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How to avoid fast drying of exterior paint

Film formation and durability can also be affected if latex paint dries too quickly. That’s because fusion or coalescence of the latex binder takes some time to occur properly. Very quick drying can reduce the mobility of the particles before the film is adequately formed. Conditions that make latex paints dry too quickly can thus compromise film formation, even though the paint may look fine.

Conditions that contribute to overly fast drying of exterior latex paint include:

•	Painting when the temperature is too high. Avoid painting in temperatures over 95°F.
•	Painting in direct sunshine. Even on a moderate day, it is best to avoid painting in direct sunshine because surface temperatures can be 10 to 20 degrees higher than the air temperature. And the paint itself can be heated by direct sunshine, especially if it is a dark color. To avoid this, work your way around the house or building so that you are always painting in the shade, especially in the warmer afternoon hours. As a bonus, you’ll be more comfortable working this way. Where this can’t be done, try to paint these areas in the early hours of the day.
•	Painting in dry and/or windy weather. Even light wind can cause latex paint to dry very quickly, contributing to inadequate film formation. This effect is compounded when the relative humidity is low, below 20%.
•	Painting a very porous surface that absorbs the water from the coating. If painting porous masonry, apply a sealer first. Or, if using a 100% acrylic paint, dampen the masonry just prior to painting. This will retard the drying process.

If possible, avoid painting when more than one of these conditions that could excessively speed drying is present.

Church that eats smog

When the American architect Richard Meier was asked to design a church in Rome to commemorate the 2,000th anniversary of Christianity, he offered an imposing white concrete structure dominated by three soaring “sails.”The project’s main technical sponsor got to work on a coating that would enhance Mr. Meier’s trademark white sculptural forms. It came up with a material that essentially cleans itself, minimizing the need for maintenance.

What the sponsor, the Italcementi Group, did not know was that the new material — which contains titanium dioxide, a white pigment — has another peculiarity. It “eats” surrounding smog.

Extensive testing has since determined that construction products containing titanium dioxide help to destroy pollutants found in car exhaust and heating emissions, scientists say.

Several companies are now developing smog-eating products that can be used not only for the facades of buildings but also in paint, plaster and paving materials for roads. The new substances are now being tried in buildings, squares and highways in Europe and Japan.

A few common exterior paint problems

The coat of paint on the exterior of your home is very important. A fresh coat of paint will raise the curb appeal and the value of your home, as well as protect your house from damaging elements. The three main causes of wood failure on the exterior of your home are water, sunlight, and mold damage.

Yearly Inspection

The most important thing you can do to protect the outside of your home is to conduct a yearly inspection of the perimeter of your building. As with illnesses involved with your body, early detection is the key to prevent major dilemmas in the future.

So what exactly should you be looking for during your inspection of the exterior of your home? You want to look for any imperfections, blemishes, or other flaws that may show on the top layer of paint. Check all the painted surfaces on the outside of your house such as cracking, chipping or blistering.

Common areas where these problems occur first are places where there are high levels of direct sunlight, water collection, or other highly exposed areas of your home. Some of these areas include corners, window sills, door sills, edges, rooflines, etc.

Common Symptoms of Aging or Failing Paint

Fading Paint

Probably the most common problem occurring with aging paint is fading. Constant direct sunlight changes the chemical composition of the paint, leading to a lack of sufficient protection of your home. Highly faded paint can lead to other problems such as cracking or warping of wood. Applying a fresh coat of paint is the only way to fix this problem. Fading or poor color retention can also be a result of chalking of the coating.

Blistering Paint

Blistering paint is one of the many symptoms caused by water penetration or extremely high humidity levels. Blistering paint appears as just that: small to medium bubbles or blisters under the paint film, usually occurring on wood materials.

Blistering paint may also be caused by the paint being applied to a hot surface. If a coat of paint is applied to a surface when it is too warm, such as heated by direct sunlight, the vapors from the paint may become trapped under the paint film as the paint dries too quickly for it to escape. Similarly, if paint is applied to damp or wet wood, the moisture may become trapped in the same manner. Dew, rain, high humidity, and low quality paint or insufficient preparatory work will also contribute to paint blistering.

