Boatman Fluorescent Paint August 8, 2010
Posted by admin in : Colour Chart, Recommendations , 1 comment so far
Boatman Fluorescent Paint
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Fluorescent Yellow |
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Fluorescent Orange |
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Fluorescent Red Orange |
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Fluorescent Pink |
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Fluorescent Green |
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Fluorescent Blue |
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Fluorescent White |
(When referencing colours, do note that colours you see on your display may be inaccurate and is affected by your monitor settings. In other words, the colours you see here may differ from the actual paint colour.)
In a post I wrote 2 years ago, I explained about the various types of luminous paint (see post). While phosphorescent paint or paint that glows in the dark has grown in both supply and demand, fluorescent paint still maintains a considerable lead. Several reasons for this, but cost is the main reason. Fluorescent paint usually cost one-fifth or less compared to phosphorescent paint. Furthermore, while the latter comes in 1 or 2 colours, fluorescent paint comes in 7 colours.
A popular product in the market is the Boatman range, available in both 5-litre and 1-litre pack sizes. A solvent-based modified acrylic, the Boatman fluorescent paint should be painted over a white primer, either epoxy or alkyd. Drying time varies with ambient temperature but one can expect it to be touch-dry in 2-3 hours. Theoretical coverage is 10 sq m per litre. The colours available are shown above.
The product technical datasheet is below for reference.
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Boatman Fluorescent Technical Datasheet
Product Review : Nippon Water-Based Enamel (Aqua Bodelac) May 1, 2009
Posted by admin in : Painting Tips, Recommendations , 2commentsNippon Aqua Bodelac
(Water-Based Enamel Paint)
Nippon Paint seems to be blazing the trail, as far as the local decorative paint market is concerned. They introduced anti-bacterial with their Medifresh, low odour with their 3-in-1 Odour-less and teflon in their EasyWash, all in recent years. Now, they’ve done it again with Aqua Bodelac, a water-based enamel paint for wood and metal.
Water-based enamel paint is not new technology. In fact, it has been around
for many years. Most major brands of decorative household paint overseas have this in their range of products. Different story here in Singapore. We are like a third world country when it comes to the types of paint available here. And it’s not confined to paints. I’ve mentioned in earlier posts that the range of DIY tools here is also very limited.
Personally, I’m a skeptic when it comes to water-based enamels. Maybe its got to do with less than desirable projects in the past with water-based varnish and water-based polyurethanes. Water-based anti-foulings too fall short of expectation. So it was with some relish when given a can of Aqua Bodelac to try, harboring sub-conscious desire to "prove it doesn’t work".
The trial was done on several pieces of unpainted metal plates. I wanted to find out how the Aqua Bodelac compares with the solvent-based version of Bodelac specifically on the following factors, which are important to most painters :
- Drying time
- Smell
- Flow
- Opacity
- Gloss level
- Price
The test panels are below:
- The Aqua Bodelac was touch-dry within 20 minutes while the solvent-based Bodelac was still tacky after 2 hours.
- Aqua Bodelac was almost odourless while the solvent-based version has its usual strong thinner smell.
- Aqua Bodelac was very viscous and not easy to brush on. Thinning was necessary. The flow for the solvent-based enamel was good without thinning.
- The opacity for the water-based was much better. This is important to many. High opacity reduces the number of coats required to cover dirt or to overcoat dark-coloured substrate. The higher opacity is quite obvious from the pictures above. The black marker lines were deliberately drawn to differentiate their ‘covering’ ability. Both panels were painted with just 1 coat. The marker lines can be seen through the one painted with the solvent-based Bodelac (right).
- The glossy for Aqua was good but distinctly inferior to the solvent-based version.
- The current retail price for Aqua Bodelac is $18.40 while the solvent-based version is $14.50 - a $4.00 different.
Conclusion
Durability is one factor not tested here. Other than that, the water-based
version seems to measure up in factors important to us. The fact that it is much easier to cleanup is also a "super plus" point to consider. This is also a right direction to go as we convert more to ‘greener’ products. The surprisingly higher opacity and the fast drying time is enough to convince many to switch, despite the higher price.
Nippon Aqua Bodelac Product Datasheet
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Nippon Aqua Bodelac MSDS
Below are the Product Brochures :
Rust Oleum Paint September 21, 2008
Posted by admin in : Recommendations, Rust Oleum Products , add a comment
I’m pretty excited with the range of Rust Oleum products that is now available here (in Singapore). Rust Oleum is a well known company based in Illinois, and has been a market leader in rust preventive paint since 1921. History has it that a certain Scottish-born seaman by the name of Robert Fergusson accidentally spilled raw fish oil onto his rusted metal deck. The oil stopped the spread of the rust and heralded the birth of rust-preventive paint. I suppose top of his agenda was to remove the fishy smell !
