CHEMISTS SEEK AN IMPROVED HOUSING PAINT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 92, 27 May 1949, Page 7

CHEMISTS SEEK AN IMPROVED HOUSING PAINT

Besides laboratory tests, exterior house paints in New Zealand are tested under actual weather conditions, and the results of these controlled tests are passed on to manufacturer and to user. Scientists in the paints laboratory also investigate problems of the painter and decorator, and seek improvements in materials and usage. Chemists of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, in seeking improvements in exterior house paints and ensuring that the standards are maintained, supplement the laboratory tests by subjecting the paint to weathering deterioration. Exposure fences, each 200 feet long, have beeti erected at various places in the country, panels painted with a large number of different paints are inspected and tested for durability under actual weather conditions. Problems Investigated

A number of painting problems are being investigated on these exposure fences, and very useful information has already resulted from this work: it has been shown, for instance, that some wood treatments aversely affect subsequent paintings.

Problems relating to the painting of Pinus radiata are being investigated, and although the work is not yet completed certain recommendations have been made. The Laboratory is also seeking a self-sealing priming coat that will eliminate the necessity of sealing knots separately. The introduction of new materials and new methods into the field of painting and decorating adds considerably to the problems of the tradesman.