Resin Myths Exploded

 

Solids content is ALL important.

No it isn’t - it is the choice of resin, its strength, quality &, most importantly, the performance capabilities of the chosen resin that matter.

Resin is a polymer. ‘Clingfilm’ & ‘Kevlar’ are polymers. No matter how high the solids content in ‘Clingfilm’ it will never stop bullets. Likewise ‘Kevlar’ will never be flexible or ‘cling’ enough to wrap your sandwiches in.

It is the choice of resin for a particular purpose that is important – and we have gone back to basics &, unlike our competitors, use specialist resins that do the job, not off the shelf resins.

Quoted coverage rates show you how good a resin is

No it doesn’t - Resin is a solid which is dissolved in a liquid/solvent & canned. You spread the liquid [in which the resin is dissolved] over the surface & the solvent evaporates leaving a thin layer of the resin over the surface which solidifies to form the protective coating.

The product will only spread as far as the liquid will go. Try a 25ltr can of water [& water will spread further than blended resin] – you will be luck to get 120m2 in one coat. So these quoted figures of 200m2 to 300m2 that some manufacturers quote are, to say the least, somewhat optimistic.

More importantly it is always advisable to have two coats if you want a smooth, even sheen – single coats often look patchy and many of the quoted coverage rates are for a single coat only. We quote for 2 coats

Obviously coverage will vary depending on the porosity of the surface and also the application method as an Airless Sprayer will give better coverage than a roller [and you will find it a lot quicker too].

So realistically, whatever the type of resin or the solvents content, you will get somewhere between 50 & 100m2 for two coat application

Polyurethane is better than Acrylic

No – they are just different - Each have their advantages & disadvantages and are suited for differing types of project. We supply both.

Polyurethane [Pu] is very hard wearing and has excellent chemical resistance. Commercially it is an excellent product ideal for heavy traffic & chemical spills.

However, Pu is very unforgiving as it will not re-emulsify so it cannot be removed or recoated without mechanically abrading the surface or stripping with nitric acid – both are expensive & time consuming. So, if there are any problems during installation [such as moisture causing clouding - a major issue in the UK climate] or a client wanting a ‘touch up’ where car tyres have left a mark, etc. – you have a big, big problem.

On the other hand Acrylics are not as hard wearing or as chemically resistant as a Pu [although our latest range ‘ Ultra’ & ‘ UltraMax’ are pretty close]. But the big advantage is they re-emulsify. So if you get any moisture clouding or a client wants a re-coat, then it is simplicity itself – and with our resins each coat cross-bonds which means it forms one solid layer no matter how many coats are applied over the years.

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We hope this information helps demystify some of the myths. We are always happy to give technical advice on products or problems whether you are an existing customer or not – give us a call & we will do our best to help