I’ve always liked Rust Oleum’s one-coat solution for rust. However, that’s not what I want to write about here. I would like to shift the focus from their forte and introduce some very interesting specialty paints, of which they have quite a few. Our readers in States or Europe are familiar with some of these for years. For us here, the increasing interest in DIY in recent years makes it worthwhile for local retailers to bring them here. I’ll introduce one in this post, and a few more later on:
Rust Oleum Magnetic Latex Primer
This is an interesting product. You can convert any surface into one that attracts magnets. "What’s the use in that ?" you might ask. Well, with this paint, you can do away with cork boards and post-its for your notices and messages. Neither do you need to worry about damaging your walls with tapes or thumbtacks. Paint it on your doors and walls, and notes can be attached on it with magnets, something which, up to now, you can only do on your fridges.
Like the name suggests, Rust Oleum Magnetic Latex Primer acts as a basecoat. It is dark grey in colour (due to iron content?) and can easily be topcoated with most types of wall paint, and in the colours of your choice. Adhesion is just as good on wood, metal, concrete and plastered walls.
It is recommended to apply 3 thin coats instead of 2 thick ones, with overcoating time of 30 minutes each. One can contains 887 ml of paint and can cover 16 square feet (based on 3 thin coats).
This product and a few of Rust Oleum specialty paints are available in Selffix DIY. For locations, go to:
The following are the side labels:
Over the weeks (or months), I’ll introduce a few more Rust Oleum products, possibly a few of the following:
- Glow in the Dark paint
- Reflective Paint
- Stone Creation
- Frosted Glass coating
Feel free to ask a question or share a comment.
Jotun Penguard HB - Potable (Drinking) Water Tank Coating September 1, 2008
Posted by admin in : Painting Tips, Recommendations , add a comment
Jotun Penguard HB
I was recently asked to specify the paint system for a potable water tank. "Potable water" simply means water that is "fit to drink". The substrate was steel and had not been painted. I used to recommend the Amercoat 395 system, but since I was not sure of its availability, I specified Jotun’s Penguard HB system instead.
The paint system requires :
- the bare steel to be blasted to SA 2.5
- 3 coats of Jotun Penguard HB White
- Special washing procedure prior to usage
This paint system does not require a separate primer, as Penguard HB is self-priming. This is great, as wastage is reduced with only one type of paint. Dry film thickness per coat is 100 microns, with the full system totalling 300 microns. Re-coating time and curing time varies with ambient temperature (see Datasheet).
Jotun Penguard HB Datasheet
Jotun Special Washing Instructions
Solignum Wood Preservative August 3, 2008
Posted by admin in : Painting Tips, Recommendations , 10comments
Solignum Wood Preservative
For those of us who have the misfortune of experiencing a termite visitation, we quickly develop a certain respect for both the termite and havoc the visit
usually creates. I’ve had several "visits" in my life and one thing I’ve learned is that they tend to stay! Termites are extremely resilient and have very big appetites. And termites are the only infestations that I sought professional help for, especially after making several failed attempts at locating the Queen termite. (Let me digress a bit here for the benefit of those contemplating calling in the pest control people. Depending on the size of the project and the degree of infestation, you can expect to pay about $100 - $300 for it. I paid $100 for a visit recently and paid $300 for an annual contract, which kind of guarantees that your property remains termite-less for a whole year, subject to monthly visits that are inclusive. Thought you would like to know.)
Back to the topic of wood preservative. Over the years, many products come and go. But one that is as resilient as the termite must be the Solignum Wood Preservative. I think the product has been around for more than 20 years, and probably more. Which leads me to a simple conclusion about this product - it works. Also, not many products here come with a royal seal that says:
The product features are as follows:
- colourless or brown
- pack in 5-litre or 1-litre metal container
- used only on unpainted and unvarnished wood
- penetrates deeply to protect
- protect against fungi, wood rot and insect borers eg. termites
- can be used on interior and exterior wood
- can be painted, varnished or stained
I like the fact that painting or varnishing the wood does not affect the preservative action of the product.
Solignum Wood Preservative should best be applied to the woodwork prior to assembly. This allows the application of the preservative to be as thorough as
possible. Once assembled, the cross-sections and the underlaying sides are difficult to reach, let alone apply. Speaking of cross-sections, it is often advised that these areas be double coated for deeper penetration and thoroughness.
For a copy of the product brochure, please go to Protim Solignum Ltd’s website or to the following link:
http://www.solignum.com/SolignumExportLeaflet2feb04.pdf
To have an idea how termites can devour your home, watch this animation (remember to click on the termite):
http://www.solignum.com/termite-animation.htm
