Sanitize rooms starting with the walls by using Mapecoat ACT 196

What exactly does Advanced Coating Technology (ACT) mean?

The Mapei ACT line identifies a range of systems incorporating advanced technology for protecting and decorating the surface of walls.The products in this line, the result of an important research project to develop solutions for critical areas, have certified performance properties so they comply with the requirements of particularly severe standards.

By critical areas, where hygiene and cleanliness are even more important, we mean where foodstuffs are present or areas and rooms in healthcare environments.In fact, the food and beverage industry and health care environments have to comply with standards that define the precise characteristics of the painting systems to be adopted.There are two hard-wearing hygienic enamel paints in the ACT line: MAPECOAT ACT 021 specifically developed for the food and beverage industry and MAPECOAT ACT 196 for healthcare facilities.

If we consider that nowadays all rooms and areas have to be sanitized, what are the characteristics of MAPECOAT ACT 196?

MAPECOAT ACT 196 is an acrylic-based enamel paint with a semi-gloss finish for internal walls containing special, wide-spectrum protective biological agents that contrast the deposit and proliferation of bacteria on surfaces, including those cleaned and sanitized frequently.

As we said before, it is the ideal enamel paint for protecting areas in healthcare facilities, that is, for all those situations that require a high level of hygiene.Nowadays, words such as hygiene and cleanliness are no longer banal recommendations; they have become “lifesaving” rules of law and mandatory practices in numerous environments.Which is why this particular wall enamel, which was originally developed for healthcare environments, has become indispensable for all those internal environments where people are either present or pass through.

So, apart from doctors’ surgeries and clinics, this system is suitable for any communal area, such as sports facilities, playgrounds and wellness and spa centres, but also beauty parlours, hairdressers, hotels and the hospitality industry in general, and professional studios, as well as private homes where you wish to ensure a higher level of hygiene.

MAPECOAT ACT 196 is also resistant to particularly aggressive disinfectants, it is easy to maintain and it is highly durable.Not only that, it has also been tested in accordance with ISO 22196 standards, which is used to determine the level of antibacterial activity of surface coatings.

What is ISO 22196, what tests need to be conducted and what kind of guarantees does it certify?

ISO 22196 is an international standard and is the result of coming into line with the severe Japanese JIS Z 2801standard; in fact, we are in a position to say that it currently represents the most advanced and most widely adopted standard in healthcare facilities. ISO 22196 includes a series of tests called Rapid antibacterial activity test that are conducted as follows: test samples are prepared and painted with the product to be tested. These samples are then inoculated with different strains of bacteria and the degree and speed at which the colonies of bacteria are reduced are measured.

The tests carried out on MAPECOAT ACT have shown that MAPECOAT ACT 196 drastically and quickly reduces microorganisms, and the results remain unchanged even when the samples are leached for hours in water, which is carried out to simulate cleaning operations.

It is important to point out that Mapei always uses external laboratories, which ensures that all certified results are fully guaranteed.In this particular case, the tests carried out on MAPECOAT ACT 196 were conducted by IMSL (Industrial Microbiological Services Ltd), a prestigious UK laboratory specialised in microbiology.

But from a practical point of view, what are the advantages of using MAPECOAT ACT 196 wall enamel?In order to understand how important it is to use certified enamel paint for walls and ceilings, let’s try and observe a typical healthcare environment; let’s imagine, for example, a waiting room at a doctors’ surgery.

We can see that the floors, doors and furnishings in general are cleaned every day whereas the walls and ceilings are the most extensive surfaces but are taken less into consideration.

If carried out correctly, cleaning and sanitising operations eliminate most microorganisms, whose cells and spores find favourable conditions in dirt and organic residues for their survival and proliferation.In general walls and ceilings account for more than 70% of the contact surfaces in a room: this shows how important it is to use a tested and, therefore, guaranteed enamel paint.

MAPECOAT ACT 196 has excellent resistance to cleaning agents, including during tests carried out using particular active chlorine detergents and alkaline degreasing products containing the main disinfecting agents.

As far as application is concerned, do any particular procedures need to be followed?
MAPECOAT ACT 196 is very easy to apply; you just need to follow the usual rules and methods for applying enamel wall paints in general.

After checking the flatness and cohesiveness of the substrate (which may be a new skim coat or old paintwork; the important thing is that it adheres perfectly), apply a coat of MALECH primer or DURSILITE BASE COAT, then complete work by applying two coats of MAPECOAT ACT 196. 
You can apply the enamel wall paint with either a synthetic bristle brush, a short-pile roller or by spray, whichever you prefer, depending on the type of finish you want and the size of area to be painted.

Another important and much-discussed issue is sustainability: what is the position of MAPECOAT ACT196 in this regard?MAPECOAT ACT 196 has its own EPD environmental certification drafted in accordance with international standards (ISO 14025 and EN 15804) and is a product with low emission level of VOC (volatile organic compounds): in fact, as far as indoor air quality is concerned, test results have put it in class A. It has everything it takes, therefore, to meet the most stringent environmental requirements (CAM and other international protocols).

MAPECOAT ACT 196 has passed all the required tests, a guarantee of its hygiene first and foremost, but also of its durability and sustainability.