# Murals brighten up sidewalks using special paint that is only seen on rainy days. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 2, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429 "2015-11-02T16:24:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/1 "2015-11-02T16:24:17Z")
This is such a wonderful and clever idea. 😃 I really hope it becomes common in cities everywhere. They said an artist in Seattle is using it. I’m going to try and find this paint and use it on a concrete walkway in my back yard. What appeals to me is the random and temporary nature of the mural. We might go three weeks in the summer without rain. Then a nice shower one afternoon. Just enough time to briefly enjoy the bright colors before getting tired of it. Would Hobby Lobby have this paint? The article doesn’t identify a specific name (other than a scientific name), just a common brand - Pantone. It would need to be an exterior paint to hold up over exposure to the hot sun. I searched Amazon. No luck. > **[South Korea transformed with paint that is only visible when it rains](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3300242/Designers-paint-streets-South-Korea-monsoon-season-incredible-vibrant-murals-visible-s-RAINING.html)** > > Project Monsoon was created to bring colour to Seoul's rainy season. Whales, turtles and fish can be viewed underfoot in the capital city, created with hydrochromatic paint, only revealed when wet. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/2 "2015-11-02T16:31:42Z")
I’d love to see it, too. But how long until someone starts painting obscene messages in Rain Paint? How long before people start “tagging” buildings with it? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/3 "2015-11-02T16:34:22Z")
The article misspelled the product name. Its Pantone hydrochromic paint Google is not showing a retail source. They need to get this on the retail market. ASAP I think it will be hugely popular in backyards. Patios, walkways, you could even paint stepping stones. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/4 "2015-11-02T16:34:29Z")
[Here’s a place in the UK.](http://www.mindsetsonline.co.uk/Catalogue/ProductDetail/hydrochromic-paint?productID=b08c0a19-f249-449f-a296-f53d8b960731&catalogueLevelItemID=6701f532-3b4a-451b-b922-ba635d80b20b) It’s not colored paint. You have to paint the image then paint this stuff over it. It dries white then turns transparent when wet. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/5 "2015-11-02T16:40:08Z")
I found a possible US source. Rain Works they are about to start selling and taking preorders. I’m interested but make up your own mind. I’m thinking of a heart and I love you to my wife. A nice surprise. Then after a few weeks wash it away and do another message. 😉 > **[Invisible Spray 2.0 Starter Kit (10-15 sq ft)](https://rain.works/products/invisible-spray-v2)** > > This street art kit is the perfect introduction to creating rainworks—invisible pieces of street art that appear when it rains! The included 2oz bottle of Invisible Spray 2.0 covers 10-15 square feet (when used as directed), and the box it comes in... > [@](#): > > ``` > Totally invisible when surface is dry > Rainworks Invisible Spray is the only superhydrophobic coating that we have tested that is completely undetectable on a sunny day. You can’t see, feel, or smell a difference. > Eco-Friendly & Biodegradable > Once a rainwork is dry, it is completely non-toxic! > Easily Removable > Rainworks do not damage the surface they are on, and they can be easily removed using any earth-friendly cleaning product and a little bit of scrubbing. > Duration > Rainworks generally last 2-4 months (though we have seen them last as long as a year under the right conditions). They are most vivid for the first few weeks, and they gradually grow more subtle over time. > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/6 "2015-11-02T16:44:31Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I found a possible US source. Rain Works they are about to start selling and taking preorders. I’m interested but make up your own mind. > > I’m thinking of a heart and I love you to my wife. A nice surprise. Then after a few weeks wash it away. > > [Invisible Spray 2.0 Starter Kit (10-15 sq ft) – Rainworks](http://rain.works/invisiblespray/) It’s not the same, this is a water repellant. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/7 "2015-11-02T16:49:43Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > It’s not the same, this is a water repellant. :o oh, I see the difference. Rain Works creates a contrast between wet concrete and dry. paintings are in the natural grey of concrete or brown stone. It probably works best for large lettering or simple shapes. the other product gives you the bright colors. Great for murals. both are cool ideas. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/8 "2015-11-02T16:56:24Z")
I’m stealing this idea for my wife. 😉 except I’ll use her name. Schmaltzy, but I love sentimental gestures like this. [http://rain.works/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/IMG\_1771-e1426442760677.jpg](http://rain.works/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/IMG_1771-e1426442760677.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/9 "2015-11-02T17:07:20Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’d love to see it, too. > But how long until someone starts painting obscene messages in Rain Paint? > > How long before people start “tagging” buildings with it? Yeah, we can’t have good things. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/10 "2015-11-02T17:09:51Z")
I think it would be awesome if muncipalities would use the brightly colored paint (in a suitably durable format) to highlight road areas prone to flooding. That way, there wouldn’t be a lot of always present, easily ignored signage that wouldn’t be pertinent probably 2/3 of the time, but when it was raining, the road (or whatever) would show stripes or something pointing out that the area ahead is prone to flooding. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/11 "2015-11-02T17:45:55Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Yeah, we can’t have good things. I just have a nefarious mind. ---
**Author:** ![UncaStuart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncastuart/32/404_2.png) [@UncaStuart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncaStuart)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/12 "2015-11-02T20:12:34Z")
Are there photographs of any real examples of the colored streets? All the ones in the OP look to be 'shopped, with the same pedestrians and strollers in exactly the same positions in the “dry”/“wet” comparisons. Or am I missing something? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/13 "2015-11-02T21:55:07Z")
