Re: Mold Prevention coatings applied during new construction

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In contradiction to the chemist's almost unbiased opinion. The
simple fact of the matter is that EPA reigistration is of great
importance to anyone who would consider having a chemical in any way
applied to their home. EPA registration is very costly and requires
very stringent testing on all claims made with such a product. All
products that receive EPA registration go through extensive efficacy
testing and must prove what they claim before their producs can
recieve EPA registration. The EPA does assure the public that all
products EPA Registered work as their labels claim and are safe to
humans and the environment if used in accordance to their label.

I do agree with your opinion on Microban and have worked with the
Aegis product. The Aegis product raises concerns with the methanol
contents, however, at application strength the product is very safe.
I hav worked with Envirocare and I can no longer reccommend their
product after several failures and the tests results that I have
recieved from the University of Oregon. I had several products
tested: Envirocare, Protective Coatings Croup, Aegis, Microbe Guard
and Fosters. The test results that we received from two independent
labs agree almost exactly. Envirocare does not work, Fosters and
Protective Coatings group was marginal and Aegis and Microbe Guard
came out the best. Both labs agreed that Aegis and Microbe Guard
were very effective with kill rates of 99.9% after 30 and 60 days.
We were certified E-coat applicators for sometime and we have been
mislead by their claims. In our market, we come across most of the
competitors and Envirocare is the only one that I would run away
from. Stating FACT, the owner of Protective Coatings Group used to
be one of the owners of Envirocare. His brother in-law is now the
owner.

We have checked warranty laws in most states, and what we found out
is that you should never do business with anyone who is based out of
Florida. Why? Florida law prevents companies and individuals who
live outside Florida from collecting bad debts from Florida
residents. That is why O.J. is there. If you owe someone money, you
go to Florida where the State protects you. So what good is any
warranty when the manufacture is based in Florida. It is only as
good as the paper it was written on.

We would all benefit from checking the facts out for ourselves. I
can only reccomend that you contact the EPA directly and ask them how
important EPA Registration is. Federal Law states only EPA
Registered Pesticides can make claims that they Kill, prevent,
eliminate or destroy mold, fungus or micro organizisms. I know this
for a Fact!

