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Insulative Paints on Wikipedia

Our response to the article posted on Wikipedia (as of 22 January, 2022) about Insulation Coatings and as written makes some very misinformed and incorrect comments regarding both insulation coatings/paints and the real Super Therm®. We’ve responded to the article to highlight all the issues with the article. It is misleading information regarding our quality product the real Super Therm®.

Insulative Paint – Wikipedia

Insulative paints, or insulating paints are a specially designed type of paint in which can be used to coat a surface (e.g a wall) to reduce heat transfer as well as increase the thermal insulating property (R-value in order to aid cooling and heating efforts for example). R values aren’t used by paints and coatings. We use U values for paints and coatings based on energy transfer through and heat loading.

Insulative paints use a technology where a broad spectrum thermally reflective coating is applied to a specific type of micro-spheres to block heat radiation in a larger range of thermal energy (heat) to dissipate heat rapidly.

Insulative coatings are much more than ‘micro-spheres’. The real Super Therm® is formulated specifically with a 4 ceramic compounds from over 4,000 available combined with urethanes and acrylics that are tested globally to have a total solar reflectance of 96.1% which creates an Energy Savings Cool Ceramic Coating. Spheres were tested to reduce conductive heat for a short time on tiles for re-entry by the space shuttle, however the use of specific microns sized ceramics combined can reflect the range of heat waves of visual, UV and infrared block the heat load. This is found only in the real Super Therm® made by Superior Products International II. Inc, Kansas, USA.

This type of coated thermally reflective material (coated micro-sphere) reduces heat transfer through the coating with 90% of solar infrared radiation and 85% of ultraviolet radiation being radiated back from the coated surface.

The misinformation in this article clearly demonstrates the authors don’t have all the facts or knowledge as they only mention coated micro-spheres. The real Super Therm® has been tested to block 99.5% Infrared, 92% visual and 99.5% UV and stop heat load unlike any other coating with or without micro-spheres. It is important to note that UV light only contributes to 3% of the total heat from the solar source; therefore blocking 85% of 3% is pretty much blocking 2.55% of the heat from UV.

An “insulative” or “insulating” paint works bi-directionally (reflects heat coming from either direction toward the painted surface. An example of this would be an exterior wall of a building to which an “insulative” or “insulating” paint has been applied.

Coatings don’t ‘reflect heat bio-directionally’. The real Super Therm® is design for solar heat reflection.

Solar induced heat (direct sunlight) is reflected from the surface as well as heat (winter months) that is migrating through the wall outward toward the colder outside air. A “thermal Image” or infra-red photograph will clearly show the reduction of winter time heat loss from a home through areas that have been painted with a true “insulative” or “insulating” paint.

The ability to reflect or block heat from all sources such as fireplaces, heaters, and radiators inside a building as well as sunlight is the value of a true “insulative” or “insulating” paint. These products reduce the work (heat loading) that “resistance insulation” such a fiberglass, foam, and rock wool have to do. These are typical insulation materials used in walls as well as ceilings of buildings.

The real Super Therm® blocks 96.1% of the total solar heat load.

So far no manufacturer has provided any independent test results to substantiate any claims of improved performance over standard paint technology. All independent tests have shown that the proprietary formulas offer no advantages at all over plain old acrylic paint.

This isn’t accurate at all. The real Super Therm® by Superior Products International II. Inc. has over 700 pages of testing globally and is much better than ‘plain old acrylic paint’ as it also blocks 96.1% of solar heat…read our testing results for yourself.

In spite of impressive “web presence” several of these companies appear to be “ghost ships” operating in the cloak of obscurity offered by internet sales and unable to provide any local representation or product stocks.

With over 70 distributors globally, Superior Products International II. Inc. has been established in many countries since 1989 we’re definitely not a ‘ghost ship’. If you’re looking for the real Super Therm® contact SPI Coatings.

Other types of “insulating paint”

“Insulative” or “insulating paint” is not proven by any existing scientific methodology.

Again this isn’t accurate. The real Super Therm® has been tested by independent labs in Japan, Russia and the USA. This includes 3 separate tests by the Department of Energy in the USA in three different locations and methods with the same proven results. Not to mention the hundreds of field and industry studies and results.

Deception and fraud

There are deceptive companies that are marketing “insulating paint” for many applications who are engaged in a scam, and several such companies have been forced to cease their marketing practices after receiving warning letters from the Federal Trade Commission.

