When we talk about paint breathability, we mean how much air and water vapour can easily flow through its surface. Older properties were built using materials that were designed to promote this airflow.
Using paint with a high level of breathability, coupled with breathable building materials, means that moisture doesn’t become ‘trapped’ beneath the surface of the paint. Lime for example, is a traditional building material which has been used in the construction of properties for hundreds of years, and shouldn’t be sealed with a plastic based paint. It’s durable yet highly flexible. Being moisture permeable, it allows the walls to breathe. So the paint used on top should be breathable too.
Using a non-breathable paint can cause problems with the fabric of the building if left. Trapped moisture can lead to damp walls, causing the paint to bubble, peel and eventually blow completely. It can also contribute to a harmful living environment.
Earthborn Claypaint is highly breathable, but that’s easy to say and proof is needed. Paint breathability can be measured in a couple of different ways:
The first is the Steam Diffusion (or SD) value. It is widely accepted that for a paint to be classed as breathable it should have an SD value of 1 or lower; the lower the value the more breathable the paint.
Earthborn Claypaint has an SD value of just 0.02m.
Breathable walls are essential in properties old and new
The other method used is the moisture vapour transmission rate (MVTR) which measures the amount of water vapour (in grams) able to pass through the paint surface over a 24 hour period. The higher the figure, the more water vapour that can pass through, and therefore the more breathable the paint.
Earthborn Claypaint has an MTV of 1115g/m2/24h, compared with a typical emulsion paint which usually measures between 400-500g/m2/24h.
In addition, Earthborn Claypaint has no oils, no acrylics and a negligible VOC content – less than 62 parts per million! Legislative recommendations mean manufacturers should not claim paints to be 100% VOC free so we honestly describe our products as virtually VOC free.
Ease of use, high covering power and lack of harmful emissions make Claypaint an ideal option to optimise breathability for any building.
Earthborn’s new colour card showing all 72 colours in the classic range is now available and100% recyclable, including the adhesive and the paint chips that use real Claypaint.