For over thirty years, Americans have heard advertising on paint coatings that will reduce your energy cost by as much as forty percent. Such advertisers claim that homeowners using these coatings will never have to paint again. One of the first coatings to claim a lifetime coating was known as TexCoat. Now we have been hearing and receiving advertising from companies claiming a new product known as ceramic paint. If you have not heard the ads on the radio or received a mail piece, then you have probably had someone arrive on your doorstep informing you of this "amazing" technology.
Chism Brothers Painting has had to research and answer questions about ceramic coatings so we can educate and inform our customers on what to do on their home. Question like, "Will I never have to paint again?" "Will I truly save up to forty percent in energy cost?" In this blog, we will answer these two questions and provide a link of more extensive research on ceramic coatings.
1)
You will have to paint again. No paint can outlast the sun! These companies make false claims and charge prices that are extremely high. Another common problem is finding these companies out of business when you have a problem with your paint.
2)
It will not save you up to 40% in energy cost. There is not enough ceramic in the paint to save you money and you still have issues of your roof, windows, doors, and flooring where heat or cool air can escape. We applied this coating to a home in Poway a few years ago and did a heat test on it. The product was very hot, and the sales rep. seemed a little embarrassed. The foreman on the project was smart enough to know that it wasn't the paint, but the color selected that was the problem. It was a very dark blue color. If we used a quality exterior white paint, the paint would have been cooler. In other words, lighter paint color will favorably influence your energy bill more than the ingredients used in the paint.
Is There Any Value in Using a Ceramic Coating?
Yes. Some of the ceramic coatings on the market today are excellent products but are falsely advertised to do more than they can possibly do for a home. The coatings we have found that work well seem to have excellent adhesion on painted surfaces and dry extremely hard. It appears that ceramic coatings are easier to maintain when the surfaces gets dirty, and we think the finish will last longer than your typical house paint. However, it will not last a life time! One final word: the product itself is expensive, but it should not cost what these sales companies are charging to apply the material. The cost to apply a ceramic coating would probably add 15-25% more to any good paint bid.
For more information about ceramic coatings click on this link.
