Emperor nano-technology ensures not only are Emperor Paint products breathable, but they are highly breathable.
What is breathability?
Breathability refers to how easily water vapour can pass through a surface. Without high breathability, water vapour can become trapped within a property. These high-levels of moisture can lead to damp problems or damage such as cracking. Eventually, the pressure will cause any paint to peel, blister or flake, which is the primary cause of exterior paint failure.
What is breathability?
Breathability refers to how easily water vapour can pass through a surface. Without high breathability, water vapour can become trapped within a property. These high-levels of moisture can lead to damp problems or damage such as cracking. Eventually, the pressure will cause any paint to peel, blister or flake, which is the primary cause of exterior paint failure.
Aren't all exterior paints breathable?
If breathability is so important, surely all exterior paints and other coating products breathable, right? Unfortunately, that isn't the case. The majority of exterior paints and coatings are acrylic-based formulations, due to these being easy and cheaper to produce. The problem is, acrylic resins don't have very good breathability. The other problem is that marketing jargon can make it easy for a product to be referred to as 'breathable', as even if a small amount of water vapour can escape, this technically makes the product 'breathable'.
Aren't all exterior paints breathable?
If breathability is so important, surely all exterior paints and other coating products breathable, right? Unfortunately, that isn't the case. The majority of exterior paints and coatings are acrylic-based formulations, due to these being easy and cheaper to produce. The problem is, acrylic resins don't have very good breathability. The other problem is that marketing jargon can make it easy for a product to be referred to as 'breathable', as even if a small amount of water vapour can escape, this technically makes the product 'breathable'.
The solution
This is where our innovative technology comes in. Our cutting-edge nano-technology lines the pores of surfaces without sealing these pores. This ensures water vapour can freely pass through the surface without becoming trapped in any way. This combined with our plastic-free formulation means that Emperor Paint products come with an SD value of 0.03 or lower, giving them a very high breathability level that is similar to limewash.
The solution
This is where our innovative technology comes in. Our cutting-edge nano-technology lines the pores of surfaces without sealing these pores. This ensures water vapour can freely pass through the surface without becoming trapped in any way. This combined with our plastic-free formulation means that Emperor Paint products come with an SD value of 0.03 or lower, giving them a very high breathability level that is similar to limewash.
The benefits
By maintaining full breathability of exterior surfaces, our products ensure they stay dry. Our highly breathable nano-technology:
Helps to prevent damage caused by high levels of moisture, such as cracking
Discourages organic growth
Ensures long-term performance without peeling, flaking or blistering
Helps to prevent problems associated to penetrating damp
Saves you money
The benefits
By maintaining full breathability of exterior surfaces, our products ensure they stay dry. Our highly breathable nano-technology:
Helps to prevent damage caused by high levels of moisture, such as cracking
Discourages organic growth
Ensures long-term performance without peeling, flaking or blistering
Helps to prevent problems associated to penetrating damp
Saves you money
Our products have been independently tested and shown to have SD values below 0.03
Breathability is a term used within the building industry to describe how a substrate allows water molecules and air molecules to pass through it. If a surface has high breathability, this water vapour is able to freely pass through the surface ensuring it stays dry.
We took our products to a UKAS accredited laboratory to test all aspects of Emperor Paint products, including water resistance, durability, heat retention and breathability. To determine breathability of Emperor Paint products samples coated with each of our products were compared against untreated samples. The results found that Emperor Paint products did not adversely affect the water vapour resistance of the substrates they were applied to. The SD value (breathability level) for Emperor Paint products was found to be below 0.03, well below the 0.5 which is often considered breathable by British Standards. This meant that the products passed the BS EN ISO 7783:2011 (water vapour diffusion) Quality Standard.
Unfortunately there is a large amount of misinformation when it comes to the breathability of masonry paints. The reality is standard masonry paints have poor breathability. This is because they are acrylic-based formulations, which do not allow surfaces to naturally breathe like they would do if they weren't painted. Even some paints that refer to themselves and breathable or microporous do not have enough breathability to prevent problems. Emperor Masonry Paint is highly breathable with an SD value of 0.03, meaning it is as breathable as limewash and does not adversely impact masonry's ability to naturally breathe.
A masonry product that you may encounter are masonry sealers or brick sealers. These do as the name would suggest and seal the surface from the outside, preventing water entering the masonry but also preventing moisture escaping at the same time. This is because they often create a film on the surface of the masonry. Emperor Masonry Creme absorbs into masonry and chemically bonds to the material instead of creating a film. This means it does not seal the pores of the masonry in any way and allows the masonry to breathe naturally. Emperor Masonry Creme has an SD value of 0.01, meaning like Emperor Masonry Paint it does not adversely impact the breathability of masonry surfaces.
Breathability is crucial for properties of any age, whether a listed building or a new-build house. The reason why breathability is mentioned as particularly important for older properties is that these structures generally have more moisture-related problems and the damage that can be caused from the build-up of moisture could be more significant. This said, for the long-term health of any masonry it is important to use a highly breathable product that will not trap moisture and allow your home to naturally breathe.
You do not need to remove any previous paint from a surface before applying Emperor Masonry Paint. While this previous paint is likely to have lower breathability, by applying Emperor Masorny Paint on to the previous paint, you help prevent moisture entering the wall and thus reduce the level of moisture that needs to escape. Any moisture within the property will eventually breathe out of the wall, the process will just be slower than if you applied Emperor Masonry Paint to an unpainted wall.
We're here to help
Our dedicated team are on hand to help you no matter what the problem is.
You can get in touch with us by emailing info@emperorpaint.co.uk, calling0161 509 9009 or by chatting to us on Whatsapp.
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