Sale of Antifouling Thinner

Looking for high-quality antifouling thinner? In this section of the topRik marketplace, you can choose products for adjusting viscosity depending on what antifouling paint you are using. Some of the them are universal – acting as both a thinner and a cleaning agent for painting equipment and tools, including sprayers, brushes, rollers, spatulas, spatulas, etc.

Using antifouling thinner allows you to improve the quality of painting work, increase technical and mechanical characteristics and extend the service life of antifouling coating of the boat. If you have any questions about choosing the right yacht care product, ask the topRik experts right now and get a free consultation by phone, via the feedback form or by email - [email protected].

A thinner is an organic volatile liquid used to dilute paints and varnishes in order to reduce their viscosity and transform them into a state suitable for application to the surface being painted.

Advantages of Antifouling Paint Thinners

It is very important to use exactly the type of thinner indicated in the instructions - otherwise you can ruin the work and waste paint. Please also note that the type of thinner depends on the tool used to perform the work - spray, brush, roller or spatula.

Correct use of antifouling thinners provides a number of advantages when antifouling the bottom of a yacht.

• Provides better spreadability of antifouling paints, making it easier to work with in cold weather. But in this case, the layer of dried paint will be thinner and you may have to apply an additional layer to achieve the desired thickness of the coating.
• Provides fluidity suitable for rapid application of antifouling paints using a spray gun or pneumatic application method. This is important if you want to paint a large area of the boat below the waterline with antifouling paint.
• Reduces coating drying time.
• Improves the quality of layers due to their uniform thickness and absence of drips.
• Reduces paint consumption.
• Reduces drying time.

How to Choose an Antifouling Thinner

The difficulty in making a choice is that the same antifouling composition thinner may behave differently with various antifouling paints. For one type of antifouling agent it can be a thinner, but for others it can become an aggressive solvent. Therefore, the use of unregulated thinners may lead to incompatibility with the diluted material, with all the ensuing consequences.

Sometimes this property of a “non-native” thinner can very effectively reduce the viscosity of a material, but such a decrease can negatively affect the process of film formation. This is what often happens when there is a compatibility violation of antifouling agent with antifouling thinner.

Pay attention to the tools that are presented in this section of the topRik marketplace. You will immediately notice that the manufacturers of antifouling agents (paints) produce appropriate antifouling thinner for each line. There are even products that are designed to clean equipment and tools after working with a certain series of antifouling thinner.

That is, each type of thinner is developed strictly for a specific painting material, taking into account compatibility with the base and additives in its composition. Developer of antifouling agent, adding certain components to the recipe, calculates the sequence and rate of chemical reactions. Therefore, both the drying process of the applied layer and the quality of the final coating (strength, gloss, anti-fouling characteristics, etc.) depend on the correct choice of thinner.

That is why it is so important for diluting paints and varnishes, including for the formation of an antifouling coating, to use only antifouling recommended by the manufacturer thinner. Replacing a branded product with any other is obviously doomed to failure.

Meanwhile, such a replacement is sometimes practiced, and it leads to paradoxes: having chosen high-quality branded primers, paints and varnishes, craftsmen can use the cheapest means to dilute them. Such savings in the case of yacht care can result in very significant costs.

Thinner and Solvent – What’s the Difference?

Last but not least: don't confuse a thinner and a solvent.

Solvent includes liquids that are added to paints and varnishes at the factory during production. This is an organic volatile liquid (hydrocarbon, ketone, alcohol, ether, etc.) or a mixture of similar liquids that are used to dissolve film-forming substances.

Since the base of the paint and varnish material (binder) is usually either a very viscous or solid substance, the addition of a solvent allows it to be converted into a form convenient for further work. Thanks to the solvent, the paint (primer, varnish) is maintained in a liquid state until it is applied to the surface and does not dry out.

The composition of solvents is quite aggressive, since it can influence the structure of paint and varnish components. In marine applications, they are used to remove the old coating layer, for example, before applying a new antifouling paint layer.

Thinners are less aggressive. Unlike solvents, they do not dissolve resins, varnishes, primers or paints, including antifouling paint, but only adjust their viscosity to the required stage.

FAQ

How to mix antifouling thinner with paint correctly?

Responsible manufacturers of marine chemicals must include instructions for use with their products, which must indicate the proportions of the components and the order of their mixing. Read the instructions carefully before mixing antifouling thinner with paint.

Typically, the volume of diluent is 5-10% by weight of the main component to achieve a more fluid state.

Can antifouling thinner be used with any type of antifouling paint?

When applying antifouling paint, it is very important to use a thinner that provides the necessary paint parameters - spreadability, curing time, durability and strength of the coating, etc. All these parameters can be provided subject to full antifouling compatibility thinner with antifouling paint.

Does antifouling affect thinner on the durability of the coating?

Correctly selected antifouling thinner, fully compatible with antifouling paint guarantees the coverage period specified by the manufacturer. If you use a randomly selected thinner when preparing the paint, the coverage period specified by the manufacturer will not be guaranteed. It is quite possible that the coating will have to be redone before the yacht is launched into the water.

How to avoid the formation of lumps when mixing thinner with paint?

Only strict adherence to the order of adding components and stirring into the base, as well as their proportions, can guarantee the absence of lumps and bubbles in the final result. Carefully studying the instructions and strictly following them will help with this.

Are there alternatives to using an antifouling thinner?

If specially designed antifouling agents were not used to cover the bottom, then the paints used should not even be diluted by antifouling thinners. But if special marine antifouling agents were applied, then the appropriate antifouling thinner from the same company must be used with it.