# Insulating paint



## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

I'm wondering if any of you preparing to build, remodel, or repaint have considered using a paint additive or a paint designed to add some insulative value to a room? 

In essence the paint helps stop the transfer of heat through the wall aiding energy savings.

Here is but one company that sells an additive. http://www.insuladd.com/product.html

Info from that site: "InsuladdÂ® will greatly reduce heat loss (heat absorption) and heat gain from your home by decreasing the AMOUNT of heat that is absorbed by the walls, ceilings and roofs of your home. InsuladdÂ® will reduce heat absorption and keep heat out during the summer by making your house paint act as a heat barrier or radiant barrier. During the winter, it greatly reduces heat loss from your home and prevents it from migrating through your homes walls and ceilings and escaping to the cold outside air."

and

"The answer is paint that includes an insulating powder that originated at NASA. Widely used on commercial and residential structures, it transforms any color of paint into an environmentally friendly insulation barrier that saves energy and cost"


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## tiogacounty (Oct 27, 2005)

Windy in Kansas said:


> I'm wondering if any of you preparing to build, remodel, or repaint have considered using a paint additive or a paint designed to add some insulative value to a room?
> 
> In essence the paint helps stop the transfer of heat through the wall aiding energy savings.
> 
> ...


Any time this type of wonder product shows up, ask the question. Can the manufacturer provide peer reviewed testing, using standard protocols, that document that it is performing as claimed? If they can't, it's bogus. 99% of the time products like this are a waste of money. I doubt this is an exception.


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

You are free to believe what you want.

Here is a link to the test page information for the product. http://www.insuladd.com/testing.html Feel free to read all of the company site information and form you own opinion from it, or remain stedfast.

Quite a few companies also make a similar product.


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## shawnlee (Apr 13, 2010)

I think it will work, I have done alot of reading on it and it sounds like good reasoning to use it and it`s cheap enuff to boot.......


I forgot which company I had marked to use thier product.......

I am actually planning on using it in Kansas....I am about 60 miles south of Hutch......and 40 miles weat of Great Bend....

It is basically air trapped inside of ceramic balls...basic insulation 101 is air space...should work fine.


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## Jim Bunton (Mar 16, 2004)

I had a sample of a similar product many years ago about 7 mil thick on a piece of 14 gauge tin. You could hold a propane torch to one side and your hand on the other very little heat transfer. Not sure what that proved but it was impresive to me.

Jim


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## gobug (Dec 10, 2003)

My first reaction when I began reading this thread was similar to some of the first replies. Alert, potential scam.

Then after reading further I visited the link posted by Windy. Now I am willing to try it out. It isn't cheap.

My reasoning is that I have a mountain property which I am getting ready to reconstruct a house upon. 

I have a large garage which I am converting into a shop and living space to occupy during reconstruction. 

This space is currently off grid. The living space conversion I insulated with foam and covered with drywall. I do not have any heating system, except minor passive solar.

Even though I have insulated, it is not comfortable enough up there in the winter. Since I have to paint the drywall, this product will be tested by me for that small space. If it works well, it will be fairly obvious. And I will use it more with future projects.

Thanks for starting this thread Windy.
Gary


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## ninny (Dec 12, 2005)

Do a google search for "spray on radiant heat barriers." You can find out a lot of info.

.


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

gobug said:


> Since I have to paint the drywall, this product will be tested by me for that small space. If it works well, it will be fairly obvious. And I will use it more with future projects.
> 
> Thanks for starting this thread Windy.
> Gary


You're certainly welcome Gary. Glad someone might benefit from it. Just a reminder that you may wish to use the additive mentioned instead of buying paint with it already as an ingredient. At least in my opinion that would make it easier to use ONLY on the interior surfaces of the perimeter walls. Of course if you will be closing off some rooms then interior walls might also benefit from the treatment. 

I tend to remember that Sherwin-Williams and Behr both produce a barrier paint. I may very well be wrong about that however, or it may be other major paint companies I'm thinking of that offers such. I do know that S-W does have barrier roof coatings.


