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  • What Are Antimicrobials?
  • Benefits
    • How Do They Help?
    • Preventing Disease Takes Good Chemistry
    • Increasing Sustainability Takes Good Chemistry
  • Uses
    • Where Are They Used?
    • Material Preservatives
      • Wood Products and Materials
      • Paints and Coatings
    • Household Products
    • Behind the Scenes
    • Public Spaces
      • Apartments & Hotels
      • Gyms
      • Hospitals & Healthcare Settings
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      • Public Transportation Settings
      • School Settings
  • Oversight
    • How Are They Evaluated for Safety?
    • How They Are Regulated
    • Above & Beyond
  • Resources
  • Learn More
    • Bet You Didn’t Know
    • Surprising Facts
    • FAQs
    • About the Center for Biocide Chemistries
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Paints and Coatings

Antimicrobial Material Preservatives Help Coatings Last Longer

Most paints and coatings are now water-based, which are more environmentally friendly and considered safer for consumers. However, water-based products are ideal habitats for microbial growth that can destroy paints, disrupt the manufacturing process, or lead to mold growth on painted surfaces. Antimicrobial preservatives are used in paint production and added to paint cans to help prevent microbial growth, helping these products last longer. Without the use of preservatives, many paints would need to be refrigerated throughout transport and storage to keep from spoiling.

wall paint

Consumer Paint

Paint Samples

Material preservatives significantly increase the shelf life of water-based paints, allowing consumers to store unused paint for as long as several years, thus allowing for greater use over time and less wasted product going into landfills.

Special Purpose Coatings

Automotive Paint

Material preservatives help preserve the integrity of highly durable paints used for transportation markings and marine environments, reducing discoloration, viscosity loss, and overall product failure.

Industrial Paints

Painting Building

With environmental regulations around the world tightening as governments seek to reduce resource consumption and emissions of VOCs and other chemicals, the use of water-based paints becomes crucial to coat those assets that must withstand harsh environmental conditions such as offshore oil and gas and industrial maintenance applications and fixtures.

Coating Products

Finish Caulk

Numerous products that are applied to, or mixed with, paint can also spoil and affect its overall integrity. These include paint removers, thinners, pigment dispersions, caulks, and adhesives.

Antimicrobial Benefits to Economic & Environmental Sustainability

Safe

Helps to protect the dried coating film from discoloration due to mold and mildew

Manufacturing

Reduces need to replace and manufacture new product

Paint Roller

Allows for far less use of solvent-based paints in favor of water-based

Paint Can

Helps prevent paint from early in-can spoilage

Recycle

Reduces volume of paint waste and disposal into landfills

Spray PaintIncreases service life by helping to preserve coating integrity from fungal growth

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