Repeat. No Repeat.

Word Up to Write Up!

Textile giant Designtex over the last several years has been diversifying their offering to include materials that go beyond fabric and wallcovering.  With the inclusion of the Fusion resins, Loophouse and Common Threads rugs, their surface imaging program, and now Write Up h20, Designtex is hoping to have more products for more projects.  

Write Up h20 is a dry-erase paint that is clear. Yes, clear - not white. There are other dry-erase paints on the market that are white, and these are meant to mimic the more conventional dry-erase boards and wallcovering that are ubiquitous throughout corporate America. But with a clear version of dry-erase paints, the types of applications are endless! Imagine not being limited to substrates or sizes, and being able to turn any paintable surface into a glossy dry-erase writing area that can be used with any standard dry-erase markers and erasers.  Any color can be your base - designers everywhere are thrilled with this news.

Write Up h20 comes as a two-component, water based paint. There are less than 45 grams per liter of VOCs and therefore is low-emitting, and won't off-gas when dry. This can contribute to LEED credits for Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), specifically IEQ 4.2 VOC limits. When you or your contractor purchase a kit, it comes equipped with enough paint to cover 100 sf, a shed-resistant roller for easy application, a stick for stirring, and of course installation instructions. You can write on it after 7 days of curing, but it's best to let it cure for a full 30 days for optimal results.  Intended for commercial installations, Write Up h20 comes with a 10 year warranty.

Visit Designtex on Facebook, where they are highlighting the 60 Material Days of Summer.

Mythic Paint on a Mission

In the vast world of paint products, there are different levels of "green" interior latex paint.  We are all familiar with low-VOC paint from the major manufacturers which makes paint products less odorous and compliant for LEED certified projects.  But many of these products are still filled with caustic and toxic ingredients that are tolerated in paint for their performance enhancing benefits.  The use of these ingredients require manufacturers to put warning labels on their paint cans.  One manufacturer has surpassed this with a paint line that is non-toxic, very low-odor, and has zero VOCs.  Meet Mythic, a manufacturer of premium paint products that are safe for people, pets, and the planet.  While we are all concerned with doing right by the environment, Mythic goes a step further by putting people first since their paint has no carcinogens or toxins that are harmful to humans or animals (including pet birds, which are extremely sensitive to VOCs).  So much so that there are no warning labels on cans of Mythic paint - none are required because no carcinogens exist (not in the pigments, the binder, nor solvents).  You won't find any lead, mercury, crystalline silica, or formaldehyde.

Geared primarily towards the residential market, Mythic can also be used for commercial projects and is sold through independent distributors.  The palette is quite large - over 1200 colors - and comes in all the usual sheen levels as well as interior and exterior formulations.  Mythic also provides primers, so the entire paint system can remain non-toxic.  And like all the big manufacturers, Mythic paint can be color-matched to any color that you can provide, making their base palette of 1200 colors just the start.  Mythic paint is Green Wise certified by the Coatings Research Group Inc. (CRGI) as an environmentally preferred product over traditional paint products, as determined by lab testing standards.  As for durability, Mythic paint is tested the same as commercial paint, with scrub cycles being measured and reported.  And as with commercial paints, Material Safety Data Sheets are available.

So what is the story behind Mythic?  Originally called "American Pride" because it was this paint that won the contract to rebuild the Pentagon after 9/11, the parent company is Southern Diversified Products.  A partnership with University of Southern Mississippi and their renowned Polymer Science program led to the development of this proprietary paint, which took six years to bring to market.  [Southern Diversified Products also makes a soy based adhesive for particleboard, as well a bio-based fabric treatment for the US Navy].