Why Architectural Coatings are an Exterior Must-Have

An exterior coating job that resists fading. A structure that needs no annual pressure washing to maintain its appearance. A finish that holds up to the harshest climates. It’s all possible with APV Engineered Coatings. “The two primary functions of a typical architectural coating are aesthetics and protection of the exterior facade of the building,” says Mike Couchie, vice president of sales and marketing at APV. “With our NeverFade® line of facade restoration coatings, we took those needs and raised the bar.”

Engineering coatings are nothing new for APV. It’s what they’ve been doing for 142 years—designing custom finishes for a variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace, architecture, and the armed forces. The company is so confident in its products it offers a 15-year color fade warranty—it’s non-prorated and includes product and labor—on its popular NeverFade line. The sustainable coatings are specially formulated with Kynar Aquatec®, the high-performance PVDF polymer engineered by Arkema, making them uniquely UV-resistant.

The life of a building’s facade can be extended by 30-plus years when NeverFade is applied, and that’s just one of the benefits. Here are more.

They’re easy to apply.

The coatings can be sprayed, brushed, or rolled onto an exterior surface. “It used to be that the only way to get a Kynar-based finish was to have it factory-applied onto metal and baked at temperatures of 400°. This eliminated any type of field application and restricted most substrate materials to which it can be applied. Vinyl, composites, and other types of building materials can’t take that kind of temperature,” Couchie says. “NeverFade allows you to get the same performance in a field-applied and air-dried coating. You can apply it to virtually any kind of material without the need for high baking temperatures.”

The NeverFade coatings come in two main topcoat formulations. The NeverFade Original can be used on wood, vinyl, masonry, stucco, EFIS, fiber cement, and concrete. NeverFade Metal Restoration can be used on all types of ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

They’re customizable.

There is no need to compromise on design with NeverFade. The products come in 20 standard colors from dark earthy tones to bright eye-catching hues. If those aren’t what you’re looking for, APV can match any color, even metallics. “It’s rare for a field-applied coating that can be brushed and roller-applied to be offered in a metallic option. They are tricky to achieve a factory-like aesthetic, but we have engineered the rheology of the formulation to flow and level as it’s curing for a very uniform finish,” Couchie says.

Looking for a topcoat that matches your company logo? No problem. The APV team can custom color match any sample chip or Pantone color—think office buildings, storefronts, hotels, hospitals, and more.

They’re environmentally friendly.

APV’s NeverFade products are water-based, meeting air quality and emission requirements for VOCs in all areas, including SCAQMD rule 1113. “The feedback has been tremendous, as most are surprised with the coatings’ lack of odor and the fact that it’s water-based,” Couchie says. “On restoration projects like these, the challenge for property owners is to minimize the impact to the tenants. We’ve painted a number of hotels, condominiums, and office buildings while they were fully occupied with no disruption to business.”

APV has long been committed to producing environmentally conscious products and sourcing responsibly. Its research and development team will engineer or custom develop formulations to meet EPA restrictions or other environmental concerns.

They’re resistant to mold and mildew.

Being unaffected by UV rays has other benefits, too. UV energy causes coatings to break down, erode, and chalk. The chalky surface is a food source for mold and mildew to grow. The Kynar polymer in NeverFade does not break down under these conditions, so it’s naturally resistant to this harmful growth. “NeverFade also has a very low surface energy. So other sources for bacteria growth, such as dirt, does not accumulate on the surface. It’s very difficult for things to stick to it,” Couchie says.

The coating is essentially self-cleaning. Dirt and debris may adhere to the surface for a short time, but once it rains it washes right off. No pressure washing needed. “It’s a big time and cost-saver,” he says.

They’re durable.

Climate conditions can have a big impact on a building’s facade. Strong winds, intense heat, frigid winters, high humidity, atmospheric pollutants, and other factors can cause coatings to scratch, chip, and degrade. That’s not an issue with NeverFade. The coatings are highly durable. In addition to UV rays, they’re resistant to abrasion, chemicals, and salt spray.

APV uses the example of a house on the Gulf Coast on Sanibel Island, Florida that was restored with NeverFade. After several hurricanes and 10 years later, the coating is still perfectly preserved on the facade. “Our coatings are more flexible than other high performance architectural coatings, such as acrylics, polyurethanes, powder coatings, etc.,” Couchie says. “The advantage of that is when you have something impacting the surface, such as wind driven sand or debris, NeverFade absorbs some of the impact instead of allowing it to abrade through the coating.