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## MushCreek (Jan 7, 2008)

I remember watching a show that Bob Vila filmed here locally about building low cost housing out of shipping containers, and they used that coating for insulation. They had a piece of sheet metal coated with it, and he was able to hold it in his hand while they heated the other end red-hot, just a few inches away. I don't understand how it works, but it does seem real. I've heard it's very expensive, though.


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

It is $13 per enough additive to treat 5 gallons of paint when purchased enough for 5 gallons. For enough to do one gallon the price is higher because of the smaller quantity and is $15. Plus shipping.


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## gobug (Dec 10, 2003)

Their website also listed a product for roofs. I didn't look at that, but since I have a metal roof on the mtn I am interested.

There is a Sherwin Williams a short distance from me. They have a lot higher quality interior and exterior paint than the big box places. I will stop by and ask after I review the link again.
Gary


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## gobug (Dec 10, 2003)

ninny, I googled as suggested. I don't see any relation to the product Windy posted about. Did I miss something?


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## ninny (Dec 12, 2005)

gobug said:


> ninny, I googled as suggested. I don't see any relation to the product Windy posted about. Did I miss something?


Nope, just another type/alternative heat barrier.

.


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## gobug (Dec 10, 2003)

It was interesting and I have placed the reflective foil on the inner roof of my "garage" so the link validated that effort.
Thanks


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## shawnlee (Apr 13, 2010)

I have been planning on using it for my project and if it does half of what is stated ,then the few dollars it cost will be saved in a couple of years on utilities.....

Plus there is no law about using 2 or 3 coats either.....


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## wannabfree (Oct 25, 2010)

http://www.hytechsales.com/insulating_paint_additives.html

Above is link to the product I will be using on my next build.


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## shawnlee (Apr 13, 2010)

wannabfree said:


> http://www.hytechsales.com/insulating_paint_additives.html
> 
> Above is link to the product I will be using on my next build.


Thats the one I had bookmarked........I will find out soon how it goes....I anticipate no problems at all.


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## gobug (Dec 10, 2003)

Thanks for the link. I bookmarked it too. I intend to at least get a gallon's worth for use this spring. I won't be able to accurately test it, but I still like the idea of using it soon.

I was wondering whether it could be added to a cement or plaster mix. Hmm, I may get more that 1 gallon's worth.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

With real life testing done in China and South Africa what could go wrong? It improves paint by 38% if I read that right. GREAT! But its still just paint. I'll pass.


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## tiogacounty (Oct 27, 2005)

Ross said:


> With real life testing done in China and South Africa what could go wrong? It improves paint by 38% if I read that right. GREAT! But its still just paint. I'll pass.


I'm sure it's as legit as the fine companies that provide magical devices that clamp on your water line to "realign the water molecules" into softened water, or the ones that have the hydrogen generators that turn your truck into a 100MPG miracle. I'm placing my order before midnight tonight. But, others whose zip codes start with # 5 thru 9 will have to wait until after the clock strikes 12. :happy0035:


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## shawnlee (Apr 13, 2010)

Like anything else it will not be magic pixie dust in a can that will turn your 1923 farmhouse that uses a cord of wood a day in the winter into a supuer insulated house that uses a light bulb to heat each room.....

What it is ....is one more step in achieving efficiency....along with my 2x6 stud walls with r-19 insulation ...along with the r-5 foam exterior panels with foil on both sides...along with 1 inch thick firerock,drywall on the inside and both sides painted with insulating ceramic paint ... along with south exposure in the winter ....along with a large overhang on the sunny side in the summer...along with a insulated concrete slab...along with r-60 attic insulation...along with proper attic venting....along with a proper vapor barrier...along with a radiant barrier in the attic.......along with a light colored roof and walls.......along with thermal windows......... along with......................well you get the picture.

It`s just one more piece in making the efficiency puzzle come together...




