Radiance - Page 36

This new wall finish could mark the beginning of a new era in paint technology.

By paul Thompson / General Manager, Radiance, ChemRex, Inc., Shakopee, Minn.

The coating is available in flat and eg-shel finishes, and in one- and five-gallon containers.

The paint and coatings industry is fast-paced, and change is both inevitable and ongoing.  First, there were coatings with moisture resistance, fire retardance and mildew protection.  Now, in an increasingly cost-conscious marketplace, customers want more, including enhanced performance better coverage and greater longevity.

Researchers at ChemRex Inc., part of the (Sonneborn) SKW Group, have taken things one step further and, with the launch of Radiance low-e interior wall finish, introduced a radical new concept - a paint that makes rooms feel more comfortable year-round and saves on energy.  It is the first low-e interior wall finish in the U.S. market and the only product of its kind, combining all of the properties of high-quality interior latex with a new technology that controls radiant heat gain and loss.  The technology behind the product was originally used to mask military vehicles from infrared detection.

Applied to the interior walls and ceilings of an office, factory or home, the coating keeps a room feeling cooler in summer and warmer in winter.  In summer, radiant energy from the sun beats down on a building, passing through the roof and wall systems through conduction.  When energy strikes the interior walls, the coating acts as an emissive barrier, reducing the amount of radiant energy that emits into the room.  As a result, air conditioning operates with greater efficiency at lower levels, saving energy costs.

A thermal imaging camera demonstration shows the casting's heat-reflective properties compared to standard interior latex.  The left side of this wall is coated with Radiance, while the right side is coated with conventional paint.   The left-side wall reflects more heat from the hand back into the room.