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GrafoTherm Exterior

Where traditional paints fail

Working with the nature - not against it !

The protection of building facades is a difficult task.

: Damages caused by moisture in the construction

Peeling off paints, cracks and dirtying due to air pollution are old problems. With the climate changes algae, mould and moss have added to the difficult task of keeping the façade attractive. Moisture is the main reason for the deterioration of the facades and most façade paints are developed to protect against rain. A great deal of the moisture is caused by condensation water coming from the inside of the building and a tight façade paint traps the water in the construction where it can cause much damage. In hot humid climates where the buildings have air condition, the outside of the walls can be cold enough to make the outdoor air condense on the surface. Water is life and the risk of mould and algae growth is impending.

: Before. Note the moisture patches on the walls

: After. The walls are completely dry.

GrafoTherm Exterior allows the wall to breathe

GrafoTherm Exterior is built up of millions of micro-pores of sizes 0.1 - 100 microns. A micro-pore matrix of 1 mm thick coat makes the relative surface 20 000 times larger than the two-dimensional surface. Rain water will be arrested in the micro pores and ejected back into the air when the rain is over. Condensation water from the inside of the building will be absorbed by the micro pores, transported to the surface and ejected into the outdoor air. The evaporation, is done 2 - 3 times more rapidly and efficiently than would be the case from a traditional surface.

The pictures to the right show old brewery buildings that had been converted into condominiums. The exterior walls were damp and had severe moisture related damages. Algae growth, peeling off paint and frost cracks. The old paint was part of the problem. Moisture was trapped behind the paint and caused the damages.

The old paint was removed, the plaster was repaired and GrafoTherm Exterior, that allows the wall to breath was applied. GrafoTherm Exterior pulls out the excess moisture of he wall and the inhabitants claim that also the indoor climat has improved.

GrafoTherm Exterior is very resistant to algae and mold

The fast evaporation from GrafoTherm Exterior makes the surface dry most of the time, the only long-lasting means to avoid mould and algae growth.

In 2000 leading German paint manufacturers were invited to make test patches on a condominium in Berlin, Germany. After two years all test patches except GrafoTherm Exterior were overgrown by algae and mould. This picture was taken after over five years.

GrafoTherm Exterior is dirt resistent and durable

The picture shows a house in Germany, which was painted with GrafoTherm Exterior in 1993. The house is located in a steep slope and it had constant problems with algae and mould.

The high moisture load in the walls also made paint peel off. The owner, used to clean and repaint the house every second or third year.

After the GrafoTherm Exterior treatment the walls have been problem free for 14 years and the surface still looks as new.

The picture was taken in 2005

GrafoTherm Exterior bridges over cracks in concrete and plaster

GrafoTherm Exterior is re-enforced with fibres, which lends an outstanding elasticity and strength to the coating. GrafoTherm Exterior can therefore bridge over cracks and absorb movements in the substrate.

The picture shows a detail from a plastered brick wall painted with GrafoTherm Exterior. Before the application there was a crack of 2 - 3 mm in the plaster, that resisted all repair efforts. The picture was taken 6 years after the application.

GrafoTherm Exterior is resistant to heavy showers

When it is raining most of the water will run off the surface. What is absorbed will stay in the micro-pore matrix. Liquid water never goes from small pores to bigger ones. Therefore practically no water will be absorbed by the substrate. When the rain stops the water will evaporate rapidly.

GrafoTherm Exterior dries out the wall

The differences of pore size also enables GrafoTherm Exterior to suck out water penetrating from the inside of the building. The risk of moisture related damages to the wall is thus reduced.

During the painting of the cultural building above, readings were made of the surface humidity of the GrafoTherm Exterior surface (to the left of the drain pipe) and of the not yet painted plaster surface (to the right of the drain pipe). The difference after only a few days is remarkable.

A side effect is that a dry wall has a better insulating capacity than has a damp wall.