Insulating Paint Additive, anyone tried it?

[Beersmith]

I am considering adding this stuff to some paint to put on the bare fiberglass on the interior of my boat's cabin top and lockers:

Insulating Paint Additive Makes Paint Insulate

Has anyone had experience with a product like this? If so, do you think it actually works?

[newhaul]

interested as well subscribing

[tommays]

‘Insulating’ Paint Merchants Dupe Gullible Homeowners | GreenBuildingAdvisor.com

You raised my intrest and it seems a bit snake oil like

[Barquito]

Looking on their website, they do not make claims about the R-value of the additive. It appears there have been problems with other companies making claims about microsphere paint R-values that could not be substantiated. So, in the end, I don't see how you would know if the product actually does anything.

[hellosailor]

No doubt it does SOMEthing in SOME application.

But if it was as good as the seller claims...How hard would it be for the seller to post some actual facts, some tests, some hard data to prove their point?

No proof, no point.

Take a cheap wood doghouse, paint it with the magic paint on the outside. Paint another doghouse with non-magic paint. Stick a 10# block of ice in each one, on a hot summer day, and compare how long it takes each block to melt.

See how simple it is to show if the paint works or not?

Turn it around the other way, as they say paint the INside to keep warmer in winter. Put a bowl of warm water in the doghouse, see how long it takes for the heat to escape and the water to freeze.

Again, see how easy it would be to come up with numbers and facts?

No numbers, no facts, "NASA NASA NASA" without saying what specialized applications NASA might be using it for...and you've got snakeoil. Or at least, a product being sold for the wrong purposes.

Save your money, buy insulation from Home Depot and glue it up against the hull and deck. We KNOW that works.

[Beersmith]

I think I've read about someone using neoprene against the hull and in lockers to insulate and protect against condensation, anyone try that?

[SlowButSteady]

I find it hard to believe that a few microns of anything, short of a vacuum, would be of much use as a thermal insulator. If this stuff is so great, why does NASA (to pick a random example) spray a layer of foam (thousands of times thicker) on the outside of the Space Shuttle's fuel/oxygen tank?

[mitiempo]

Any sealed airspace will work. The easiest way to get one is to use a closed cell foam of some type and glue it to the inside of the hull. I don't think the type makes much difference. Some is easier to fit than others. Flexibility is a big help. I have used Ethafoam, 1/2" closed cell attached with spray glue. Some use stiffer foams but they are harder to fir. There is also a material, the name has slipped my mind, that has a foil on one side and is basically heavy duty bubble wrap. And neoprene should work as well if thick enough. Not sure how the price would compare to the other items I listed though.

[pdqaltair]

I have tested this product and a similar product in an industrial setting (refinery). Mostly snake oil. There are serious adhesion problems (flakes off) and it provides VERY LITTLE insulation (equivalent to a few layers of thin fabric). We never found a good application, since it is neither good paint nor good insulation.

[IslanderGuy]

(NOTE: pdqaltair responded while I was writing this, nice to see someone with experience with similar products give an opinion)

When I first went to the website (from this post) I came to the same snake oil conclusion. In my mind anyone with a not like this on their website with no data of there own to refute the "bogus" results is not wanting you to understand the facts...

Don't be fooled by biased "in-house" testing results or "modified" American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) test procedures, ( there are no approved "R value" tests for insulating paints or additives at this time and the ASTM Society does not approve of "modified" test procedures. )

After reading a few more responses I took another look through their site, and I did find a little test data at Insulating ceramic paint proven to reduce energy bills which was apparently a test done by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, but not necessarily with this companies product, but with something similar. I was actually a bit surprised by the results listed, although there is still not as much detail as I would like.

Perhaps they are more guilty of bad website construction then of selling snake oil. I would definitely be interested in looking into additional studies on insulation paints, their properties and how they work as well as other companies products. In my mind, there is no way a paint coating with anything in it would give substantial insulation, but I am not a scientist specializing in this sort of thing, so what do I know?

All in all I do not like this company already just based on the lack of data and apparently misleading statements, like this one "See how this procedure saved a Michigan customer 35% on last winters heating bills." (Found here... Energy Saving Insulating Paint) After clicking the link, I find out this was a newly constructed house with 5 years of research into various ways to save energy. From the quick look I gave it, I do not think the paint was the major factor in saving 35%, but one of many design choices on a newly constructed home.

I do not have time right now to look for other research and manufacturers, but if I get a chance I will post what I find.