Jotun Epoxy Paint (Penguard Topcoat) June 19, 2008
Posted by admin in : Marine Paints, Recommendations , 1 comment so farI’ve been asked on many occasions to recommend good epoxy paints for concrete floors. I can name a few from past projects, such as Ameron’s
Amerlock 400, Berger,s Epilux 218 and Nippon’s Copon EA4. I have added another to my range. I do that when a product solves a problem I have. For Amerlock, it was its surface-tolerance. For Epilux 218, it was its sheen. For Copon EA4, it was its stock availability. Jotun Penguard Topcoat qualifies for its performance and colour. I’ve seen completed projects and results are usually quite good. Also, most colours in the RAL range, the BS range and the NCS range can be produced. For the uninitiated, that’s easily a thousand colours.
Jotun Penguard is a two-pack epoxy topcoat based on a polyamide-cured epoxy resin. In other words, it is an epoxy base with a polyamide curing agent. Epoxies are heavy-duty coatings and are much more lasting than conventional coatings such as alkyd paints. When fully cured, which takes about 3 days for this product at 35 degress Celsius, it is very hard and tough. It is resistant to water, chemicals, oils and many types of solvents.
Some Technical Details
Penguard has a volume solid of 50%, DFT of 50 microns when dry and 100 microns when wet, a theoretical coverage of 10sq m per litre, dries in 4 hours at 35 degrees Celsius and can be re-coated after 3 hours. Like I mentioned earlier, it only becomes fully cured after 3 days. Pot life is 8 hours at 23 degrees. I suppose it gets reduced to about 1 - 2 hours at 35 degrees. It is a good practice to always do the mixing of any 2-pack products in a very cool place so as to prolong the pot life. Remember never to mix more than you can paint on. Once mixed, 2-pack products cannot be kept longer than the pot life.
Priming
On concrete flooring, besides the standard surface preparation, I would recommend priming with Jotun Penguard Primer. The primer is white in colour and can be top-coated in 2 hours (assuming 35 degress Celsius and good ventilation).
Colours
Penguard Topcoat is available in its standard 40 colours (see colour card here), and can also be tinted to over a thousand colours from the BS, RAL or the NCS range. Some colours, especially the dark ones, cannot be reproduced. So, please check first. Price Depending on whether it is a standard colour or a premium colour, the price ranges from $60 - $80 per 5-litre set (this consists of a 4-litre base and a 1-litre curing agent)
Let us talk about Natural Color System or NCS next time we meet….
Heat Resistant Paint February 18, 2008
Posted by admin in : Marine Paints, Recommendations , 4commentsIn the week before my long holiday, I received 4 enquiries for heat resistant paints. 2 of the enquires are from the marine industry, 1 from offshore, and the last is a motor-cycle enthusiast. Of the 4, only the motor-cycle enthusiast had requirements for more colours. Unfortunately, colours are quite limited for heat resistant paint. The colours generally available are silver/ aluminium (most common), black and red.
Heat resistant paint can come in normal paint cans as well as in aerosol spray cans. Hobbyist generally prefer the latter but a can of 300cc - 400cc does not cover much area for industrial usage. Heat resistance can range from as low as 180 degree Celsius (356 degree Fahrenheit) to as high as 600 degree Celsius (1112 degree Fahrenheit). (online conversion resource : www.onlineconversion.com/temperature.htm) One product popular with some of my customers in Brunei and Indonesia is "Red Hot Aluminium Paint".
Red Hot Aluminium Paint is a product of Sheffield Bronze Paint Corp from Ohio, USA. It is available, as the name suggests, only in aluminium colour. As for its heat resistance, it boasts ability to withstand 1600 degree Fahrenheit (871 degree Celsius), much higher than most others. While I’ve not tested its ability to withstand that kind of heat, feedbacks from customers have been positive. Also, I’ve several repeat sales to a few of my export customers. Only gripe is its pack size of 1 US Gallon, which is too small for bigger projects. Currently retails for SGD$65.00.
Nippon Easy Wash Now Comes With Teflon December 6, 2007
Posted by admin in : Painting Tips, Recommendations , 2commentsNippon 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 
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 commentThis 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. 
3) 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.
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…
Choosing A Painting Contractor (Part 2) May 16, 2007
Posted by admin in : Painting Tips, Recommendations , 6comments
In the earlier post, we went through some basic considerations while looking for a suitable painting contractor. In this post, lets go through the process of hiring one, and some tips to sieve out the bad hats! Let us first go through the very first step - finding a painting contractor. There are several sources where you can get a painting contractor. These are:
1) Personal recommendations - This can be from relatives, neighbours, mahjong ‘kakis’, stockbroker etc. 2) Newspaper - In our main newspaper’s classified, it is listed under Category 112 House Cleaning / Painting. 3) Paint Dealers - Approach your trusted paint dealer for a good painter. 4) Paint manufacturers -The big ones such as Nippon or ICI will be more than willing to recommend one The advantage of having a friend or neighbour recommending you someone is usually that they’ve used the painter before. As such, they can give you a unbiased review of the painter. Unfortunately, such reviews are relevant to the non-technical aspects of the paint job, such as whether the painter is fast, friendly, punctual or takes frequent smoke or pee breaks. It usually does not tell you whether the painter is honest in applying the correct full system or whether correct techniques are adhered to. Let me give an example. A painter can be recommended for a speedy job but he can be fast by ignoring overcoating intervals. Overcoating interval is the time interval in between 2 coats of paint. This has to be followed to achieve the required film thickness, colour consistency and performance. If your main or only consideration is price, looking through the classifieds is one way to go. A few calls and you will get a rough idea how low your project can go. Otherwise, I would think that the better way is to approach a paint dealer for a recommendation. Paint dealers have an element of accountability that dealing with painter often lacks. Some painters have nothing more than a mobile phone number whilst paint dealers have a physical place business as well as years of reputation to protect. Paint dealers come in contact with painters both good and bad and will recommend those that will not give much problems in terms of after sales complaints. Paint manufacturers can also be counted to provide good painting contractors as well. Most of the time, these contractors have been pre-selected to provide good service and quality. A drawback is that prices tend to be higher than what market offers. Another more significant drawback is that contractors recommended by paint manufacturer ONLY use product of the manufacturer’s brand. We know that different manufacturers are strong in different areas. One may be strong in its exterior wall paint but may not have a great wood finish. Using one brand may not be in your best interest.
In Part 3, we will go into further details in selection of painters.
