Gambling on Green Coatings

There are some great soy based coatings, both paint and clear coats that perform well in residential and some commercial applications.

As far as industrial coatings, probably as green as they'll get is maybe lowering VOC's a bit. I can't envision a truly "green" coating that would have the toughness and chemical resistance of traditional coatings.

One thing I've wondered about for years, but never pursued further, as it could be applied to the coatings industry, is the chemical makeup of whatever it is that makes climbing ivy "stick" to walls. It seems to adhere to most all substrates, and is all but impossible to remove. I wonder if anyone has isolated it and tried to put it to use.

Hi Marat,

The actual waterbourne coatings for residential applications are good to excellent.

The industrial side is another question and stay for decades. It's the same evolution, slow and step-by-step, as was for emulsions and other waterbourne resins.

Universities and raw material suppliers have to redirect their thinking, at place of emulsify hard, solvent soluble resins, start new ideas and develop innovative resins for the future to be abrasion and chemical resistant, and also protect against water, marine conditions, and rust.

For example, high molecular weight, hard epoxies resins are emulsified but the quality is not acceptable compared to the original solvent based versions. It's not the solution!

It's a though question and today, we don't have the answer for the GREEN and performing products, pigmented or clear coatings. If you have, please let us know, Gil.

Hi Marat,

Happy New Year!

Yes, I already use them. However, we have two major difficulties with those products as raw materials. First, epoxy means hard and ware-resistance. Second, soya means oil, soft, and glossy paints for window frames and other small parts of a house.

I have a long time to convert someone using 2-pack clear waterbourne epoxy and need to install a heating system for $55 or $60,000 to accelerate drying of the coating (Don't make any mixing error!!!), repairing, and paying electricity for heating, evaporating humidity and solvents, and moving pieces, at place of using a single component PU/Acrylic clear coating, which will dry within 45 to 60 minutes without expenses at room temperature conditions. Performance? The second is much better in many aspects, and more "green", with less VOC.

Never forget: With epoxies we have time-to-time floor that never dries because bad mixing, inadequate ratio of Part A with Part B.

How come I did not imposed my solution? One, it's hard to tell people to use one material or another. Second, I'm probably not the best salesperson against other selling people. Third, education of the buyer is another point in the decision what to use.

Also, to make some changes in the industry using paints and coatings, takes time and effort for the conversion. During there are raw materials for solvents and other toxic ingredients available the manufacturers and users stay with them.

It's the same as we know that large part of our allergies are coming from consumption of cow milk, but doctors recommend to drink milk every day. It's an egg and the chisken story.

It takes time to convert people to use green coatings or a drastical government legislation comes up, but the last is the least realistic, Gil.