Here is a test result conducted by a third party here in the united states and by a group that loves to prove claims wrong.......

http://ag.arizona.edu/swes/erl/about.htm


.............................Ceramic Coating Test Results.............................
University of Nevada
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, under the direction of the Mechanical Engineering Department, has developed the Arid Regions Environmental Laboratory (AREL) to test new technologies that help in saving on energy demand.

The facility consists of two identically constructed rooms, which are identically oriented with respect to the sun.
The facility is equipped with a heating and cooling system, digital readout watt meters, several sensors for measuring indoor surface temperatures and instantaneous heat flows, local wind speed and directions as well as the total intensity of sunlight received on horizontal surface.

All these data are collected at regular time intervals using a computer data acquisition system. These data are stored in the system for long term data analysis of trends as well as for comparative purposes between it and computer model simulations. 

The first technology that was tested was ceramic base paint. 
The testing period was between the months of June - September 1994.
Two identical chambers were constructed and coated, on one chamber the coating was fortified with ceramic insulating microspheres. 

The results showed the chamber that was painted with the regular outdoor paint showed a significant increase in energy usage compared to the chamber painted with the ceramic paint. 


MONTH
PAINT Ceramic % DIFF

JUNE
167.99 117.21 43.32

JULY
101.81 69.68 46.11

AUGUST
175.72 109.72 60.15

SEPTEMBER
63.16 39.55 59.69

TOTALS >
508.68 Watts 336.16 Watts 51.32






The cost for enuff to make 30 gallons of paint is $270.00 dollars

This is pretty cheap considering the overall price of constructing a house or even just painting it .......and 30 gallons of paint will paint a pretty big house.......a really really big house inside and out....so your actuall costs would probably be much lower than 270.......


Some stuff is garbage and I understand being skeptical and leary...I know I am too.......this looks pretty legit and as a carpenter I tend to scrutinize things pretty well.....I am not perfect, but feel this paint additive will help some and in other cases alot.



Here is another alternative........insulpaint A 500

Another alternative along the same lines is insulpaint A 500....

http://www.insulpaint.com.au/products.html


Here is some more info on the subject............

American Architectural Review iCAG video w/Morley Safer
(7 mil dry coat R19 roof coating)
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lpQ1zkC1Ow[/ame]

Bob Vila 
(10 mil R20 wall coating on a shipping container house)
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRq4UJLqLDI[/ame]

University of South Florida/Florida Energy Office 
(side by side comparison of identical test structures)
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYfDpNcLHWg[/ame]


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## sticky_burr (Dec 10, 2010)

old "scam" reborn its relabeling existing products look at 3m micro ballons or spheres or from coal fired plants cheno spheres(sorry cant be botherd to look up the spelling at the moment, IMO those are the ones to use as there are 1/2 aluminum and tiatanium oxides spheres the other half are standard slica (glass) spheres. the R value from what 1/64th? 1/128th of a inch of hollow speres would be what? 0.5 R ? even if you factor in the possible radiant barrier of metalic spheres al/ti oxide

ps there is also 'ceramic' and phenolic speres sold


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

$270 will buy you one decent window. That'd be money better spent. You'd think the major paint makers would offer it as a premium paint wouldn't ya? After-all it would seem to be a god send and sure to bolster that all important reputation companies need to make sales. I can see the advertising now Paint With...... er Spheres.


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## EstrogenHostage (Apr 13, 2011)

Insulation doesn't make the difference you'd think. 

In my last house I sprayed insulation in the walls and barely noticed a difference in the total heating and cooling costs. The reason is that air intrusion and radiant heat are a huge part of the total load. You would be making a small difference if any at all on a part of the house that maybe 5% of the total heat is lost through. 

Focus on air intrusion, windows and doors. Even if it was $5/gallon I wouldn't do it.


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## sticky_burr (Dec 10, 2010)

lol r0.01 doesnt help besides 3m micro ballons are what 30$ for a bag thats like 20 pounds .. wanna guess how much volume that is lol also since you can not include a high % into the base with out it becoming brittle that will do a whole block maybe


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