Differences in climate, substrates and laws have remade the exterior coating landscape. Know your options.

Transcription

1 Differences in climate, substrates and laws have remade the exterior coating landscape. Know your options. By Joe Maty Olympic Paints and Stains Painting can be like real estate driven by location, location, location. Project conditions can vary dramatically from region to region, season to season, and building to building. Humidity, altitude, UV exposure and temperature can all affect your exterior coatings approach. And those are just the climate variables. Factor in substrates and structures of every type, age and condition, and it s clear that one type of exterior coating won t can t fit all. The fact is, geography makes a difference in what exterior paints and stains you buy and how you apply them. But how much of a difference? The answer isn t simple. Yes, many brands and retailers are the same from coast to coast. Consolidation in the industry has eclipsed many local and regional paint makers. Meanwhile, advances in coatings technology have upended some timehonored rules and made the once-impossible possible. Gone, for example, are the days when exposed wood demanded an oil-based primer or stain, or when a chill in the air ruled out a water-based product. Still, many considerations remain. Some may be more a matter of nuance than sharp contrast. But geography does play a role in buying and applying exterior paints and coatings, and contractors who want the best results will keep the fine points in mind, the experts say. Geography, by the way, takes in more than climate and location. It also reflects regional differences in architecture, construction materials, environmental conditions and even laws. Any of these can affect what products are available and which are best for the job at hand. Southwest: Stucco and style Anyone who has traveled knows that building exteriors tend to reflect regional differences built upon tradition, supply abundance, costs and/or style preferences. There is some regionality involved, says Dennis Centofante, director, technical, customer support and materials management for Ace Paint, a division of Ace Hardware Corp. For 14 PWC MARCH/APRIL 2010

2 example, in the Southwestern part of the U.S., there is a lot of stucco and masonry. Thus, weather considerations aside, exterior finishes must be designed to resist the alkalinity of cementitious substrates, which include masonry, fiber-cement board, stucco and concrete. Sherwin-Williams, for example, produces a line of waterborne products tailored to cementitious substrates, says Steve Revnew, vice president of product development. Ace Paint, meanwhile, has introduced a hybrid combination of elastomeric and conventional exterior paints that apply like regular paint but bridge the hairline cracks that are common to cementitious substrates. The 100% acrylic paint also is formulated to resist UV, high ph and efflorescence. But while those performance features may suggest the rigors of a Southwestern climate, the product is actually distributed nationwide. Like most major manufacturers, Ace thinks nationally when it comes to paint formulation. We produce one product to serve all regions to meet the high-performance demands of temperature extremes, humidity, UV and other conditions, Centofante says. Southeast: Stormy weather The same is true at Olympic Paints and Stains, a division of PPG Industries Inc. Resistance to alkali, efflorescence and laitance is a priority for all Olympic primers and topcoats designed for cementitious substrates, says Paul Wilson, technical director, PPG Architectural Coatings. A thicker film build is built into elastomeric grades, which see considerable use in the Southeast and Florida, where California Products Whatever the substrate, invest in the best paint possible, advises one Ohio contractor. We don t look at the price. We look at the quality of the product. The Sherwin-Williams Co. Today s high-performing exterior paints include beefed-up UV and mildew resistance. resistance to wind-driven rain and substrate cracking are critical, Wilson notes. The Southeast is also home to powerful UV exposure and high humidity levels the ideal environment for mold and mildew. That makes fungicides/algaecides a necessity, and most high-end products have them, says Centofante. The label should indicate this. Of course, no paint mildewcide can compensate for insufficient surface preparation. If you put paint over mildew, you are encasing it, and it will eventually rupture through, Centofante says. (See Taking Hold of Mold, page 40.) The West: Into thin air In the mountainous regions of the West, high elevation adds another element to the environmental mix, inten- See EXTERIORS on page 18 PWC 15