Thinking through the chemical difficulties here, along with the issues of durability and slickness - I think I am calling BS on the bright-colored stuff as some kind of prank journalism. What I thought of from the subject, and what appears to be real, is the water-repellent stuff. I can see that being a viable product, and useful as well as amusing/artistic. But this disney-color stuff? Let’s see some proof beyond obviously shopped photos… ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/14 "2015-11-02T21:59:47Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Thinking through the chemical difficulties here, along with the issues of durability and slickness - I think I am calling BS on the bright-colored stuff as some kind of prank journalism. > > What I thought of from the subject, and what appears to be real, is the water-repellent stuff. I can see that being a viable product, and useful as well as amusing/artistic. But this disney-color stuff? Let’s see some proof beyond obviously shopped photos… > [@running\_coach](#): > > [Here’s a place in the UK.](http://www.mindsetsonline.co.uk/Catalogue/ProductDetail/hydrochromic-paint?productID=b08c0a19-f249-449f-a296-f53d8b960731&catalogueLevelItemID=6701f532-3b4a-451b-b922-ba635d80b20b) > It’s not colored paint. You have to paint the image then paint this stuff over it. It dries white then turns transparent when wet. It’s being sold. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/15 "2015-11-02T22:01:39Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > It’s being sold. Cite/link other than the original article? And to something other than a craft product for paper, or the essentially transparent stuff that just sheds water? You did notice that all the photos in the article were faked, right? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/16 "2015-11-02T22:05:18Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Cite/link other than the original article? > > And to something other than a craft product for paper, or the essentially transparent stuff that just sheds water? > > You did notice that all the photos in the article were faked, right? Did you notice I linked to a place that’s selling the stuff? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/17 "2015-11-02T22:22:37Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Thinking through the chemical difficulties here, along with the issues of durability and slickness - I think I am calling BS on the bright-colored stuff as some kind of prank journalism. > > What I thought of from the subject, and what appears to be real, is the water-repellent stuff. I can see that being a viable product, and useful as well as amusing/artistic. But this disney-color stuff? Let’s see some proof beyond obviously shopped photos… The original source article for Project Monsoon is on [Behance.Net](http://Behance.Net). This was a special project that Pantone helped with. They are well known for their coded color paint system. Body shops for example order factory colors to repair cars. [https://www.behance.net/gallery/23964881/D-AD-Pantone-Project-Monsoon](https://www.behance.net/gallery/23964881/D-AD-Pantone-Project-Monsoon) > **[Behance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behance)** > > Behance, stylized as Bēhance, is a social media platform owned by Adobe whose main focus is to showcase and discover creative work. > Behance was founded by Matias Corea and Scott Belsky in November 2005. It was acquired by Adobe in December 2012. As of October 2020, Behance had over 24 million members. > Behance was founded by Matias Corea and Scott Belsky in November 2005. The company initially relied on revenue, generating income by selling banner ads, job postings and later, 99U conference tick... > [@](#): > > Behance (stylized with an “ē” (an “e” with a macron) as Bēhance) is a network of sites and services specializing in self-promotion, including consulting and online portfolio sites. It is owned by Adobe.[2][3] > > Businesses like LinkedIn, AIGA, Adweek, and Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, and schools such as Art Center College of Design, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and School of Visual Arts (SVA), have used their services.[4] > > Contents ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/18 "2015-11-03T01:21:46Z")
[Pantone has its own web site too.](http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/index.aspx) It even has a Contact Us link up at the top, so you could ask them about it. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/19 "2015-11-03T05:03:04Z")
So what does it do to pavement friction? Does this present a slip/fall hazard? I’ve put my foot on wet thermoplastic at stoplights on my motorcycle and nearly ended up on my ass. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429/20 "2015-11-03T14:28:57Z")
Okay, let’s try again. No one has quite answered my impertinent questions, and I think quite a few folks here are being cooled by whooshing breezes. 😃 I am quite familiar with Pantone, and their sort of strange spinoff Behance. That these are real companies doesn’t give any particular credence to the product or project claim, especially as Pantone doesn’t generally \*make \*paints, inks etc. and a search of the helpful website link shows no hits for “hydrochromic.” **1) Red flag #1:** Post a link to any real “sidewalk mural” using this technique. All of the photos in the original article are clearly Photoshop work, perhaps good-faith attempts to show what this technique might look like, but still faked. (The transparent/water-shedding stuff is obviously quite real, but it’s not the same thing as this claim of colored murals.) **2) Red flag #2:** I can’t find any link to “Pantone Hydrochromic Paint” that does not circle back to this article. The small bottle of goop linked above is for craft/paper use, which is considerably different from sidewalk, street or outdoor use. Nor is that product identified as being a Pantone one. Anyone who’s terribly excited about this new breakthrough care to come up with a single substantiation of the article’s claims? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murals-brighten-up-sidewalks-using-special-paint-that-is-only-seen-on-rainy-days/736429.md?page=2)