. It looked so great when I finished it. I take pride in my work and I am so disappointed in the appearance after two years. 1 Shot really let me down!

One-shot was designed for sign writing with a brush. If you are not doing that, then there is no reason to use it. You can't brush letter with artists paint or latex (well, you can but it's not easy and I don't recommend it - you will also ruin your lettering brushes. Shit, what am I talking about? Very few people brush letter anymore so this likely makes no sense to most of you).

Acrylic artists paint is your best bet. Golden is my preferred brand, Nova Color is the best value. It costs a lot more than exterior latex, but you're not painting whole buildings with it and the cost is manageable. Exterior latex hold up better than One Shot or bulletin, but I won't use it if the color is dark or saturated (like the colors in your sign). I will use latex for pastels and white. Acrylic artists paint can be applied over most normal exterior latex with no adhesion problems (make sure it is not self-cleaning or graffiti resistant).

If you are a bigger shop, you are likely using acrylic polyurethane which holds up better than anything but a few specialty paints (Keim mineral paint comes to mind). But these are specialty paints used by professionals and require a ventilated spray booth (check your local codes), specialized application equipment, and usually a sizable investment in inventory, colorants, adjuncts, and a proprietary mixing system (an investment similar to what an auto body shop would make). Also takes lots of practice and skill to get it right. But if you are doing a couple $million or more in house-produced fabricated signs, you will go that way (I like Matthews).

 

[John_Smith]

Dmab:
This was taken when i finished and had it placed at the business. I didn’t take a pic of the faded sign, though I can if you want to see it.

When asking for advice, it is always best to include the project "in its present state". Although the original project is nice to see, the project in its deteriorated condition would get you the best responses.