The Lab George

💧 MOISTURE TRAINING | MOISTURE: THE HIDDEN THREAT

Moisture is one of the most common causes of coating failure — and simply painting over the visible damage won't solve the problem.

Water can enter or remain in a substrate in different ways: through cracks and failed coatings, rising damp, condensation, leaks or moisture retained in newer concrete and plaster.

Watch for the warning signs:

💧 Peeling & blistering — moisture can interfere with coating adhesion
🌿 Mould & algae — often thrive where damp conditions persist
🧱 Cracking & deterioration — may allow further moisture ingress
🔩 Corrosion — moisture can accelerate deterioration of metal surfaces
🎨 Repeated coating failure — especially when the underlying moisture source hasn't been addressed

👷 CONTRACTOR TIP: Never assume a surface is ready to coat because it looks dry.

ASSESS → IDENTIFY THE SOURCE → TEST → ALLOW TO DRY → PREPARE → PROTECT

Where appropriate, use a reliable moisture meter and always check the requirements of the coating system before application.

A successful remedial coating doesn't just cover the evidence — it starts by understanding what's happening beneath the surface.

Detect moisture before it becomes a bigger problem.

📞 Morné | 076 945 7632
📧 [email protected]

🧱 WALL MAINTENANCE | HEALTHY WALLS LAST LONGER

Exterior walls work hard all year — exposed to rain, moisture, UV, wind and changing temperatures. Regular inspection and maintenance can help identify deterioration early, before minor defects become expensive remedial work.

Keep an eye out for:

🔎 Cracking — investigate the cause before simply filling and painting
🫧 Peeling or blistering — often a sign of poor adhesion or moisture
💧 Damp marks — identify where the moisture is coming from
🌿 Mould & algae — clean and treat properly before recoating
☀️ Chalking or fading — signs that the existing coating may be deteriorating
🧱 Efflorescence — investigate moisture movement through the masonry

👷 CONTRACTOR TIP: Don't treat every wall problem with another coat of paint.

First assess the condition of the substrate and identify the cause. Then:

INSPECT → CLEAN → REPAIR → PREPARE → PRIME → PROTECT → MAINTAIN

Correct preparation and the right coating system can help protect the substrate, improve appearance and extend the service life of the wall.

Healthy walls don't start with the topcoat — they start with good maintenance.

📞 Morné | 076 945 7632
📧 [email protected]

🔧 REMEDIAL TRAINING | RIGHT SOLUTIONS FOR LASTING RESULTS

Remedial work is not simply about covering up visible damage. Cracking, peeling, damp marks, mould or corrosion are often signs that something deeper needs attention.

Before repairing or recoating, the first step is to identify why the deterioration occurred.

Common problems to investigate include:

🔎 Cracking — determine whether it is surface-related or caused by movement
💧 Damp marks — find the source of moisture ingress before coating
🫧 Peeling & blistering — investigate adhesion, moisture and substrate condition
🌿 Mould & algae — clean and treat the contamination and address the moisture source
🔩 Corrosion — remove rust and assess the condition of the metal before recoating
🧱 Spalling or substrate failure — repair the substrate before rebuilding the coating system

👷 CONTRACTOR TIP: The repair should address the cause, not just improve the appearance.

ASSESS → IDENTIFY → PREPARE → REPAIR → PRIME → PROTECT → MAINTAIN

Good remedial work can help extend the service life of a building and reduce the likelihood of repeated failures.

Don't hide the problem. Repair it correctly.

Real solutions for real buildings.

📞 Morné | 076 945 7632
📧 [email protected]

🏠 ROOF MAINTENANCE | PROTECT WHAT KEEPS YOU COVERED

Your roof takes the full impact of rain, wind, sun and changing temperatures — yet it is often only inspected once a leak appears.

After winter, make roof inspection part of your maintenance routine. Look beyond the obvious and check:

🔎 Existing coatings — fading, chalking, peeling or general deterioration
🔎 Flashings & joints — cracks, separation or failed waterproofing details
🔎 Fixings & fasteners — early signs of rust or corrosion
🔎 Gutters & downpipes — leaves, blockages, leaks and corrosion
🔎 Sealants — cracking, deterioration or loss of adhesion
🔎 Drainage areas — ponding water or areas where water isn't flowing away correctly

👷 CONTRACTOR TIP: Don't wait for a roof to leak before maintaining it.

