Lets talk about UV
New Zealand has some of the highest levels of UV (ultraviolet) rays in the world. By way of comparison, the Mediterranean in summer reaches 9-10 on the UV index, NZs summer often exceeds 12. UV radiation degrades materials with different intensity / speed.
There are three main reasons for this:
Lower levels of ozone blocking UV in the Southern Hemisphere
Lower levels of pollution to block UV rays
The Southern Hemisphere tilts closer to the sun in summer than the North.
Perhaps that’s why, if you have ever travelled to other parts of the world, you don’t get sunburnt (!) and also that NZ has quite a unique system of building.
Paints save us billions in building maintenance, and were formulated to protect structures and materials from corrosion and ensure they remain weathertight. Paints begin to break down with UV exposure from day 1 - some paint systems will fade over time, possibly indicating the paint system has become compromised, or others may crack, peel or blister - which is occasionally as a result of incorrect preparation of the underlying substrate.
This Central Otago window joinery was so heavily oxidised (LHS) after 15 years, the original New Denim Blue converted to Sea Green. Our Nano-Clear® applicator professionally removed the oxidisation before coating with Nano-Clear® to restore the original colour (RHS, after). Nano-Clear® is crucial for ensuring the oxidisation process doesn’t continue by starving the chemical reaction of a critical element oxygen it requires to cause unsightly fading.
Powdercoated metals (garage doors, window joinery etc) will seldom crack, peel or blister, but often oxidise or stain due to UV or chemical exposure (eg household cleaners, sunscreen) combined with the effects of UV can lead to unsightly marks that are difficult to remove - they aren’t dirt or grime that can be wiped away but rather a chemically altered/compromised coated surface. Inconsistent fade can also occur due to shading effect of soffits/eaves, aspect, and other structures such as trees. On buildings this tends to manifest on the lower sections of window or door units. Once the chemical process of oxidisation has begun, as with any chemical process to stop its effect, effort should be made to starve that chemical process of its required inputs - in the case of oxidisation, this would be oxygen. Surfaces that are more horizontal to the sun will also suffer greater exposure and less ability for rainfall to remove potentially corrosive debris from the surface.
Heat also effects the surface life as well - if you have ever seen transformer boxes that sit on the side of the road, the powdercoating on these suffers immensely when combined from the heat generated by electricity inside and also the heat + UV from summer sun. This is where specialist coatings can lower your overall maintenance costs.
By selecting Nano-Clear® as the final layer / top coat to a paint system, this does 99% or the UV blocking so that your paint systems life are extended by 10+ years. Our applicators also understand which paint systems perform best as a etch and base coat, for adhesion, durability and long term performance depending on the specific conditions that a surface will be subject to.