Paint is a liquid that is designed only to color the surface. Even though paint masks the surface, it remains a separate entity from the substrate. While paint initially makes the surface more attractive, it has very poor adhesion and does very little to seal and protect the home or building.

Paint does not prevent moisture content, fungus, or other natural processes from coming between it and the surface to which it is applied. This inevitably leads to paint failure and even more serious problems such as the erosion of the substrate of your home (wood rot and stucco failure) and possibly mold and mildew.

Moisture is certainly the number one enemy of paint. Today's paints, which are little more than colored water, do not offer any significant protection from external water penetration. Also, since paints do not breathe, any moisture in the substrate actually pushes its way through the paint in order to escape into the atmosphere. This results in chalking which is found on virtually any painted home (usually within 6 months!) and represents the first step in the breakdown of paints.

Further compounding the problem is the fact that paints are no match for the weathering effects of the sun. Have you ever picked up a piece of paint that has chipped off of your home? If you have, it is completely brittle! As we know, all homes and buildings expand, contract and flex to a certain extent. Simply put, this movement that cannot be matched by traditional paints.

Question:
Why does paint begin to fail in a year or two and why is the national average for repainting down to about 4 or 5 years?

Answer:
After application, 2 coats of even the best paints dry on your home thinner than a dollar bill. This ridiculously thin layer of material adheres poorly to your home and quickly becomes brittle from the weathering effects of the sun. Paint doesn't seal out external water and, because it doesn't expand and contract, always results in hairline cracks forming around your windows, doors and trim (leading to even more water penetration). Further, since paint doesn't "breathe" well, the moisture vapor that accumulates in the substrate actually pushing right though the paint as these vapors escape into the atmosphere.

Cerama-Shield, on the other hand, is a material that is designed to bond to a surface in such a way that the coating becomes one with the surface. Our superior adhesion is one of the key ingredients for our long-lasting success and the biggest factor in why we can coat aluminum and vinyl siding and capping as well as gutters and downspouts.

Our coating is also specifically designed to seal and protect your home from the elements- 1. Water, 2. UV rays, and 3. Thermal movement. These factors are the "big three" when it comes to paint failure and Cerama-Shield is specifically manufactured to withstand each.

1. Perhaps most importantly, Cerama-Shield waterproofs while still allowing your home to breathe as it was meant to breathe. In fact, Cerama-Shield is the most "breathable" or "permeable" coating in the world and allows vapors to pass at an even greater rate than stucco. Hence, our product seals and protects your home and resists the first step in the breakdown of traditional paints- chalking.

2. Our ceramic additives, among others, make our coating highly reflective of UV rays, resistant to weathering and keep our homes much cooler in the summer. As a result, Cerama-Shield retains its flexibility and prevents splitting of the coating around your doors, windows and trim.

3. Our coating dries almost as thick as a credit card yet still can expand, contract and flex with your home. This prevents the premature cracking which is so prevalent in traditional paints as Cerama-Shield can expand a remarkable 150% with 100% memory.