the difference between cogitating paint and radiant bulwark foil

Permit's go some facts straight: there is no such thing every bit radiant barrier pigment.

The term "radiant barrier" is supposed to describe products that reflect over ninety% of radiant energy, and these pigment products simply cannot exercise that. The term radiant barrier has been misconstrued past the people who install the paint and it's essentially similar trying to call a hamburger a prime steak; information technology's misleading and simply not truthful.

For the record, both the radiant barrier spray paint and the radiant barrier foil volition reverberate (i.east. not emit) radiant heat. However, the fine impress exists when the all-time available radiant barrier paint can only reverberate about 75% of the radiant heat transfer. Meanwhile, the radiant barrier foil will reverberate 97% of the radiant heat transfer.

Radiant barrier foil is actually the best radiant barrier you can utilise; you lot can either install it yourself or hire a professional installer who uses our foil insulation.

Buy AtticFoil™ Radiant Bulwark Foil Here

What is Radiant Bulwark Paint?

Radiant barrier spray-on paint is substantially liquid foil. While not all radiant barrier paints are the aforementioned, basically they are made by grinding pure aluminum into a fine powder and then mixing information technology into articulate paint. Once the clear paint dries the aluminum powder forms a layer of aluminum.

The best radiant barrier spray spray is but bachelor to commercial contractors, and is an environmentally safe, water-based depression-due east paint chosen HeatBloc-75, Radiance e.25 or Lo/MIT. When the paint is installed correctly, it volition reflect about 75% of the radiant heat and can be a very good product.

Getting good results with radiant bulwark pigment assumes a couple of things:

  • The rafters are beingness sprayed completely (this ordinarily costs more than when you get an estimate).
  • The paint is being applied with the correct coverage (many contractors put it on either too sparse or too thick).
  • The paint is not diluted. There are some contractors (fifty-fifty large ones who advertise heavily) that will cut* the paint with water in order to extend the coverage. *Cutting is when water is added to paint; it is cheating to cut costs.

As a result, the true effectiveness of radiant barrier paint installed past many contractors is really merely most fifteen-40% reflectivity. The typical consumer can't tell the difference between a good installation and a poor task without testing.

Radiant barrier paint spray is non a practiced Do It Yourself (DIY) project. The fumes are noxious, you must apply a VOC respirator, a high-end airless spray rig, the proper size spray tip, and the proper pressure level to get correct coverage and eliminate bottleneck. Forget about painting with a roller considering it is impossible since there are thousands of nails sticking through the roof deck; additionally, using a paint castor to manually paint it on would take forever. Most people who try to do it themselves will actually accident also much paint and the material cost alone will be over $0.thirty/ft. With the cost of radiant barrier foil only being less than $0.xiii/ft, it's obvious information technology is not only a better product, but a meliorate deal.

Different Brands of Paint & Testing Results

reflective coatings comparisons chartMany companies take developed radiant barrier spray paint. In fact, none are true radiant barriers since they all reverberate less than 90% of the estrus which is the definition of a true radiant bulwark; technically they are reflective coatings. Below is a chart with some exam results by RIMA (Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association) which did independent testing on all the different radiant barrier paints.

Find that the best paint withal emits 22% of the radiant heat, compared to simply 3% for radiant bulwark foil. Some paints claim to be laurels winning, although what honor they are receiving still remains to be identified or significant.

Additionally, the paint tests were conducted on perfectly polish samples, applied under laboratory weather; these weather are unlike than your attic. Your attic is made upwards of porous wood that loves to soak up paint instead of keeping information technology on the surface to create a smooth, shiny film, which would exist required to be fully effective. In society for pigment to come close to the tested emissivity rating, the wood surface must be primed with a primer/base coat of pigment get-go.

Why Y'all Should Use Radiant Barrier Foil

The primary reason you should consider the foil over the pigment is because with the pigment y'all are basically counting on the product to deliver results, while with the foil you lot are but needing the person (which may be yourself) to get the installation done. So long every bit the foil is installed somewhere between the roof/rafters and the insulation, it volition reflect 97% of the radiant heat.

This is indisputable; radiant barrier foil works! Buy AtticFoil™ Radiant Barrier Foil

Furthermore, information technology is really difficult to install the foil wrong. This is the main difference betwixt Quality Assurance and Quality Control. You can assure that reflective foil will work; while you can simply promise that the reflective coating is installed correctly. We do not sell or install radiant bulwark paint; nosotros only sell radiant barrier cogitating foil insulation considering it is the best.

The problem occurs when reflective pigment is put on too thin or when water is added to the pigment/an inferior inexpensive paint is used. And so what? Then the customers do not get the results or the absurd cranium they are promised.

To offset this disappointment, some companies take resorted to doing things like giving abroad free solar fans. Certain, if you put an attic fan in the attic it will decrease the attic temperature and could even get it close to exterior temperature; withal, it doesn't affair what kind of fan it is, a fan will non terminate any radiant rut transfer. A libation cranium is squeamish, but what we really need to do is reduce the temperature of the insulation. For more information, read our article about air temperatures versus surface temperatures and how they affect your home.

Who/What Do Nosotros Recommend?

In full disclosure, nosotros are a manufacturer or radiant bulwark foil, just that being said, there are still some very good radiant barrier spray installers. Unfortunately there are besides some that are not very good and that is where the problem occurs, because how are you certain which one is coming to your house?

Therefore, if you are looking for an endorsement for a paint installer, nosotros practice non endorse whatever particular company. If you practise your research and have decided to go frontwards with the spray-on paint method, please at least follow this communication:

  • Use one of the pinnacle-rated radiant bulwark paints listed in the comparing chart above.
  • Cheque the paint cans for manufactory sealed/labeled containers that are opened on site.
  • Say "no" to premixed paint in generic buckets.
  • Count the number of gallons brought to your house. It is hard to really estimate how much should be used, but if it is beingness installed and then that it equates to 500-1,000 ft. covered per gallon, it will not equate to the results you were promised.
  • Inspect the area. Physically climb back into some of the nighttime corners of your attic with a flashlight and digital camera. Take some pictures and come across if they got the whole roof. Hold to hold back fractional payment until y'all are satisfied, remember it is your choice, and so chose wisely.
  • Enquire for a quote to spray the entire rafters with the deck included. Also ask for pricing to take them use a primer coat before the radiant barrier pigment. These quotes will requite you a ameliorate comparing betwixt the total costs of installing the spray versus the foil. Frequently, the price to include the full rafter and apply primer is MORE than you would pay to have the foil professionally installed.

We hate to exist so critical, just we take seen and so many bad installations of the spray cogitating paint that it is almost becoming pretty common. One of the most common questions we get is from disappointed paint customers. They desire to know they can install foil nether the paint. Ed (the owner of AtticFoil.com) in one case even had a chat with an installer who told him that the prior company the installer worked for said that they would rather ship him back on the 1 in 20 customers that complained, rather than for him to do it correct with the proper corporeality of paint the first time.  Sure information technology is disappointing, simply this is more common than you lot might think.