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ICI Dulux Mouldguard July 15, 2008

Posted by admin in : Painting Tips, Recommendations , add a comment

ICI Dulux Pentalite Mouldgard - A933-25664

ICI has come up with a product that solves a particular persistent problem faced by homeowners - mould growth. Mould can appear in many places, but particularly in areas where you don’t want them. Seriously, would you rather have mould present in your storeroom or in your bedroom. I haven’t heard of complaints of mouldy storeroom (yet?) but there seems to be a disproportionate occurrence in bedrooms. Bathrooms and kitchens are also favorite haunts. What they do is create an eyesore on the surface of the paint while slowly digesting the paintwork. With food and moisture, it spreads wider and wider. Before long, the entire wall or ceiling becomes a community of many different types of moulds, giving the wall an unintended spectrum of colours.

 

Often overlooked also is that moulds are detrimental to health. In a different period in my life, the study of mould spores in the air was, at that time, my only pre-occupation. In infested areas, spore counts can go up to a level that requires quarantine. People have known to fall sick just from exposure. No wonder those TV makeover nannies are usually masked up while cleaning in mould-infested homes.

 

ICI Dulux Pentalite Mouldgard is designed to prevent moulds from growing on its surface. Like I mentioned, Mouldgard is ideal for bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens where mould growth is likely. Some characteristics of the paint :

It is good to first prepare the surface by applying Dulux Fungicidal Wash prior to painting. This will kill off existing moulds and spores.

The recommended recoat time is 1 - 2 hours, but in my own use, the drying time can be as fast as under 1 hour if good ventilation exist. I used a commercial grade fan to aid air flow. I always suggest 2 coats to achieve a good finish.

ICI Dulux Pentalite Mouldgard is my recommendation (even if mould growth is only suspected).

I’ve attached the product brochure and the product datasheet for your reference.

 


Product Brochure

 


Product Datasheet

 

Searches On This Site June 18, 2008

Posted by admin in : Colour Chart, Painting Tips , 4comments

First of all, my appreciation to all who visit my humble piece of online real estate. Thanks also to all who leave their comments. This post is just to go over some of the searches that visitors have made on this site (in the red search box on the right). Below is a list of recent search keywords: - colour chart - paint for wooden doors - 2060-r20b - aluminium wood primer - jotun color card - cutting in - khaki - 21237 - metal paint - bs 0.012 - EMZ445 - 3145 There are many queries on colours and colour charts. I will scan and put more in the near future. Along this line, there are also many searches with

colour codes such as the few you see in the list above. The search will usually come up blank because I have never listed the complete range of colour codes in any of my post. There has to be hundreds of thousands of colour codes in existence and listing them is not practical. The easiest way I can help is for you to drop a comment if you don’t mind sharing your question with everyone else, or, send me an email if you do mind. Being in the paint industry for so many years, I’ve come across my fair share of colour codes and coding format. Even if I am unable to help, I may be able to point you in the right direction. While we are at it, lets clear some of the colour codes listed above. - 2060-r20b is a NCS (Natural Colour System) colour. The exact colour is available in the NCS colour fanbook. If you need to know the BS (British Standard) or RAL equivalent, drop me a line and I will do a manual match. - 21237 is a ICI Dulux Weathershield colour code. See here. Go to page 12 of the ICI Colour Chart. - bs 0.012 is a BS (British Standard) colour and if memory serves, the colour is dark blue. Contact me if you need more. -3145 is Lilac Frost from Nippon 3-in-1 Medifresh range See here. Go to page 7 of the reader or page 5 of the catalogue, and you should see the colour near the bottom of the page. - EMZ445 is definitely a International Paint product code. I would need to call them to find out more. Thanks for visiting. If there is something you would like me to write about, feel free state the topic in the comment. In the next post, we’ll talk about Jotun Penguard Epoxy Paint.

Fluorescent paint vs Luminous paint June 1, 2008

Posted by admin in : Marine Paints, Painting Tips , 5comments

There is a general misunderstanding with the terms fluorescent paint (not to mention the common misspelling of the word) and luminous paint. Most people when asking for or referring to luminous paint actually mean paint that glow in the dark. Fluorescent paint does not glow in the dark. It requires light to glow. Paint that glow in the dark are actually phosphorescent paint. Let me offer my view of the terminology. Luminous paint is a grouping of paint that basically "glow", regardless whether they do it in the light or in the dark or by themselves. Within this group of paint are the fluorescent paint (glow-in-the-light), the phosphorescent paint (glow-in-the-dark), and the radioluminescent paint (radioactive, self-glowing). Fluorescent paints are widely used in industries for purpose of marking. In some countries, these are also known as UV Fluorescent Paint or Blacklight Paint. Under UV or blacklight, the sensitive pigments embedded in the fluorescent paint absorbs the UV light and emits off visible light, thus causing the "glow". This paint is available in 1-litre and 5-litre pack sizes and comes in a handful of colours, the most common of which are yellow, green, orange and red. In my line, I’ve seen practical applications in road-marking, in safety signages, and in marine buoy markings. Fluorescent paint can either be water-based or solvent-based. Phosphorescent paints are also used for markings and signages. However, one increasingly popular application is in novelty items. Toys and wall-coverings coated with the paint or have materials mixed with phosphorescent powder make very eye-catching gift items. Have you come across soft rubber cut-outs of shapes of planets and stars glued on ceilings of children’s room? They glow when the lights are off and give children their first taste of star-gazing. These are materials that contain phosphorescent pigments such as zinc sulfide or strontium. Though these pigments or paints glow in the dark, they actually have to be "charged" with light. The pigments in the paint absorbs the light and when the lights are off, slowly emits light. Phosphorescent paint are not easily available locally. I used to have a few cans in stock but they had rather limited shelf-life. They hardened after about 6 months even though they were not opened. They were promptly discarded. Radioluminescent paints were used in the past on clocks, watches, compass, toys, fish baits, weapon aiming site etc. Due to its radioactivity, its application is presently rather limited. I have not come across radioluminescent paint in Singapore. I’m also not aware if this stuff can be brought in in your usual Fedex packing. Certain certification would probably be required. Of the 3 types of luminous paint, the most common here must be blacklight paint or fluorescent paint. However, the fluorescent product we are most familiar with is not the paint, but the pen - the common highlighter!