On 10/27/04, The Chemist wrote:
> Contrary to the sentiments expressed in the second post, there are
> opinions in the industry that differ. All coatings are formulated
> differently in that some, like silicone/silane based systems behave
> like a vapor barrier "locking moisture in". Latex / acrylic latex,
> more specifically synthetic acrylic latex systems are porous. In
> the same way house wrap is designed, it allows the materials to
> breathe.
>
> This thread seems to be a running advertisement for the microshield
> guys posting with aliases that are actually applying MICROBAN (as
> seen on their website. Guys, Microban doesn't do the job - It
> can't pass the ASTM standards for dry film fungal resistance hence
> Sentinel kicking it to the curb over a year ago. Additionally,
> you're advertising an encapsulant on your website, see above. Aegis
> is a silicone based quat solution no matter how they try to dress
> it up. It harbors exposure concerns, and service life limitations
> relative to moisture this is why it doesn't have a manufacturer
> backed warranty - good luck finding the applicator when it fails
> even if he is the undisclosed founder of the organization that
> backs the warranty under a different company name in another state!
> Nice try.. Robert. PCG is nothing but an opportunistic fraud
> taking advantage of a vunerable Florida market. They mislead you
> by making illegal claims and getting their users in trouble for a
> quick buck, (see EPA treated Article Exemption PR notice
> www.epa.gov), their so called technology officer is named in a
> lawsuit involving St.Jude where he developed a product that - see
> for yourself, its sickening: (www.mnd.uscourts.gov/Tunheim) a
> cohort real estate scam artist with other lawsuits on file in
> kansas and indiana. BUYER BEWARE.
>
> Regardless of the opinions stated in other posts, overall, coatings
> can be a good thing when used in combination with high quality
> control standards at the site. Unfortunately, quality control is
> difficult, especially for production builders. Water will find its
> way in as a result of a constructin defect - mistakes happen.
> Moisture accumulation can be realized even with the slightest
> miscalculation or circumstance. Coatings ensure a water problem
> remains a water problem and helps to prevent it from growing into a
> bigger issue such as mold and mildew infestation. If your goal is
> to prevent mold, this may be the only weapon considering the
> sometimes inevitable persistence of moisture and ubiquitous mold
> spores.
>
> What to look for in a coating? Water based chemistry is good but,
> watch your VOC's You don't want to put additional outgassing paint
> in the building. Smelling inside the open container does not
> establish residual odor. Some coatings have low odor while in the
> can but, what about after it dries? The TRUE dry time is sometimes
> indicative for residual odor. Know the additives: Don't fall for
> the tricks of the trade "our products are EPA compliant" or, they
> are EPA registered. This means nothing unless you know what's in
> there! Would you want your children living in a house where there's
> a high chloride or other organic biocide chemical lingering? Look
> for coatings that have clearly identified additives such as boron,
> copper, or silver. These are inorganics. Quats (quarternary
> ammonium chlorides / compounds), are not. These organics degrade
> and often wash away in the presence of moisture. This is why your
> painted house has mold on it even though the can said it contained
> a mildewcide. You be the judge of what to use but, collect the
> facts first. Some additives including certain quats have FDA
> approvals such as those for cosmetics. Others like the companies
> using silver additives with FDA clearance for indirect food contact
> use, medical device, NSF for potable water, etc. will tell you
> straight up front what's in there. FYI: USBorax (borate maker),
> when interviewed by Midwest Construction News last month, threw
> their own product under the bus. They said it's not as effective as
> it should be for mold and mildew resistance. This is true.
> Borates are not powerful enough to resist mold alone... This is why
> the coatings have undisclosed supplemental biocides that they won't
> tell you about. If the additive is EPA registered or, if the
> finished product is EPA registered DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE. EPA
> doesn't test or approve anything. All testing is directed by the
> manufacturer and EPA doesn't provide assurance of safety. All a
> registration means is that EPA is aware of and keeps tabs on the
> company's claims as this is what they do as a regulatory agency.
> When choosing a coating, employ common sense and look for the best
> manufacturer's warranty like anything else you would buy.
>
> The Chemist
>
>
>
> On 10/26/04, Scott Perry wrote:
>> The reality is if a combination of good building and a
>> quality/safe Anti Microbial coating is applied you are safer and
>> better off than doing nothing. There are plenty of well built
>> homes that experience a water intrusion or moisture realted
>> problems. You are better off applying a coating a penny's/sq
>> ft. I know of a company called EnviroCare Corp.
>> (www.envirocarecorp.com) They own a silver based technolgy that
>> carries a 20 year product and remediation warranty. I would
>> suggest to anyone bulding a home, that they take a look......and
>> choose a quality builder.
>>
>>
>>
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>> On 10/26/04, Scott Perry wrote:
>>> On 8/27/04, Greg Weatherman wrote:
>>>> People,
>>>>
>>>> You are placing way too much trust into antifungal sealers,
>>>> paints and coatings. Pay more attention to correcting the
>>>> cause of the water or condensation intrusion. There is no
>>>> antifungal sealer, paint or coating that can win the fight
>>>> against mold and spore-forming bacteria if the source of
>>>> water or condensation intrusion is not corrected.
>>>>
>>>> It is wreckless to use an antifungal sealer, paint or coating
>>>> on the seal plate and rim joist (band joist) of a home. These
>>>> structural wood members need to be able to dry to the indoors
>>>> and outdoors unless you live in the hot and humid Southeast
>>>> like Florida. In Florida, they have to be able to dry to the
>>>> indoors. There is a load of free information on:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.buidingscience.com
>>>>
>>>> Look at the difference between the "Orlando" house and
>>>> the "Charlotte" house. There is a link at the bottom of the
>>>> page.
>>>>
>>>> The soil drainage outside should divert water away from the
>>>> home. An old fashioned French field drain with clay tiles is
>>>> still the best way to go (for centuries).
>>>>
>>>> Antifungal sealers, paints and coatings are useless by
>>>> themselves. Read the label. They tell you the surface has
>>>> to be free of ALL dirt, oils and everything else under the
>>>> sun. Are y'all applying these products in a clean room
>>>> setting?
>>>>
>>>> If you don't have fresh air supply and exhaust on your HVAC
>>>> systems you may have a problem with chemical vapors indoors.
>>>> Some of these antifungal sealers, paints and coatings have a
>>>> good history in outdoor uses on items like metal. Wood is a
>>>> different animal.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> Greg Weatherman
>>>> aerobioLogical Solutions Inc.
>>>> Arlington VA 22202
>>>>
>>>> gw@aerobiological.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ********************************************
>>>>
>>>> On 8/02/04, Ljc wrote:
>>>>> I recently ran across a company called American Mold Guard.
>>>>> (Irvine, CA). They provide a ten year warranty against mold
>>>>> growth on the application of their anti-mold surface
>>>>> coating product which is applied during new construction on
>>>>> interior framing and walls. Has anyone heard of this
>>>>> company or product? Does it make any sense...?