Dust Resistance of Silicate Mineral Paints

Dust Pick-Up is one the major challenges in exterior paints when looking to keep facades looking clean and blemish-free. India is a particularly dusty country due to its hot and dry climate.

There are two main reasons for dust pick up on vertically oriented surfaces such as walls. The first and well-known reason is that organic polymer-based paints such as acrylic paints tend to become tacky at higher temperatures due to the polymers transitioning from a glassy to a rubbery state and thus becoming soft and sticky. This stickiness causes the dirt to bind to the surface, often irreversibly, thus becoming a permanent addition to the paint film and is not washed away during seasonal rains or by jet-washing during maintenance.

The second reason which is not well known, is that polymer-based paints, which are essentially plastic in nature tend to acquire a static charge due to wind driven friction. This static charge is opposite in nature to that of dust particles. Thus, dust is actively attracted to the walls. The stickiness of the walls as discussed above then plays a role in making this binding permanent.

Silicate Mineral Paints are mineral in nature and thus extremely hard (similar to stones, sand particles, tiles etc.) They do not become soft or sticky despite intensely high temperatures. Thus, the question of dust sticking permanently to the surfaces does not arise. Any dust particles settled on the surfaces are only loosely settled and wash away easily with seasonal rainfall or jet-washing during building maintenance.

Silicate Mineral Paints are mineral in nature and similar to the electrical concept of “earthing” dissipate stick charge easily and completely. Thus, they do not actively attract dust.

For these reasons, Zydex Silicate Mineral Paints keep facades dust free and fresh looking for decades!