Colours for your project

What do we mean by the term “wall coatings”?

This term refers to smooth paints or textured coatings used to finish off walls. They are mixtures with a consistency that may be more or less fluid and are made from various substances of either mineral or synthetic origin that form a seamless, adherent coat when applied on a substrate. Their main aim is to coat the surfaces on which they are applied to protect them against wear during use and from atmospheric agents, and also to enhance their appearance from an aesthetic point of view by using different colours and textures.

What is the distinctive characteristic of Mapei wall coatings?

Wall coatings are not finished products; they only become so once they have been applied to a substrate. It’s quite clear, therefore, that you need to have a thorough knowledge of materials and the interactions that take place between “substrates” and “finishing coats”. Mapei is in a position to propose coatings as part of a complete system in which the various products work together in perfect synergy.

How do you choose the right wall coating to avoid having problems?

In most cases, the “diseases” that occur on façades are due to a rather superficial approach being taken when proposing finishing products, that is to say, without adopting an integrated and global approach. As a result there are various phenomena related to incompatibility between the substrate and the finishing product, which, when combined with the use of a product with insufficient performance characteristics, are responsible for the deterioration of buildings. Since a coating product is generally the last layer or coat to be applied, it is the first, and at times the only, “visible” part of potential problems or damage caused by employing inadequate or poor performing product cycles. Mapei Central Analysis Laboratory has the capacity to examine the various pathologies encountered in constructions, identify the cause of deterioration and verify the effectiveness of solutions. When coating products and paints are specifically developed to be perfectly compatible with repair cycles for surfaces, not only do they solve the technological problems of substrates, they also maintain their aesthetic value for longer.

What are the main causes of the deterioration of wall coatings? And what are the systems to overcome them?

- Elastomechanical incompatibility: sometimes mistakes are made during the design phase regarding the use of materials with an incompatible modulus of elasticity, which over the years can lead to cracking and rainwater infiltration into masonry. Thanks to their properties, such as elasticity and water-repellence, products from the ELASTOCOLOR line are able to provide a solution.

- Chemical-physical erosion: UV rays, acid rain and smog are amongst the main factors that contribute to the rapid deterioration of coatings. The QUARZOLITE system consists of products based on acrylic resin- and micro-quartz, with good filling properties and high mechanical resistance that give surfaces a higher level of durability and protection.

- Biological deterioration: because of climate change, the phenomenon that causes the formation of mildew and mould on buildings has become a widespread problem. In the SILANCOLOR PLUS system, over time, the water-repellence of siloxanes combined with BioBlock® Technology overcomes the problems connected with this kind of deterioration.

- Rising damp: this type of problem is encountered especially in areas close to lakes or the sea. It affects many residential and listed buildings and tends to damage both the paintwork and the underlying substrate. The synergic action of Pozzolan-based MAPE-ANTIQUE dehumidifying systems and coating products from the SILEXCOLOR and SILANCOLOR lines are the ideal and complete solution for restoring and protecting masonry.