7. Ceramic insulation coating

Ceramic materials are hard and brittle. Well known as pottery, glass, or some may even have dental ceramic. It can be defined as a non-metallic, inorganic solid. Which is non-toxic, difficult to degenerate and is also heat-resistant. Today, ceramics are used in many industries, having numerous applications affecting our everyday lives.

Ceramic comes in various types, sizes, and chemical composition and is sometimes referred to as "ceramic materials" or "microspheres." Each manufacturer has developed their own process and formula for ceramic based products that meet the needs of consumers as well as better serve a global community. A product's strength and density depends on the company's ability to effectively produce consistent thickness and distribution. The process for producing Gaina needs highly technical and scientific skills.

The question is, "Does Ceramic Insulation Coating really work?"

Energy is consumed by exchanging heat and cold through the walls. Therefore insulation coating on the walls is an excellent idea of saving energy. Gaina ceramic insulation coating comes in liquid form similar to latex paint, it is applied with brushes, rollers, or spray guns.

Ceramic-effects are described as a reduction in heat transfer and protection against UV (ultraviolet rays). This protection means the surface won't degenerate easily and lasts longer. Soundproofing, increased durability, fire resistance, repulsion of chewing insects such as termites, easier cleaning and minimal maintenance are additional benefits achieved when using this product.

Ceramic materials or microspheres vary widely in density. Because most ceramic is turned to flakes and is typically used as an additive, spillage or inaccurate measuring will lower the density of a material. There are some premixed insulation ceramic additive paints on the market, containing  less than 20% ceramic.

The specific gravity of ceramics are lighter than water. In the process of drying, ceramics floats to the surface of the coating even when applied on the ceiling or a vertical wall. If ceramics spreads on top of the film, it repels water and dirt, letting it fall away with  the rain. The ceramics properties reflect visible and ultraviolet light Spectrum as well, enabling it to last longer than conventional paint.

GAINA / Insulation Coating Sectional View / 500 μm

Gaina film contains 80% specialized ceramic. The other 20% is acrylic silicon resin. The resin adheres the ceramic to the surface and the capillary action of water forms 30 layers in a thin coating (0.5 mm thickness).

Any coating that contains ceramic, may have similar results as a reflective paint. However, the 80% ceramic of Gaina is what creates the vast difference in effectiveness when compared to other insulation coating. This benefits our lives in great areas.

More information about Gaina will come later.

6. Difference of Paint and Gaina

Paint is generally a liquefied coating film on the surface. It provides protection and decoration with color and texture for the exterior and interior of homes or buildings.

There are basically 3 types of paint, Organic, Organic-inorganic hybrid and Inorganic.

     Organic paint
          The liquefied organic compounds. (containing carbon)
          Easy to handle and inexpensive.
          Not bio-degradable. (degradation limited when caustic agents are included)
          To avoid adverse health and environment effects, advisable to choose Low-VOC.
     Organic-inorganic hybrid
          The hybrid has both benefits and disadvantages.
     Inorganic paint
          Environmentally friendly and won't deteriorate easily.
          Because adhesion is low, chipping, cracking, and peeling are probable.
          These products may require special techniques and equipment for application.

Gaina and Paint are different types of products.
Although both can be applied on indoor and outdoor materials, each product provides different benefits. Both are applied in a similar manner, prepare the surface and paint primer before application.

Gaina is insulation with additional effects such as Soundproofing, Air-purifying, etc.

These attributes are achieved at room temperature, by forming thin layers of high density ceramic on the surface being coated. Gaina is a unique patented insulating formula provided by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).

Gaina is an Eco-product that contributes to reducing CO2 emissions by suppressing the energy loss involved in heating and cooling.


For additional information about Gaina, please visit gainausa.com

5. Gaina Effect (inside & outside coating)

1. Against Cold
In winter, heat escapes from walls & ceilings. Even when the room temperature is high, the heater is working hard to keep the inside warm. Gaina coating adapts to the surrounding temperature, minimizing heat transfer outside,
lowering energy usage.

2. Against Heat
Special ceramic beads in Gaina reflect radiation, and release heat as infrared rays. Also, Gaina surfaces adapt to the surrounding temperature to minimize heat transfer inside.

3. Soundproof
Surfaces coated with Gaina reflect sound and control vibration within the layered ceramic beads. This reduces sound making the space quieter.

4. Air Purifier
Because Gaina has no traceable electrification characteristics, dust, dirt and pollen won't stick and ionized moisture prevents particulates from floating around. Gaina surfaces also bring the positive and negative ions into balance.




5. Moisture Control
Condensation  happens when heat moves to lower temperatures, whether through walls, ceilings, windows or in closets.
Gaina surfaces adjust to the surrounding temperature. Since there is no difference in temperature, condensation doesn't occur.

6. Endurance
Gaina has multiple layers of ceramic that reflect the strongest ultraviolet rays. It has the durability of 2-3 times that of normal paint. In addition, as an insulation and as a thermal barrier, Gaina's performance minimizes the expansion and contraction of the building.

7. Safety
Gaina is water based, and does not use hazardous materials.
Interior Gaina has an Ｆ☆☆☆☆ rating. This is the highest rating for indoor air safety in Japan. Forster is the safety agency that rates air quality for the environment.
Outside coating of Gaina also have a four star level of performance from Forster.

8. Combustibility
Gaina is accredited as a top level noncombustible material from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.




As testing continues, more benefits of Gaina are coming to our attention.

4. What is ceramic insulation

Ceramic beads insulation is a technology to reflect radiation or dissipate heat energy rapidly.

