ORGANIC VS INORGANIC

There are hundreds of products available to seal or stain wood, concrete and other masonry materials. These products are available through big box stores like Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Lowes and many other paint stores, contractor supply centers, lumber yards and websites. It is common knowledge that most of these products fail within 1-3 years. The big question is WHY? Why havent manufacturers like Dupont, GE, Sherman Williams, Olympic, Behr, Thompsons, Dow Corning and hundreds of others been able to produce stains and sealers much better than they were over 20 years ago? The answer is complex, but here are a few of the more obvious reasons: 1. It is the American way to manufacturer products with built-in obsolescence 2. Flawed restoration and application procedures shorten the surface life of most products 3. Wood and concrete are difficult, unpredictable building materials to protect 4. Manufacturers are producing the best products they can given the raw materials and technology they are set up to utilize 5. Most manufacturers are striving to improve the performance of products whose base ingredients are produced from petroleum by-products, all of which are organic compounds. ORGANIC What does being Organic mean? Anything derived from a living or once-living organism is organic. All organic materials have a common trait that sets them apart from other materials; they naturally decompose. Decomposition is natures way of recycling organic matter. Decomposition of organic material is inevitable! Examples of Organic Materials are: The human body, all fruits and vegetables, fats and oils, gasoline, motor oil, paint, varnish, plastic, rubber, asphalt, epoxy, suntan lotion and even lipstick, etc. The decomposition of organic materials is sharply accelerated by being exposed to UV light, wind, atmospheric pollution, water, temperature changes and freeze/thaw cycles. Nearly all wood, concrete and masonry sealers, stains and finishes are organic, and will therefore decompose and fail when exposed to the harsh elements of nature. Additionally, most of these organic products contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), which are hazardous to humans, animals and the environment. Many of these products are barely within Federal VOC Requirements. The Federal Government considers any amount of VOC to be dangerous to our health and environment.

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CHARACTERISTICS & PROPERTIES OF ORGANIC SEALERS Film Formers: Organic sealers form an oil slick type film when applied to wood, concrete and masonry materials. This film temporarily prevents moisture from penetrating the material but also prevents the material from breathing. Wood and concrete is hygroscopic. The moisture it attracts must escape through the surface in order to keep its interior from water damage. Wood swells and shrinks from trapped moisture, causing the film to pull apart or flake off and loose its ability to repel water. Decompose: All organic materials decompose and fail when exposed to UV, water, wind, atmospheric pollution and temperature changes. A good example is acrylic. When used on interior wood it will last for many years. When used on exterior materials such as wood, concrete and pavers it will begin to decompose quickly, becoming brittle and flake off. Mechanically Bonds: Organic paints, sealers, stains and finishes can only stick to materials. Mechanically bonding (sticking) to a material is a weak attachment and can be easily broken loose. It is often seen as peeling, chipping or flaking off the treated material. Hazardous: All organic sealers, stains, paints, and finishes have some degree of danger associated with them. Most are flammable, corrosive, carcinogenic, unsafe to breathe, ozone depleting, harmful to vegetation and animals as well as smell terrible. Destructive: Organic sealers, stains and water repellents are not compatible with standard building materials and actually cause deterioration of the materials they are stuck to. They remove small particles of the materials they are attached to when they begin to peel, chip or flake off. They also leave the material unprotected during their process of decomposition. Residue: Organic products decompose from the elements leaving behind chemical residue in and on the material they were attached to. A good example of this is that of a well known Water Sealer which leaves behind small particles of solvent and silicone after it appears to have worn off the treated material. This residue then prevents subsequent re-treatments from attaching solidly causing even faster product failure. Short Service Life: All organic materials have a short service life because of their built in ability to decompose when exposed to the harsh elements of nature. No manufacturer has ever, or will ever, be able to significantly alter the natural properties of organic materials given them by Mother Nature!