Nippon Easy Wash Now Comes With Teflon December 6, 2007

Posted by admin in : Painting Tips, Recommendations , 2comments

Nippon Paint has improved its Easy Wash range by adding Teflon. For those unfamiliar with Teflon, take a look at your frying pan! Yes, you heard me right. Teflon’s most popular application must be in non-stick pan. Thanks to Teflon, your sunny-side-up can be transferred to your plate in one complete ‘clean’ piece, not having to easywashsmall.jpg scrape off pieces that are stuck on the metal, like our older non-Teflon frying pans. Well, now thanks to Teflon, sources tell me that Nippon’s latest product - Nippon Easy Wash Plus with Teflon - is flying off the shelf!

Nippon Easy Wash Plus with Teflon is an improvement of its predecessor - Nippon Easy Wash. With the addition of Teflon, an already easy-to-wash product is made even more washable. On top of that, this latest line covers hairline cracks as well as being mould-resistant. The colour range has also undergone an overhaul. The latest range has strong colours such as Red Flag, Earth Flag and Candy Pink. The usual shades of whites (Lily White, Rose White, Orchid White, Apple White etc.) still exist, but in slightly different shades. There are a total of 33 colours, inclusive of Pure White. In the next post, I will scan the Colour chart for all to see…

Choosing A Painting Contractor (Part 3) June 24, 2007

Posted by admin in : Painting Tips, Recommendations , add a comment

This is the final part of our 3-part series on Choosing A Painting Contractor. In this post, we will go through criteria in selecting a good painting contractor.

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At this point, you would already have several contractors to choose from, obtained by various means as discussed in the previous post. To recap, the several start points to get painting contractors are: i) referral by friends and family ii) newspaper classified ads iii) referral by paint dealers iv) referral by paint manufacturers Lets say you have a few names to consider. How do you select the right one? Consider the following criteria: 1) Price Unless you have extremely deep pocket or loads of money to burn, you should eliminate the ones that blow your budget. Not much point considering these further. 2) Project Duration Some contractors will show up in full strength at the start of a project, only to

have it dwindle to skeletal strength. This is a commonly employed strategy which allows the contractor to accept any and all jobs that come along, show full commitment and enthusiasm in the beginning, and slowly re-allocate and spread manpower to all concurrent projects. Owners are misled into thinking that the painting project is well underway, not aware that your grandma would have done the job in half the time. For larger projects, a Liquidated Damage (LD) clause can be drawn up in the contract. This clause penalizes the painting contractor for delay. For example, damages of $200 per day can be levied on the contractor for each day of delay in the completion. For exterior painting works that require fair weather, each day of bad weather is added to the date of completion. is441068.jpg3) Paint System Ask the painting contractor to advise on the correct paint system to use. While he may not know your exact requirements, he should at least be able to suggest some paint system that are suitable for you. If he is not able to, it’s likely painting is not his actual profession. You may not want to consider him further. After he comes up with a paint system, verify it with a paint dealer or a paint manufacturer. 4) Warranty It is at this point that you discuss clearly the contractor’s liability in case there are defects in the painting works. For example, what would his liability be should peeling or discolouration occur? What is the warranty period? Refer to an earlier post where I discussed warranty of external paint jobs. This should save you a bit of money and a lot of headache. 5) Payment Schedule For small projects, it is usually payment upon completion. Some may ask for partial payment to help defray material costs. For bigger projects, a payment schedule of progressive payment is usually drawn out in the contract. Whatever the arrangement is, never part with more than the amount of work done. On top of that, have it agreed to retain a certain amount for a short period after the completion of work. To be fair, this need not be for very long. A few days to a week would usually do. This period allows you do a thorough inspection of the work done and to recall the painting contractor for any shortcomings. 6) Reference Ask for a reference. It can be a past satisfied customer, a paint dealer or a paint manufacturer. Do note that not every painting contractor can give you a personal reference. Those who do give provide you that bit of additional assurance.

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It is my sincere hope that the past 3 posts assist you in your painting project. I will add posts on this topic over time if I come across good practices that you should know about. On the same note, I will also bring to your attention bad practices you need to be aware of. Always remember that painting contractors are human beings as well. Grant them the respect they deserve and usually it will be reciprocated.

Thanks for reading…