Gaina Ceramic beads

Ceramic insulation has excellent heat resistance and durability. There are various types and cost. It could be initially more expensive than general insulation. There's no unified definition of ceramic insulation yet. More information will come.

So lack of accurate knowledge may cause us to spend money unnecessarily. It's good to remember that 100% ceramic insulation does not exist and ceramic is mixed with other elements. Some products may have only a small amount of ceramic and exaggerate it's performance. It's better to make for sure how much ceramic it contains.

In the process of drying, ceramic beads emerge to the coating surface. By coming to the surface, the characteristics of the ceramic creates heat resistance, weather resistance, durability, stain-resistance all simultaneously will being utilized. If ceramic stayed inside instead of coming to the surface of coating film it would not work as well. This is why it is very important to know how to mix and apply the product.

Dried Gaina contain 80% of the special ceramic beads, deploying the ceramic coating on the surface with 30 layers of ceramic beads in the film. So the insulation effect is at a very high level. Ceramic is well known for hardness, although cracks easily. Gaina has elasticity that makes it difficult to crack and performs well for shock absorption and vibration.

It's advisable to understand the functions of the ceramic insulation you are considering. Be informed when making your decision on which product to use. It will save you time and money in the long run.

3. far-infrared

Gaina is a complex product with many benefits. One of these is it's protection against solar radiation. Gaina reflects 90% of sunlight by refraction (prism) and reflection, and radiates 95% of far-infrared from absorbed heat. Because of the high rate of far-infrared radiation, Gaina controls thermal conduction very well.

Sunlight has ultraviolet rays, visible light and infrared rays. Infrared has near-infrared and far-infrared. Solar radiation that doesn't reflect, through the atmosphere, then reaches the surface. It raises the substance temperature, turns to thermal energy and radiates far-infrared. About 30 % of radiation reflects back into space (depending on the area). Such energy balance maintains average temperatures on the earth. All materials except metal emit far-infrared rays. Higher temperatures produce more radiation, and ceramic beads radiate a lot of far-infrared.

Gaina contain 80% ceramic that has a high radiation performance. It brings a superior performance for heating and cooling energy savings. Outside coated with Gaina cools inside during summer and improves the outside environment. Inside coated with Gaina improves environmental qualities such as warmth in winter.

Far-infrared is an electromagnetic wave. It is not affected by the flow of air. Even in the hot summer months the temperature of the outside coat of Gaina won't rise much, so the inside coat won't raise room temperatures either, unless the heat source is in the room. Far-infrared is invisible radiant energy that warms our bodies, not the air.

Gaina has the combination of radiation, low thermal conductivity and low stored heat capacity which controls temperatures effectively. Coming up, Gaina has even more benefits beyond the few already stated above.

2. What is the R-value of Gaina?

R-value is the measure for resistance of heat transfer. It's one of the thermal insulation evaluations used to protect consumers and provide information. There are several ways to measure the thermal insulation performance, such as U-value (conductivity, opposite of R-value), K-value (thermal resistance of the material such as wall, ceiling or floor) and so forth.

R-value testing is done within controlled conditions, trapped, stagnant air (70 °F or 21 °C) with no air movement. Heat moves from higher to lower temperatures, just like heat from outside in summer and heat escape from inside during winter. It's the measurement of temperature from one side of an insulated surface to the other side. Higher R-value products take longer to absorb heat. It depends on the thickness of the product, and can often be measured by the inch.

Gaina is the thin insulating material that is only 0.0118 of an inch thick. Still we can measure the R-value of Gaina, but it is difficult to obtain a comparative insulating performance measurement.

Gaina has totally different components than general insulation.

REFRACTION

Gaina provides a thermal barrier with the prism effect within the spheres of the ceramic beads. Through reflection and refraction of infrared radiation, heat penetration is reduced.

Gaina also provides a radiant barrier from the material blended with the ceramic beads. This substance reflects visible and near-infrared light.
A radiant barrier doesn't absorb heat, so there is no measurable R-value.

REFLECTION

Because Gaina has a complex insulating process, the difficulty is in measuring its performance via conventional methods such as R-value. So, R-value information becomes meaningless.

These are just two insulating qualities of Gaina. More information will be in later articles.

1. Gaina (Gāina) means GREAT!

Gaina is a light, thin thermal insulation material. Based on the aerospace technology to improves our environment, during any season, day or night, to provide a comfortable living.

Gaina can be painted in the same way as water-based paint. It contains a mass of very small special ceramic beads in the coating film. Ceramic has a feature that is strongly resistant to ultraviolet radiation and is very resistant to deterioration. Because of this feature, Gaina has a durability two or three times compared to general paint.

Unlike ordinary paint, this special ceramic product has a variety of benefits. A surface coated with Gaina reflects the infrared rays at a high level and prevents the adverse effects of sunlight. Furthermore, there is continued relief from the force of far-infrared radiation, because the accumulated heat from radiation that is not reflected away from the structure is hardly noticed on the coated surface.

Since less heat remains in the film it will adapt to the environmental temperature, whether it is hot or cold. This process makes Gaina very efficient.

There are more benefits to using Gaina. Gaina is able to improve air quality of the peripheral environment, and reduce noise levels with its multiple layers of ceramic beads.

The meaning of Gaina is, "amazing","great" or "big". It's a dialect of Izumo, Shimane Prefecture in Japan, Mr. Ishiko, who is president of Nisshin Sangyo Co., LTD (developers of Gaina), was born in that area. According to its name, Gaina is amazing insulation.