Water glass is a natural product that has been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians and Byzantines for the protection of architectural structures.<\/p>\n
It was studied in 1820 by the German scientist J. N. von Fuchs<\/strong>, while in 1878 A. W. Keim<\/strong> received the first patent in Berlin for his work on the application of inorganic paints on murals, with water glass as the main binder.<\/p>\n Since then, the composition and application techniques of water glass have evolved, and its applications have increased dramatically.<\/p>\n Silicate paints consist of water-soluble, inorganic silicates of sodium, lithium and potassium<\/strong> \u2014 Na, Li, K. The most commonly used silicate in coatings is sodium silicate \u2014 Na\u2082SiO\u2083<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Silicate paints offer several advantages, which contribute to their growing popularity.<\/p>\n First of all, they have excellent adhesion to a wide range of substrates, including:<\/p>\n This high adhesion is due to the formation of a chemical bond during drying between the silicate in the coating and the surface of the substrate.<\/p>\n However, this characteristic also defines the most important limitation in the use of water glass.<\/p>\n Since water glass reacts chemically with the substrate, applying it over common acrylic paints would not allow the necessary reaction to take place, leading to poor adhesion and performance problems.<\/p>\n In addition, the different drying and film-forming mechanisms of the two coatings would lead to incompatibility and the formation of cracks or peeling.<\/p>\n For this reason, it is generally recommended to avoid the application of silicate paints over acrylic paints, in order to ensure proper material performance.<\/p>\n Beyond this limitation, water glass offers excellent resistance to environmental factors, such as ultraviolet radiation<\/strong>, as well as very good chemical resistance and thermal stability.<\/p>\n These characteristics ensure extended service life and reduce the need for frequent reapplication. As a result, maintenance costs for buildings are reduced.<\/p>\n In addition, inorganic silicates form vapour-permeable films, allowing moisture within the substrate to escape while at the same time preventing water penetration from the outside.<\/p>\n This breathability helps prevent moisture-related problems, such as:<\/p>\n The inorganic nature of the material further prevents the growth of microorganisms.<\/p>\n Silicate paints are alkaline and have a high pH. This property makes it necessary to use inorganic pigments for their colouring.<\/p>\n As a result, these paints show excellent colour stability over time and high resistance to fading caused by solar radiation, which often affects organic pigments.<\/p>\n Furthermore, water glass has inherent fire-resistant properties due to its inorganic composition.<\/p>\n It does not contribute to flame spread and helps delay the ignition of surrounding materials, thereby enhancing the fire safety of buildings.<\/p>\n Finally, silicate coatings contribute to sustainable construction practices.<\/p>\n These materials do not contain volatile organic compounds \u2014 VOCs \u2014 or hazardous components. They are therefore considered environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional materials containing organic solvents.<\/p>\n They also have minimal impact on indoor air quality and are often used in building projects aiming to obtain LEED \u2014 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design \u2014 certification<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In short, water glass is a material that combines:<\/p>\n These characteristics make silicate materials a suitable choice for architectural applications that require long-lasting and high-performance coatings.<\/p>\n [1] Sarcinella, A., & Frigione, M. (2023). Sustainable and Bio-Based Coatings as Actual or Potential Treatments to Protect and Preserve Concrete<\/em>. Coatings, 13(1), 44.<\/p>\n [2] Gettwert, G., Rieber, W., & Bonarius, J. (1998). One-component silicate binder systems for coatings<\/em>. Surface Coatings International, 81, 596.<\/p>\n Original publication:<\/strong> Architect magazine, May\u2013June 2023 issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Water glass is a natural product that has been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians and Byzantines for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":9462,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[403],"tags":[508,511,512,509,506,510,507],"class_list":["post-9461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ioct-analysis","tag-architectural-coatings","tag-facade-protection","tag-inorganic-coatings","tag-mineral-paints","tag-silicate-paints","tag-sustainable-coatings","tag-water-glass"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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References<\/h2>\n