Spray-on Vinyl

[via ebuild] The president of Am-Vi-Co, a Las Vegas-based supplier, suggests that as environmental regulations force paint manufacturers to water down their products, homeowners must paint their houses every few years. That, says Houar, makes the economics of permanent coating more palatable. Tex-Cote low-maintenance spray-on coatings are thicker than paint, so they help fill surface imperfections, according to the maker. Liquid Vinyl is a high-viscosity resin spray-on coating from Canada that the firm says provides long-term protection for all types of stucco, masonry, metal, and wood surfaces. “Permanent coatings,” which have been around since the 1960s, are used primarily in commercial applications. But that's changing as suppliers expand their residential contractor networks. Charlotte, N.C.-based Alvis is the largest of these organizations, with 78 dealers and 90 branches nationwide.

Procraft claimed Multi-Guard R-20 was essentially the same substance used to cover NASA's space shuttle. The Federal Trade Commission found Kryton's marketing deceptive, and in 2002, ordered the company to submit all marketing materials, test results, and surveys to the commission for five years. During the next two decades, Kryton also must send a copy of the order to any resellers it used since Jan. 1, 1999. To separate themselves from Procraft, other suppliers assert superiority by emphasizing differences in their chemical compositions and drying thicknesses (which range from 10 to 16 mm). Some sellers believe there's room for several spray-on sidings in a market that's just taking off. But he thinks some dealers and suppliers are squandering the opportunity to inform the public.