Frequently Asked Questions

Our paint does more than just look nice on your wall. It helps make your home or office healthier. It does this through its photocatalytic technology. Our products have the ability to clean the air of pollution making it safer for you to breathe, eliminate odors in the air which leaves the room smelling fresh and clean, prevents dirt, mold, viruses, and bacteria from surviving and growing on the painted surfaces making the walls self-cleaning and the room cleaner. And the most amazing part of our paint is all you need is light (real or artificial) to activate this photocatalytic technology 

Our paints do more than keeping surfaces clean. It also helps clean the air that passes by it of pollution making it safer and healthier for you to breathe, as well as purifying the air for our environment.   

Photocatalysis is the natural phenomenon through which a substance uses light energy (natural or artificial) to clean its surface by removing contaminants and harmful compounds. Natural or artificial light encounters the TiO2 particulate in our paint and activates it, thus energizing the particle. When activated by air and light, the oxidation process begins. Organic and inorganic harmful substances that come in contact with a photocatalytic surface are broken down and transformed into harmless substances. Some of the substances that are broken down are carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, ethanol, benzene, and many more. These substances are turned into gypsum, calcium nitrate, and limestone, which are all safe substances for humans. In the case of hard surfaces, the surface becomes self-cleaning and purifies the air as polluted air passes over the surface. The treated areas are also antimicrobial, as fungal, viral and bacterial bodies cannot exist in that environment. 

If you would like to learn more about photocatalysis, you can check out our blog here: https://www.activacoating.com/what-is-photocatalysis/ 

 Antimicrobial means the product has the ability to destroy and prevent microbes such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi from growing on it. 

We are currently selling our products on our website, Amazon, and on Home Depot’s website. We are in the process of talking with several retail chains and independent paint stores to sell in their physical stores. We will announce this information on our social media platforms as it happens. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Surface Preparation

All surfaces to be painted must be clean, free from dirt, oil and other surface contamination. It is always best to wash all surfaces with a household detergent solution before painting. Rinse the surface to remove detergent residues. Sand all glossy, alkyd enamel surfaces with a #150 sandpaper and wipe clean. Patch all holes and cracks with a suitable patching material.

Application

If the surface is not 100% clean, dry, and ready, or in case of adhesion problems, it is recommended to apply one layer of PRIMER prior to pant application. The first coat can be diluted with 10% water if necessary but allow the first coat to dry completely (3-4 hours) before applying the second coat.

Yield

200-250 square feet per gallon in two coats (brush, roller, or spray gun) onto clean, dry walls.

Yes! Our Clean Surface Treatment (Activa TB) is commonly used on the outside of buildings, sidewalks, patios, and more. Our Clean Surface Treatment (Activa TB) is popular for outside use because of its self-cleaning abilities, which helps cut down on the need for power washing theses surfaces because they stay cleaner for longer. 

Our paint is currently being shipped all the way from Spain and during its trip to the US some of the water in the container can evaporate, making the paint thicker. In order to thin out your paint to make application easier, you can slowly mix in up to 1 cup of clean water to the bucket. When mixing the water into the paint we recommend mixing the paint with a paint mixing drill attachment.

We recommend mixing the paint with a paint mixing drill attachment. We find this method to be faster and easier than trying to mix the paint with a paint stick.

 Activa’s photocatalytic technology actives with any light, either natural or artificial. 

 No. Any artificial light will activate Activa’s photocatalytic properties. 

Our paint is low VOC. So, you will not experience a strong “paint smell” when using our paint. What’s even cooler about our paint is that it actually helps remove its own odor from the air as it dries due to it being odor eliminating.  

Our photocatalytic coatings do not require disinfection. Bacteria and viruses do not live on the surfaces. If they are illuminated by either natural or artificial light, they destroy bacteria and viruses through photocatalysis. 

You can learn more about how effective our paint is at destroying bacteria and viruses from this study.

If you are using our Clear Surface Treatment (Activa TB), we recommend not using a primer. If you are using any of our other products, we do recommend using a primer but you can use any primer you want. 

Our Clear Surface Treatment (Activa TB) can be used on plastic. We recommend testing it out on a small section first to make sure that it adheres to the surface.  

 OSHA does not certify or approve any products. Any claim that a product is “OSHA approved” is misleading. Product standards determine performance requirements and certification indicates conformity to standards. 

Our coatings are water resistant once dry. Once dry, the paint creates a film that is water resistant. The main difference between our indoor coatings is their capacity to resist wet rubbing: 

• Flat – (Photowall, our ceiling paint) It is intended to allow water vapor to pass through (breathable paint). It can withstand a limited number of wet rubbing (washing with a wet cloth). 
• Matte – (PhotoDeco, our standard wall paint) It is washable. When dirty, it can be cleaned using a wet cloth and some soap. It can be cleaned with a wet cloth as frequently as needed. 
• Eggshell – (Photolacq) It is washable. When dirty, it can be cleaned using a wet cloth and some soap. It can be cleaned with a wet cloth as frequently as needed. 

*  Vigorous scrubbing should be avoided and or limited with all of our paints.

Our Clear Surface Treatment (ActivaTB) can be applied over your interior painted walls. We recommend painting a test patch to see how Activa Clear applies to your wall, to make sure there will be no discoloration, before painting the entire surface.

Yes. On a standard wall paint, our Clear Surface Treatment (Activa TB) has two adhesion systems.

1. Part of the product penetrates on the paint pores, so it enters into the paint layer. To remove it you must remove the paint. So if the paint is resistant to wet rubbing, the Clear Surface Treatment (Activa TB) also is.

2. On the surface, the Clear Surface Treatment (Activa TB) contains an inorganic binder that also adheres ON the surface. That adhesion needs some days to get strength, but after it is very hard. This is also as resistant to wet rubbing as the base paint.

When activa is first applied, its color looks wrong, allow 1/2 day of drying with light results in the color correcting.