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Mineralized paint

user-2310254 | Posted in Green Products and Materials on

When I was considering building an AAC house, I was planning to stucco the exterior and paint it with mineralized paint. These paints sometimes carry a 50 year warranty and hold us really well in harsh conditions (from what I’ve read).

Now I’m building a more conventional house and covering the sidewalls with fiber cement siding. Has anyone every tried using mineralized paint with that type of product? I’m asking the folks at San Marco (now Roma paint) for feedback but was interested in real-world feedback from actual users. It would be nice to paint once and never have to do it again–at least in my lifetime.

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Replies

  1. Expert Member
    MALCOLM TAYLOR | | #1

    Steven, My understanding is that Mineral Paints are specifically formulated for porous surfaces such as stucco and masonry. Applying them to cement board requires a primer and I'm not sure there is any advantage to be gained.

  2. user-2310254 | | #2

    Thanks, Malcolm.

    I was thinking about the durability since some mineral paints carry a 50 year warranty.

  3. user-2310254 | | #3

    I am still considering using mineral paint (potassium silicate) on the inside and outside of my house, but wonder if it is too vapor permeable. Joe Lstiburek suggested that houses with exterior insulation, which mine has, need to dry to the inside. He notes that a semi-permeable latex paint over drywall is appropriate, but mineral paint is up to 95% vapor permeable. Is that too much of a good thing?

  4. GBA Editor
    Martin Holladay | | #4

    Steven,
    Q. "Is that too much of a good thing?"

    A. No. If your walls have exterior insulation, then vapor-permeable paint is a good thing.

  5. user-2310254 | | #5

    Thanks, Martin. I would like to use this type of product since it seems to put very little chemical burden on inhabitants.

  6. Expert Member
    MALCOLM TAYLOR | | #6

    Steven, Latex paints have plasticizers that make them often almost as bad as the Alkyd paints they have replaced in terms of what they emit. The one problem with a highly permeable interior finish is that it allows the formaldehyde in the drywall to gas off into the interior.

  7. user-2310254 | | #7

    Your comment on drywall is interesting. I will have to investigate further. At one point, I was considering mgo board for its benign properties.

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