For bare porous unpainted masonry substrates such as lime plaster, stone, pebbledash & concrete.
£5.00
£34.50
£60.00
For masonry substrates with previous masonry paint application.
£52.00
£86.00
Earthborn Multi Purpose Primer provides a perfect base coat on interior wood, melamine and MDF surfaces.
£61.00
£22.99
Have you ever heard the term “breathable paint” and wondered what it means?
It’s not paint that inhales and exhales, but it does allow your walls to breathe – which is great for your home and for you!
Breathable paint lets moisture pass through easily without trapping it inside your walls.
Simply put, it absorbs humidity and releases it once the moisture levels have lowered.
This helps issues like damp, mould, and peeling paint, which can occur when moisture gets trapped.
Allowing the natural moisture that’s in the walls and atmosphere to flow through the walls without damaging the building.
What makes a paint breathable?
The breathability of a paint is normally measured by a SD (Steam Diffusion) value which gives an idea of the water vapour permeability. The lower the SD value, the more breathable the paint is.
For example, our Claypaint has an SD value of 0.02m which means it has exceptional breathability and absorbs variations of humidity.
Claypaint is a hygroscopic paint because of its highly breathable properties. This means that it will even out the humidity in a room by absorbing excess moisture.
This feature may make your wall colour appear darker when moisture is being absorbed, but once dried, it will return to its original shade.
How do I know a paint is breathable?
Along with eco friendly, breathable has become a popular word in the paint world and while all paints are breathable to a certain point, it’s important to know how breathable.
There are two simple ways to tell if a paint is breathable – the steam diffusion (SD) value and the moisture vapour transmission (MVT) rate.
For a paint to be classed as breathable, it should have an SD value of 1 or lower, meaning that the lower the value the more breathable the paint.
Another measure is the MVT value, which measures the amount of water vapour in grams that is able to pass through over a 24 hour time period.
Our Claypaint has a value of 1115g/m² per 24hours. A typical emulsion paint usually measures between 400 – 500g/m² in comparison.
What is the most breathable paint?
Our Claypaint is the most breathable interior paint in our range of finishes and is perfect for painting over lime plaster as well as standard plaster or even previously painted surfaces. A diluted coat of Wall Glaze can be used for added durability without affecting Claypaint’s breathability.
Our Silicate Masonry Paint is the best breathable paint for exterior mineral surfaces. It’s especially suitable for lime render but can be used on brick, stone, cement, concrete, pebble dash and plaster.
For our Silicate Masonry Paint to work effectively it needs to be used with one of our primers. Silicate Primer to create a permanent chemical bond with bare porous mineral surfaces, or Bonding Primer to create a strong mechanical bond with existing sound, previously painted masonry surfaces.
Is emulsion paint breathable?
Not all emulsion paints are breathable. Most standard and traditional emulsions contain vinyl and acrylics that create an impermeable layer on the surface.
This layer acts as a barrier that traps moisture or prevents water vapour from passing through easily. However, emulsion paints can be specifically formulated to be breathable which is accomplished by using natural ingredients like clay as it has breathable properties.
A simple way to keep your walls happy and breathing freely. If you’re dealing with damp issues or just want a more eco friendly paint choice, it’s worth considering!
