This week we’re replaying some of our favorite episodes about the stuff painters use.

A mummy at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY. (Photo by Liz Lawley via Flickr/Creative Commons https://flic.kr/p/EYhB)

“Mummy Brown” Was A Paint Made From Actual Mummies

for centuries artists used a paint called Mummy Brown, which was made with actual mummy parts.


A school playground with blue, white and yellow paint. (Photo by sgrace via Flickr/Creative Commons https://flic.kr/p/9SSXPK)

With Solar-Reflective Paint, School Playgrounds Are Getting Cooler

A school near Atlanta is demonstrating a partial solution to scorching hot asphalt playgrounds, and it’s as simple as getting a fresh coat of paint.


Close up on a safety vest with day glo yellow and orange colors. (Photo by swirlingthoughts via Flickr/Creative Commons https://flic.kr/p/d5u74)

The Race To Keep Day-Glo Paints Glo-ing

Paintings made with Day Glo paint – some by well-known and influential artists – are losing their glow over time. Conservationists are trying to figure out how to preserve them.


A paint stick mixes a can of white primer. (Photo by Ballookey Klugeypop via Flickr/Creative Commons https://flic.kr/p/4WyZi7)

Really, Really White Paint Can Act Like A Coat Of Air Conditioning On A Building

Scientists at Purdue University have a way to help keep us cool to the point that we might not even need air conditioning, and it starts with a fresh coat of a special paint.


Fordite (photo by James St. John via Flickr/Creative Commons https://flic.kr/p/RMtWzH)

“Fordite” Is The Gem Made From Paint At Auto Factories

Back in the days when auto workers spray painted new vehicles, excess paint would harden and accumulate into a substance that looked like colorful gemstones. Jewelers have been making works of art out of “fordite” ever since.

Photo by Incase via Flickr/Creative Commons