International. At the European Coatings Show 2023, the Munich-based Wacker Group presented a new silicone additive for formulating silicate paints and brush-applied plasters for interiors.
This product, which is available as an aqueous emulsion under the name Silres BS 338, facilitates the processing of coating materials, increases their stability during storage and improves the properties of the applied coating.
Wall paints and brush plasters produced with the silicone additive have the same breathability as before, but produce a hydrophobic, water-repellent finish that is only slightly absorbent.
This greatly expands the range of options for manufacturers to tailor their silicate paints to market requirements.
Silres BS 338 complements Wacker's portfolio of interior coating additives. Unlike conventional silicone additives, the new product can cope with the high alkalinity of coating materials containing a water glass as a binder, such as silicate paints and silicate gypsums.
Wall coverings modified with Silres BS 338 stand out for their high storage stability.
The active ingredient in Silres BS 338 is a reactive polysiloxane. During setting, this forms a solid and durable bond with the surfaces of the filler and pigment particles in the coating materials. The resulting effects on the coating are permanent.
Thanks to its low surface tension, which is a characteristic property of silicones, the new additive improves the wetting properties of the coating material and reduces its viscosity. These two effects ensure that the coating material flows well during application. This makes it much easier to achieve level, uniform and streak-free results than before with silicate paints and plasters.
Silicones are usually hydrophobic and this is also true for SILRES® BS 338: the coatings formulated with the additive are water repellent. As a result, water droplets do not penetrate the surface, but roll.
In addition, the new silicone additive significantly reduces the absorption of water by capillarity and thus also the absorbency of the coating.
Therefore, a silicate paint containing Silres BS 338 can also be used in wet interior rooms.
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