Recent Trends in Architectural Coatings
New Looks
It is possible to produce many novel,
eye-catching looks by using special
paint application techniques. Faux
finish and glaze techniques have been
around for many years. Distressed
looks which give the appearance of a
rusted surface or a tarnished metal are
popular. It is possible, with some practice, to become proficient at applying
such looks to a wall. In addition, there
are many contractors in the market offering professional application of these
looks. However, for the average do-it-yourself painter, achieving these looks
may require too much skill or artistic
talent, and many homeowners are not
willing to take on such a project.
Therefore, one of the challenges for
today’s paint manufacturers is to develop products that can provide new
looks (as opposed to a single, homogeneous color) with a very simple and
easy application process. One very
appealing product which has gained
some traction in China is “multicolor
paint,” which mimics the look of natural stone such as granite or marble.
Such coatings are made by producing
a product that has individual domains
of color which do not mix with each
other. When sprayed over a base color, the final finish has an appearance
of natural stone. Today this look can
only be achieved by spraying, but a version that could be applied with a paint
roller would be more suitable to the average do-it-yourselfer who may not be
willing to use spray equipment. Figure
7 shows a prototype of a roller-applied
multicolor paint.
Another way of achieving a new look
is to incorporate some type of larger colored particles into a paint formulation.
There are a variety of available raw materials that can be used for this purpose.
In general, they need to be larger in diameter than the film thickness of the dried
paint so that they are visible after the job
is finished. By using various types and
sizes of colored particles, a variety of effects can be achieved. Again, this type of
coating can be applied by spray or roll
application, although most homeowners
will prefer to use a roller. The texture
arising from the larger particles is useful
for providing an aesthetically appealing,
non-slip surface to concrete walkways
and patios. Figure 8 shows a close up
view of such a coating, illustrating the
texture achieved via the use of large particle flakes.
In Figure 9, one can observe the appearance improvement resulting from the
application of this type of coating to the
aged concrete on a pool deck.
Summary
The architectural coatings industry has
enjoyed a period of healthy innovation
over the last decade. A few of the key
drivers have been the conversion from
oil-based to waterborne paint, VOC re-
duction, removal of chemicals of concern,
the emergence of paint-and-primer-in
one products, the desire to provide im-
proved film properties such as dirt pickup
resistance and early rain resistance, and
the desire to provide easy-to-apply new
looks. Coatings formulation contin-
ues to be a field rich in innovation. As
consumer tastes change, regulatory rules
change and new raw materials become
available, paint formulators will continue
to use their expertise and creativity to
produce new products. CW
References
1. ACA Industry Market Analysis 9th
Edition, Chemquest; American Coatings
Association, 2015; Ch. 7, p 11.
2. California Air Resources Board web
site. http://www.arb.ca.gov/coatings/arch/
voclimits.htm
3. South Coast Air Quality Management
District web site http://www.aqmd.
gov/home/regulations/compliance/
architectural-coatings
4. Ozone Transport Commission web
site. http://www.otcair.org/
5.Lake Michigan Air Directors
Consortium web site. http://www.ladco.
org/about/
6. Utah Department of Environmental
Quality web site. http://www.deq.utah.
gov/FactSheets/fspages/consumerprod-ucts.htm
7.MaricopaCountywebsite.ht tps://
www.maricopa.gov/aq/divisions/plan-ning_analysis/ AdoptedRules.aspx
8. Environment Canada web site. http://
www.ec.gc.ca/lcpe-cepa/eng/regulations/
detailReg.cfm?intReg= 117
9.SCAQMDwebsite.ht tp://www.
aqmd.gov/docs/default-source/planning/
architectural-coatings/current-activities-
support-documents/2015_ 9_par1113_
pcm.pdf?sfvrsn= 6
10.TFLwebsite.ht tp://www.
tfl.com/web/files/Statement_NPE-surfactants.pdf
11.Wikipediawebsite.ht tps://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonylphenol
12. Brown, S. Achieving Successful
Microbial Protection While Staying
Below EUH208 Limits. Proceedings
of the European Coatings Conference,
Nuremberg, Germany, April 20-21, 2015.
13. United States Environmental
Protection Agency web site. http://www2.
epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-04/
documents/pr2000-1.pdf
In Figure 9, one can observe the appearance improvement resulting from the application of this type of
coating to the aged concrete on a pool deck.