We agree that there are many fraudulent products that mislead consumers in the marketplace. Good quality companies and products can get caught up in the misrepresentations and are working to establish their integrity and credibility. Other old industries are also driving complaints as new technology impacts their business growth. Regrettably as the Governments fail to establish clear regulations and standards there will be ongoing issues.

These companies are merely riding the coat tails of legitimate companies engaged in the ceramic and coatings industries, and are more marketing than substance. They incorporate materials such as glass spheres or fly ash into low quality paints. Scammers have been selling “insulating” paint to gullible consumers for at least 27 years. Two companies that offer insulating paint are Super Therm and Nansulate.

It is important to establish the difference between the real Super Therm® originally invented and manufactured by Superior Products International II. Inc. in Kansas and a company called Supertherm Inc. in Arizona, USA. Supertherm Inc. is also being investigated by the FTC which set up a business name similar to the creditable coating of the real Super Therm, however it is not a credible coating. This has caused untold damage and confusion to the real Super Therm®.

**Supertherm Inc** does not manufacturer the real Super Therm® with their business name creates marketplace product confusion

**Superior Products International II, Inc.** the manufacturer of the real Super Therm®

The Supertherm Inc. website (WayBack) promoting multiceramics coating which is nothing like the real **Super Therm**®s proven formulation. It uses similar language, application and specifications. Their website was taken down during 2020.

The product names continue to change as consumers report continued deception to the Better Business Bureau and other venues. The insulative paints are currently marketed under the Synavax and Syneffex names. The reports from the Better Business Bureau indicate that these companies are only shell companies, and if gullible consumers actually send funds for the promised products, the funds will be kept and no products will be shipped.

Superior Products International II. Inc. has been proudly operating since 1989 and still strong with its quality coatings products sold globally.

Cold climate testing

The CCHRC (Cold Climate Housing Research Center) researchers concluded that “there was no discernible difference in the performance of the Super Therm or Nansulate in comparison to regular latex paint during the energy monitoring tests.” They also said, “Such products have the primary goal of reducing solar absorption to decrease air conditioning loads. Such considerations were not included in our tests, as they are not considered of primary importance for Alaska’s climate.”

So given Supertherm Inc. does not have a creditable coating but a paint (as shown above website), it was tested with Nansulate another paint. The 2009 testing by the CCHRC never contacted Superior Products International II. Inc. the manufacture of the real Super Therm® and therefore have tested the wrong product and this misrepresents our quality brand name and trademark. The CCHRC has used the wrong product and then utilised the information from the real Super Therm® in its testing report. This is a fundamental mistake as the real Super Therm® was not included in the testing.

In fact the President of Superior Products International II, Inc. and inventor of Super Therm®, J.E. Pritchett made a lengthy response to the article.

Use in the space program

The areas of the space shuttle that have the highest heat loading due to friction upon the shuttle’s re-entry with the earth’s atmosphere are coated with a black carbon material which emits over 90% of the friction-induced heat that the shuttle experiences upon re-entry.

Although the ceramic technology was developed by NASA, no one has worked “with” NASA in developing products of this type or their associated coatings. Any statements to the contrary are merely marketing and misleading.

Superior Products International II. Inc. worked with NASA from 1989 – 1995 on the development of the real Super Therm®. The inventor J.E. Pritchett also spoke at the 1995 NASA Symposium on ‘Insulation Coatings’ about Super Therm®. All other products have endeavoured to lay claim yet are unable to quantify this unlike J.E. and SPI. It was determined that the use of micro-spheres can withstand 10 minutes of re-entry heat in ceramic tiles but not 12 hours of sustained solar heat on a roof, hence the real Super Therm® contains 4 micron sized ceramics to reflect the heat from visual, UV and infrared.

(See right 1995 NASA Symposium) Super Therm® Ceramic Coating Insulation: A water-borne coating spun off from NASA research has proven an outstanding insulator in harsh weathering conditions. Mr Pritchett will outline how he worked with NASA to commercialize this technology & describe successful applications worldwide.

The technology was considered declassified and released to the public in 1996. It is then up to the world marketplace to take the work of NASA scientists and researchers, and develop products from that point. Since 1976, NASA has featured between 40 and 50 commercial products which have benefited mankind worldwide as a result of NASA technology in their annual premiere publication Spinoff Magazine. In 2003, after exhaustive research into how their technology was utilized, NASA selected the original Spinoff industry leader.

As J.E. was the inventor of the real Super Therm‘s formulation is unique in the world and the rest of the imitators took the 1996 NASA information and endeavoured to produce ‘like-minded’ products which don’t even come close to the true results of the real Super Therm®.