Durability
Coatings with rapid drying and water-shedding properties reduce maintenance costs and facility downtime. Enhanced water shedding products could last 10 years, compared to the average of two to three years for traditional coatings. This reduces the need for recoating, saving maintenance costs and improving operational efficiency.
Enhanced water shedding coating products can maintain their original clean appearance for seven to 10 years, compared to two to three years for traditional architectural coatings without water shedding properties.
Traditional coatings can typically offer substrate protection beyond two to three years; however, they are limited in their ability to stay clean and offer enhanced fade resistance. For lighter colors (e.g. lightness values greater than 55) traditional architectural coatings start to experience noticeable dirt pick and fungal and algal growth and can give potential customers a poor impression of the business. Fade resistance is also another key property of coatings. Enhanced water shedding products are typically formulated with silicone polymer technology, which provides longer durability than traditional acrylic coatings.
Safety and appearance retention
Hydrophobic coatings better resist mold, mildew, and algae growth and exhibit UV-stability and excellent weather resistance. This translates to
a better long-term appearance, and an improved exterior which will not break down via long-term exposure to the elements.
Extended building lifecycle
Super-hydrophobic coatings provide reliable facade systems, materials, and assemblies with more durable formulas and reduce the total cost of ownership. Over a two-decade installation, the super-hydrophobic coating has the potential to save almost 80 percent in the total cost of ownership over a standard coating product.
Lower maintenance cost (elimination of yearly pressure washing) and longer intervals between recoating (result of improved durability) provide long term savings over traditional architectural coatings. Reference back to traditional coatings under durability, the same properties contribute to extending a building lifecycle.
Boosting cleanliness
Using hydrophobic and super-hydrophobic technologies to create low surface energy and nonpolar structures, hydrophobic coatings repel water and resist dirt pick up.
As material prices continue to rise, building owners and contractors are looking for ways to improve building performance and extend appearance retention. While regular building coatings are formulated to be highly stable and resistant, research on innovative developments has driven finishes and coatings which offer smarter solutions.
Reclad delivers super-hydrophobic armor to Edgewater Condominiums
Along the Atlantic Ocean in North Myrtle Beach, the Edgewater Condominiums needed an upgrade to the 10-year-old stucco facade. The decision was made to remove the cladding and reclad it with a new one. The board of directors worked with the project team for the 10-story condo building to specify 23,225.76 m2 (250,000 sf) of continuous insulation (ci) wall system with a super-hydrophobic finish with self-cleaning properties.
