Insulating House Paint

basilbiko

I am curious if any one has used or is familiar with ceramic additives to create an insulating barrier on internal walls. My concerns are whether or not one can repaint these walls years later without too much trouble. Additionally, "they" claim that it stops radiant heat; while this is great in the winter, how does this impact summer heat in a bedroom? Finally, is there any health concerns, ie, impact the quality of air etc.?

I don't know if I am allowed to post a link to a company that makes the additive; so I won't unless someone really wants to know more or if it is permissable to add the link. One of the companies that produces this is called Hy-Tech Thermal solutions.

slickshift

The paint would have to be absolutely loaded with ceramic and very, very, thick to have any effect at all, and even that would be negligible (percentage of an "R")

Unfortunately this is another example of DIY/HI sites/shows/articles repeating something they heard/saw someplace w/o actually investigating it

It's very common
Sometimes you can see a bad "tips" make the rounds (articles, shows, sites)

So the answer to the question does it work is:

Well, technically it's possible, if you could load up with enough ceramic and paint to technically reflect a tiny amount of heat back
But it is not enough to make a real difference and certainly won't show up on your energy bill

So realistically it's hogwash

joasis

Myth busters stuff...in short, nope.

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oneputtt

TO: Basilbiko I dont know if additive in paint works but paint made with the reflective in it out of the can sure works. I just painted the underside of the roof over 1/2 cathedral ceiling in a 22x32 sun room addition and I could tell the difference in temp. in the room when I was half thru painting. When finished it made a 10 degree difference before I installed the R-30 instulation which only helped another three degrees. I rented a airless sprayer as it takes 2000 psi to spray. I dont know if I can give brand names and suppliers as I am new to this forum, but if you e-mail me I will be happy to tell you. It cost $56.00

concretemasonry

Not a very accurate "observation", but interesting.

Maybe the "R30" (which probably less depending on attachment method) may have reduced the temperature 13 degrees without the super paint.

oneputtt

to:Concretemasonry What I said about the heat reflective paint is not an observation, but a fact. If you have never tried it how do you know it will not work. Sounds to me like you are making the observation. What I said is accurate or I would not have said it. oneputtt

joasis

The thermal dynamics of insulation is basic science. Now if the paint has a reflective quality, a gain might be seen, but slight. We now use a foil back solar guard wrap on roofs, and it does make a significant difference, since the heat gain "soaking" into the roof isn't as great...perhaps the paint made that effect. However, we are seeing 40 degree temp drops in attics.

Since there are little, if any, true insulating properties in the paint, I would doubt it's effectiveness, or science is changing.

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basilbiko

I want to first thank everyone for your responses. I would like to ask a related question. I live in a house that was built in the 1920's. There is no, I repeat, no insulation in the walls. I don't want to pull the walls down as they are plaster and reflect the craftsman's work. Is there any advice on how to insulate the walls of a house other than pulling the wall down?

Thanks

Concordseeker

Blow in insulation. I forget the name, it's made from recycled newspaper and you drill a small hole between the studs and blow it in then patch. You will have tons of small holes to fill but your walls will stay standing.

joasis

We blow walls by drilling an offset in the top plate to fill cavities, works except under windows....most people get this done when getting the siding replaced...we can drill a small hole and get the cavities filled tight.

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rjordan392

I checked out Hi-Tech Thermal Solutions for more info on their paint additive about two years ago and the info given was limited. They stated that they could not answer all emails because of the volume. Well, their website did not show all of the one's they did answer. So I passed up on using their paint and instead took my walls down and insulated with the blue foam board.

One would think that a distributor would have their organization set up with a better site and to answer all questions, if they wanted to promote their product. I feel that some may have asked tough questions and the company did not want to answer.

Forget about this paint and/or additive and go with the suggestion to have insulation blown in.

jkrodger

If you have a house built in the 1920's then it's probably brick, like mine, we have no insulation in our walls because the brick provides enough of it.

basilbiko

As for blowing in insulation, the upper part of the house is stucco. I am concerned that putting holes in stucco will damage the stucco. Is there a way to blow insulation in from the inside of the house. I would much rather repair the plaster than the stucco or am I wrong on this?

As a side question; I know insulation is not really part of the painting group, is there a better category for these questions.

Again, thank you for your replies and advice.

Concordseeker

Joasis can spell it out for you but it can be done either from the outside or the inside as far as I know.

joewho

Something that old has no vapor barrier, unless it was installed later. Rather than getting an insulating paint, why not get a vapor barrier paint. This prevents interior gasses and moisture from pushing the exterior paint off.

This is a major factor in repainting historic homes.