Original story
NetWeb Construction News 3.6.2002
New paints to revolutionize building sector?
New chemical reactive paints look like fundamentally changing the way we think about protecting the surfaces of buildings. This is the view of Hans Brick, chairman of the Swedish Construction Institute, who yesterday addressed the International Building Industry Forum in Frankfurt.
Hans Brick presented to a largely enthusiastic audience of industry experts a completely new type of paint, developed by Swedish Chemicals AB of Gothenburg. The most significant property of the new paint is that it reacts chemically with the surface it is designed to protect. The reaction in effect makes paint and surface into the same material. The paint is therefore no longer merely a protective layer, for example on concrete, but actually an integral part of the surface itself.
Brick went on to say that when we speak of reactive paints, it is actually quite wrong to refer to “paints” or “finishes”, since the new treatment comes closer to the process of chemical face-hardening (or case-hardening), as used in carbonising iron or steel. Reactive paints have so far been developed only for use on concrete surfaces, but wood- and metal applications are well under way. Chairman Brick commented that the greatest obstacle at present is not one of finding a suitable chemical reaction, but that after the chemical reaction takes place the paint should retain the same properties of thermal expansion and contraction as the material being covered. Another difficulty is that the colour of the paint changes after the reaction. The finished colour can only be determined from a colour chart, and the colour reaction takes one or two days to complete. Those present at the forum took a generally positive view of the new surfacing technique, although eyebrows were raised at the news that at present the paint will be at least four times more costly than conventional concrete paints.
Jürgen Williger, technical director of a large German painting and surfacing contractor, said that he believes some customers are already prepared to pay the additional costs of the new technique, particularly if the manufacturers and contractors are able to offer a long enough guarantee for the treatment. He felt nevertheless that most would prefer to wait and see the results of trials and independent studies on the durability of the reactive paints.
On the question of cost, Hans Brick argued that the system would pay for itself in the medium-term, simply because after the new surfacing was applied, further treatment would not be necessary until such time as the concrete itself cracked for some reason.
Naturally, the innovation is going to pose some serious headaches for the makers of traditional paints. At a press conference, the Swedish Chemicals CEO Joel Hunden confided that an international consortium representing several household names in this branch had already tried to buy the rights and patents on the new paints, presumably in order that they might never reach the market.
Toteuma-arvio 2026
Toteuma lyhyesti
- Ilmiön toteuma: 3/5
- Toteuma viiden vuoden tarkkuudella: kyllä; arviointi-ikkuna on 1997–2007
- Toteuma väljemmällä aikahorisontilla: kyllä, mutta rajatusti
- Ilmiön ydin: pintakäsittely reagoi alustan kanssa ja parantaa rakennusmateriaalin kestävyyttä tavanomaista maalikerrosta syvemmin.
Kemiallisesti sitoutuvia mineraali-, silikaatti-, nano- ja funktionaalisia pinnoitteita käytetään betonin, metallin ja puun suojaamiseen. Ne eivät kuitenkaan mullistaneet koko rakennusalaa tai tehneet erillisistä pinnoista tarpeettomia.
Johtopäätös: ennuste toteutui teknisesti, mutta vaikutus jäi kuvattua kapeammaksi.