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5 EXTERIORS from page 15 sifying the effect of UV exposure in the so-called thin air. Here, 100% acrylic paints get high marks due to the resin chemistry s fade-resistance prowess. Some products, particularly stains, may have beefed-up sunlight resistance, thanks to the addition of UV absorbers and high-performance resins. Temperature extremes can have a powerful effect on both application and performance. A temperature range of 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit is best for application. Colder surfaces and air temperatures can lead to premature peeling, chalking and fading. Too much heat, on the other hand, can adversely Four Seasons, One Choice Painting in any regional climate brings challenges. But what do you do in a fourseason state, where Mother Nature dishes out everything from saunas to snowstorms in any given year? Answer: Turn to premium, high-performance exterior coatings. This is no time to pinch pennies, says veteran painting contractor Terry Miller, owner of Tegrey Family of Coatings in Canton, Ohio. Unfortunately, in Ohio, we deal with this problem, due to the heat in summer and the cold in winter, says Miller. We always have to be aware of climate changes and their effects on the substrate. The Midwestern climate subjects painted exteriors to a variety of harsh conditions it can be 100 in the summer, 20 below in the winter, says Miller with humidity and moisture that can cause mildew and make application a challenge. A key is moisture in the air and on the surface, Miller says. You want it to cure before it s too late in the day. Miller s crews encounter a range of exterior residential and commercial substrates in their work from wood, vinyl and metal siding to stucco and EIFs. His company uses Today s waterborne paints are tremendous, with their color retention and durability, says contractor Terry Miller. affect open time, lap and surface penetration. Freeze-thaw cycling, meanwhile, causes the substrate to expand and contract, making flexibility a critical feature for any primer or topcoat. Wood worlds While EIFS and other cementitious substrates have gained traction in construction of single- and multi-family housing, wood retains a major position in new and existing building exteriors, particularly in the Northeast, Northwest and Midwest. Wood exteriors present a number of challenges to successful finishing, due paints from several manufacturers, but all of the products have something in common. They are 100% acrylics, water based and top of the line. We don t look at the price. We look at the quality of the product, says Miller. Tougher VOC limits have moved Miller s company away from solvent-borne products, but he is fine with that. The paints they are making today are tremendous, with their color retention and durability, he says. Sometimes, he will add adhesion-promoting agents to enhance coating performance on siding. And yes, he adds, siding needs painting, at least in his part of the country, due to dirt and discoloration from acid rain and mildew. to their sponge-like absorption tendencies and weather-related degradation. While stains have been the traditional finish of choice for wood exteriors, waterborne paints have caught on in a big way. Although some users still prefer the penetration of oil-based primers, the newest waterborne primers can perform just as well and, in many areas, may be the only option for more and more parts of the country, due to evertighter VOC limits, experts say. At California Products Corp., Ron Boyajian, vice president of product development and technical sales also sings the praises of 100% acrylics for exterior finish applications. The New England-based company has expanded its reach westward to the Rockies. Stains or paints? Applying stain to New England s ubiquitous wood-clad residential buildings might be compared to rooting for the Boston Red Sox. It s tradition; why would you do anything else? But tradition has its limits when the issue is choosing a finish for exterior wood, which takes a beating in New England s harsh climate, says Rob Levine, a regional manager for Prime Touch Services in Natick, Mass. Painting wood exteriors of condos dominates the work portfolio at Prime Touch, a regional contractor that serves all of New England. Customers choose both paint and stain finishes, with preferences often dictated by habit. When you ask someone why they want stain, they ll probably say that s how my father did it, says Levine. Levine generally recommends the use of a stain on surfaces that are aged or damaged, due to the ability of the stain s inherently matte finish to mask problem areas. At California Products, however, which has been in New England for a See EXTERIORS on page PWC MARCH/APRIL 2010

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7 EXTERIORS from page 18 century, Boyajian recommends the thicker film build of a paint for durability and protection. Another big California Products seller is a stain-blocking primer offered in acrylic or linseed-oil versions. The oilbased product offers exceptionally 5 Disposable Liners Why Didn ti Think of This... Less Drops! Easier Clean-up! 9 Pro Jumbo Liner Peel Pull Squeeze Dispose Just Peel It! Circle No. 23 on Reader Service Card USES strong stain-blocking over wood substrates prone to tannin bleed, Boyajian says. Non-wood siding also represents an important market component for paints and coatings, says Sherwin-Williams Revnew. The company has introduced a product designed to allow the use of darker colors on vinyl siding without heat-related buckling of the substrate a common defect. The paints are formulated for direct application to properly cleaned siding. The market for such products is driven both by faded and discolored exteriors and by changing tastes in color preferences, Revnew says. The environmental mandate A patchwork of federal, state and local environmental mandates has also shaped the current crop of exterior coatings. Most major manufacturers have generally sought to formulate at the lowest VOC content levels possible, while retaining important application and filmformation properties, says Wilson. A common exception is California s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), where products must meet VOC limits as low as 50 grams per liter. Here, manufacturers must either formulate products exclusively for sale in the district or else not market their products there. Coatings manufacturers must be aware of six different sets of VOC-compliance standards nationwide, notes Revnew. These include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency s national VOC rule on architectural and industrial maintenance coatings; the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) Model Rule in the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states; and regulations in parts of California, Arizona and Washington. States in the Great Lakes region also have moved toward adopting regulations along the lines of the OTC Model Rule, with action already taken in Ohio and Illinois. Dunn-Edwards Corp., a Los Angelesbased company with a lengthy track record of living within the dictates of the SCAQMD, has refined its product 20 PWC MARCH/APRIL 2010

8 mix more than most companies in order to market products effectively in the different areas of its distribution range, which includes California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. We contend with four different regulatory regimes affecting the allowable VOC content of products, says Robert Wendoll, the company s director of environmental affairs. That means a somewhat different product mix for different markets. For example, Wendoll says, the company offers higher-voc flat and non-flat latex coatings in the arid desert regions, where higher-voc waterborne products perform better. Higher-VOC waterborne coatings and solvent-borne alkyd rust-preventative coatings are also sold in cooler, more humid Northern California, as allowed under those regional rules. On the other hand, he says, SCAQMD s extremely low limits have led the company to create an innovative mix of products that we are constantly expanding and improving some of which are now distributed nationwide. All of this change is headed for the rest of North America as well. Environmental regulation of architectural paints and coatings is an idea that Canadian manufacturers and their customers will need to get used to soon, says Cathy Currie, coatings lab manager for the Beauti-Tone Paint and Home Products Division of Home Hardware Stores Ltd., a national dealer-owned chain of retail stores. A nationwide regulation enacted in September 2009 will bring a wholesale shift to waterborne products for most projects, Currie says. When totally phased in by September 2012, the rules will, in effect, require the use of waterborne paints and stains for most applications. Joe Maty is the editor of jacjournal. com, the web home of the former Journal of Architectural Coatings. pwc Now at pwc-magazine.com! Checking Out the Deck: Deck materials and coatings are changing. Make sure you re using the right finish. The New England Way: Wood exteriors get special treatment in the Northeast. Circle No. 47 on Reader Service Card PWC 21