About the Author: Budda Oliver is a marketing agent for N. Chasen and Son. The professional painting contractor specializes in exterior painting in and around the Richmond Virginia area. For more information on exterior painting in Richmond Virginia please visit their website.

Snowcem Faculty Medal

Snowcem Paints has instituted an award “Snowcem Faculty Medal” in association with faculty of Sir J. J. College of Architecture, to be given to the best design from a competition organised by the college. The theme for this year was public toilets for Mumbai city. From more than 200 design sites all over Mumbai city and suburbs, 48 entries were short listed.

Mr. R. A. Rajeev, Additional Municipal Commissioner attended the award function as chief guest. Dr. Abhay Wagh, Joint Director, Directorate of Technical Education, Mr. Sandeep Narang, CEO, Snowcem Paints and Prof. Rajan Lakhule, Principal, J. J. College of Architecture, attended the function.

The success of competition and the chief guest’s response has made the students as well as the professors eager to witness the realisation of these plans.

After intense deliberations, the jury awarded the Snowcem Faculty Medal 2006 to the design of a public toilet at Marine Drive by Harshad Shiltole, the first prize of Rs. 10,000/-. The second prize of Rs. 5,000/- was awarded to Dhiraj Takkekar for his design of a Mobile Toilet, the award of Rs.5,000/- for best design was bagged by Manish Davane and a commendation was given to Rupangi Khosla.

Durga Pujo

Snowcem Paints' Durga Pujo

India's real estate boom is here to stay

Indian real-estate market has never found it so good. Amidst the euphoria in major metros and second and third tier cities where possibly every domestic investor is investing like there is no tomorrow a plethora of foreign investors are also all set to enter the Indian real estate investment space. A conservative estimate by one leading research firm states that over the next eighteen to thirty months venture capital worth $7 billion to $8 billion is expected to flow into the country.

Truly Indian real estate is having a dream run for last five years. Some skeptic minds however, already have started asking the sustainability of the momentum. Global research and consulting firm A. T. Kearney has evolved a global industry curve for the property in India. A. T. Kearney has been analyzing real estate speculation and investment trend across fifty countries globally. The finding was blended with the particular country’s GDP and it was realized that in between the two (real estate investment and GDP of respective country) there exists a strong correlation. ‘Global industry curve,’ thus devised by the consulting firm fits best between the two.

Real Estate in India has always been considered as fragmented and unorganized business sector. Ten years ago, in 1995-1996, investment for the sector in the country was a meager 2% of the total GDP. For China the figure was a healthy 4.8%. However, investment since then in India kept rising steadily and touched 2.4% in 2004. Manufacturing favorite China was still way ahead with a robust 6.5% rate. A. T. Kearney by dint of its ‘global industry curve’ has predicted that by 2010 the rate may go up to 4.2%. This only reinforces the fact provided by UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) that real estate boom in Asia Pacific region is probably here to stay. India who has been witnessing a steady rise in the global economy for last 15 years thanks to its strong and consistent economic fundamentals delivered some robust result as far as GDP growth is concerned. For last five years, continuously, the country has been achieving GDP growth of 6.5%.

Since liberalization India has attracted huge volumes of FDI inflows. In the last five years alone the FDI inflow stood up to $19 billion. These FDI inflows along with service sector boom have also straight driven the demand for office and business markets and districts. Next coming up are SEZs which will represent the next generation of growth. India with ever growing purchase powered middle-class with high disposable income and easy to available of housing finance holds a great fortune in real estate investment because the residential segment investment in the country represents more than 60-70% of the overall investment in the sector. It constitutes residential, office and commercial premises.

Article Source: http://www.answer-site.com

Krish is an eminent analyst of real estate and investment domain. He has many titles under his credit. He is a marketing and management consultant who trains middle, senior executives and real estate agents in India from real estate firms. He has published many articles internationally on the area.