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INORGANIC What does being Inorganic mean? Inorganic describes materials made from natural compounds from the earths strata, such as titanium, lithium, potassium, quartz, zirconium, calcium, salt, sand, common rock, granite, marble, mica, ceramic, iron oxides, and water. Inorganic compounds are not derived from any living or once living organism. They are completely inert. Examples of Inorganic materials are: Cement, concrete, glass, steel, copper, iron, plaster, lime potash, diamonds, precious stones, and other minerals. Inorganic materials are extremely slow to deteriorate because they are not easily broken down by UV light, water, wind, oils, salts, extreme heat and cold or atmospheric pollutants. In the US, only about two percent of all wood, concrete and masonry sealers, stains, water repellents and other finishes are made from inorganic compounds. The basic technology to manufacture products made from inorganic compounds has been available for over 125 years in European countries. In America however, technology and manufacturing of these products is centered around organic chemistry because of its ties to the oil industry (petroleum byproducts). CHARACTERISTS & PROPERTIES OF INORGANIC SEALERS Non-Film Formers: Mineral based sealers are chemically incapable of forming an oil slick type film when applied to building materials. With inorganic mineral sealers, microscopic minerals penetrate deep into the pores of the treated material, forming a tight micro-crystalline structure that blocks the penetration of water and other contaminants. These mineral structures are just loose enough to allow vapor to escape upwards through the treated material, thus allowing the treated material to remain dry inside. This process is known as breathing. Decomposition: Inorganic materials do not decompose when exposed to the harsh elements of nature. Good examples of long lasting inorganic materials are concrete, glass and metal. Chemical Bond: Some minerals used in producing inorganic sealers are highly reactive and therefore able to chemically fuse within the treated material. Chemical fusion prevents the treatment from turning loose. It is not just stuck to the treated material; it becomes part of the material. Non-Hazardous: Most inorganic materials do not contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). They are not flammable, and produce no dangerous fumes or ozone-depleting gasses. Most inorganic sealers do not harm vegetation and do not leach harmful particles from the treated material into surrounding soil. Non-Destructive: Inorganic sealers are compatible with all standard building materials, many of which are made of inorganic minerals. 3.

INORGANIC MINERAL SEALER TECHNOLOGY There are basically three types of inorganic mineral water sealer technologies: Sodium Silicates, Potassium Silicates and Lithium Silicates. Each of these mineral families contains different properties and therefore produces strikingly different results when used in the production of water repellents and sealers. Sodium Silicates: Sodium silicate formulas make up 94% of all mineral based water sealers available on the market in the US. Their performance characteristics are: 1. Least expensive silicate to manufacture into a finished sealer 2. An antiquated technology developed by the Army in the 1940s 3. Is known to contribute to Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) in concrete 4. Typical formulation is only 3-7% silicate and the rest is water 5. Large particle size prevents deep penetration in most materials 6. Cannot be used to treat wood. It will not adhere to wood fibers 7. Forms an aero gel when dry, which can be re-emulsified and floated to the surface causing a white residue on the wood called efflorescence 8. Badly effloresces on most masonry and brick surfaces 9. Will not bead water so proving it has been applies is nearly impossible 10. Short service life 11. Hundreds of companies sell various formulas without stating the main ingredient is sodium silicate, which makes purchasing confusing 12. Sold mainly over the internet to end users & contractors interested more in profit than performance 13. Sodium silicates may absorb water, rather than repel it, on some masonry materials Potassium Silicates: Potassium silicate formulas make up less than 3% of the mineral based water sealers available in the US. Their performance characteristics are: 1. Highly reactive, harder to formulate and more costly than sodium 2. Multiple particle sizes make penetration controllable and more complete 3. Extremely hard mineral used in match heads and atomic triggers 4. Certain hybrid blends are self-reactive allowing them to be effective in low or no alkaline materials, such as old worn concrete 5. Will not cause efflorescence, but can leave a stubborn white residue if over applied 6. Will not deeply penetrate dense substrates 7. Some potassium formulations will actually absorb water rather than repel it 8. Can expand inside the treated material causing internal pressure which contributes to crazing and map cracking on the surface of concrete 9. Potassium and sodium silicates both have a tendency to react violently and unevenly sometimes leaving clumps of reacted and un-reacted calcium scattered throughout the wear surface

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Lithium Silicates: Lithium silicate formulas make up less than 1% of the mineral based water sealers available in the US. The latest state-of-the-art lithium technology is the most significant advancement in concrete sealers and hardeners in over fifty years. Their performance characteristics are: 1. Non-expansive and cannot contribute to Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) 2. Non-soluble and will not absorb water or cause sweating 3. Ions are smaller than sodium and potassium ions so deeper penetration into dense substrates is possible 4. Lithium is widely recognized as Green Chemistry 5. Prevents efflorescence and leaching of lime 6. Once applied, Lithium silicate protection improves with age 7. Can be burnished to create a glass like finish on concrete 8. Seals, hardens and densifies concrete and other masonry materials 9. Unaffected by salt spray and chemical attack 10. US DOT tests have demonstrated that treating ASR-affected concrete with lithium compounds can reduce or eliminate expansion due to ASR 11. Less sensitive to application procedures than potassium sealers 12. Higher reactivity than potassium for a more complete crystalline structure 13. Zerovoc LithiSeal is self-reactive and therefore highly effective in old or worn concrete and masonry structures 14. Concrete and masonry materials treated with Lithium Silicate sealers are considered permanently water repellant

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