It has been fairly well known that painting your metal buildings with lighter colors may help to conduct temperature in summer and winter. In turn, this allow allows for energy cost reduction by limiting the amount of climate control needed. Also, the American Chemical Society has been conducting experiments in order to produce a “glass paint” that will assist primarily in keeping the metal protected from the sun, but also to conserve energy and maintain the value of the building. We all know that sun can cause damage to all forms of property, and metal buildings are unfortunately no exception. Over time, the heat and light can wear at the building in substantial ways. The paint will fade, and it will cause rust given enough exposure and time. We offer 30 year rust-through warranty’s on all of our buildings, but rust can remove from the aesthetic and replacing a building or parts of a building is a process that can be avoided at least in part by taking actions to prevent it. “Glass paint” is shaping up to be a very viable method of preventing sunlight damage.
The origin of glass paint comes from Boston a few years ago. Originally it was an invention that hoped to benefit rooftops and naval ships, but like all great scientific innovations it’s intention warrants greater applications throughout many fields. Penicillin’s inception as mold in a petri-dish comes to mind, and glass paint has it’s own qualities that transcend it’s original intent albeit in very different ways.
A group of researchers presented their discoveries and relevant findings at an exposition of the American Chemical Society. It’s actually the world’s largest scientific society, and is said to on average have 9,000 presentations at every meeting. A video of the specific meeting can be found below.
The Benefits and Hurdles of Creating Glass Paint for Metal Structures
A researcher on the team, Jason J. Benkoski, said, “Most paints you use on your car or house are based on polymers, which degrade in the ultraviolet light rays of the sun. So over time you’ll have chalking and yellowing. Polymers also tend to give off volatile organic compounds, which can harm the environment. That’s why I wanted to move away from traditional polymer coatings to inorganic glass ones.” In essence, the chemical makeup of inorganic glass is better for the environment, and is also durable when made correctly. When made incorrectly, well…it’s glass. The problem the research team had to overcome is exactly that, making glass paint that won’t shatter or become brittle in a way that makes it a hazard rather than a benefit. They basically manufactured an inorganic compound that doesn’t dissolve in water, and allows it to remain a key temperature due to it’s water resistance. “When you raise the temperature of any material, any device, it almost always by definition ages much more quickly than it normally would. It’s not uncommon for aluminum in direct sunlight to heat 70 degrees Fahrenheit above ambient temperature. If you make a paint that can keep an outdoor surface close to air temperature, then you can slow down corrosion and other types of degradation. You might want to paint something like this on your roof to keep heat out and lower your air conditioning bill in the summer. It could even go on metal playground slides or bleachers. And it would be affordable. The materials needed to make the coating are abundant and inexpensive.”
Your Metal Building From Elephant Structures
Glass paint is not available for the common consumer just yet, but if you’re seeking to improve your metal building or get one in the first place Elephant Structures can help you today. We have many products that are engineered by top of the line industry professionals, and while we may not have glass paint we have rust resistant metal that comes with a 30 year rust-through warranty. When engineering our buildings, we build them to last. If you want to get the most longevity from your building, get your building certified and install on a concrete foundation. We always recommend installing on a concrete foundation, as it creates a predictable and reliable foundation that can assist your building in lasting for a long time. If you require custom installation requirements or unique specifications for your building we recommend getting a customization quote from one our building advisors by either sending in a contact form or calling in today for a free consultation.
