Even the paint binder is a liquid mineral (potassium silicate
a.k.a. water-glass) which bonds by penetration into the coated surface
and petrifies by reacting with lime contained in the surface or in the
paint itself, as soon as the water is evaporated. Those mineral
ingredients give the paint the same properties as natural stone,
especially hardness and breathability.
The single most important property is silicate paint's
breathablility or, in technical terms, water vapour permeance of 77 US
perms which is about equal to house-wraps like Tyvek® and over 100
times as permeable as a 2-coat latex paint. This means that Silicate
Dispersion Paintis great for uses such as finishing of
mineral-surfaces such as interior and exterior concrete, masonry,
stucco and drywall, especially on walls where the breathability of the
whole wall system could be ruined by an impermeable paint, such as in
strawbale and adobe housing construction.
In most applications, wall paint fails eventually by blistering and
peeling of the paint, which is caused by moisture vapours trapped
between the surface and an impermeable paint film. The different
nature of Silicate Dispersion Paint allows moisture vapours to pass
through freely, while keeping liquid moisture out. This doubles or
even triples the service life of silicate paint compared to a latex or
an oil-based paint. If applied to a lime-containing surface such as
concrete or stucco, the service life can reach 20 and more years, if
applied properly.
Other positive side effects of the high mineral content in Silicate
Dispersion Paints are its antifungal properties without fungicides,
its non-combustibility in case of a house fire and its environmental
compatibility. For instance, paint left over simply turns into natural
stone, when left open to dry out. All paint ingredients occur
naturally in abundance. The main ingredients are quartz sand, potash,
limestone, dolomite, soap stone, china clay and water.
Silicate Paints imported from Europe have been used on the exterior
of buildings such as the White House and the Empire State Building in
New York. While those paints were not really affordable to the average
person's wallet, Eco-House Inc, a manufacturer of various low-toxicity
and non-toxic fine art materials and finishing products, is targeting
the mainstream market of high-end wall paints in Canada and the USA.
Since most ingredients are sourced in Canada and the USA, the cost
of Eco-House Silicate Dispersion Paint is in the acceptable range
considering all its technical advantages.
For more information contact Eco-House
Inc. @ 1-877-ECO-HOUS (toll-free) or go to their website www.eco-house.com.
co-House
Inc of Fredericton, New Brunswick has developed and is now beginning
to market a new type of wall paint, which is unique in North America.
Silicate Dispersion Paint is made of 97% mineral ingredients dissolved
in water. It is solvent-free and uses only highly lightfast earthen
and mineral colours without toxic heavy metal pigments.