Small defects can often be repaired locally when identified early. Left unattended, moisture ingress and coating deterioration can lead to more extensive — and more expensive — remedial work.

The right approach:

INSPECT → CLEAN → REPAIR → PREPARE → APPLY THE CORRECT COATING SYSTEM → MAINTAIN

And remember: another coat is not always the answer. The existing roof condition, substrate and cause of deterioration should determine the remedial work and coating system required.

A well-maintained roof today means better protection tomorrow.

📞 Morné | 076 945 7632
📧 [email protected]

🎓 PRIMER TRAINING | BUILD THE RIGHT FOUNDATION

A quality topcoat can only perform as well as the surface beneath it — and that is where the correct primer becomes critical.

Primers aren't simply an “extra coat”. Depending on the substrate and system, the correct primer can help seal porous surfaces, improve adhesion, stabilise the substrate and create the foundation for the coating system that follows.

Before selecting a primer, consider:

🔎 What is the substrate? Concrete, plaster, masonry, timber or metal?
🔎 Is it porous, dense, smooth or previously coated?
🔎 Is there rust, chalking or surface contamination?
🔎 Is the substrate sound and properly prepared?
🔎 Which topcoat or coating system will follow?

👷 CONTRACTOR TIP: There is no universal primer for every surface.

The correct sequence should always be:

ASSESS → PREPARE → SELECT THE CORRECT PRIMER → APPLY TO SPECIFICATION → ALLOW TO DRY → TOPCOAT

Choosing the wrong primer — or skipping it altogether — can compromise an otherwise good coating system.

Don't build your coating system from the top down. Build it from the substrate up.

A stronger finish starts with better preparation.

📞 Morné | 076 945 7632
📧 [email protected]

🔎 INSPECTION TRAINING | YOUR POST-WINTER BUILDING CHECKLIST

Winter rain, wind and moisture can expose weaknesses in a building that may have gone unnoticed during the drier months.

Before starting spring maintenance or applying another coating, take the time to inspect the entire building properly. Finding deterioration early gives you the opportunity to carry out targeted remedial work before a small defect develops into a much larger problem.

Pay particular attention to:

🏠 Roofs — deteriorated coatings, cracks, corrosion, flashings and joints
🧱 Parapets & walls — cracking, damp marks, peeling and blistering
💧 Gutters & downpipes — leaks, blockages and corrosion
🔩 Metalwork — rust, coating breakdown and exposed fasteners
🔧 Joints & sealants — failed, cracked or deteriorated areas
🌿 Exterior surfaces — mould, algae and general coating deterioration
💦 Floors & balconies — cracks, surface wear and areas where water ponds
🏡 Interior areas — signs that moisture may be entering from outside

👷 TRAINING TIP: Don't begin with the question, “What paint should I use?”

Begin with: “What condition is the substrate in, and why has it deteriorated?”

Once the cause is understood, the correct repair, preparation, primer and protective coating system can be selected.

INSPECT → IDENTIFY → PLAN → REPAIR → PROTECT → MAINTAIN

Early maintenance can help extend the service life of the existing coating system — and prevent a relatively small repair from becoming an expensive refurbishment.

Inspect early. Repair correctly. Protect for longer.

📞 Morné | 076 945 7632
📧 [email protected]

🔧 CONTRACTOR TRAINING TIP | DON’T PAINT OVER THE PROBLEM

Peeling paint. Blistering. Damp marks. Cracks. Rust stains.

They may look like coating problems, but very often they are warning signs of something happening underneath the surface.

After months of winter rain and moisture exposure, it can be tempting to clean up the area and simply apply another coat. But if the cause of the failure isn't identified and corrected first, the new coating may only hide the problem temporarily.

Before recoating, ask:

🔎 Where is the moisture coming from?
🔎 Is the substrate sound and properly prepared?
🔎 Are cracks or movement allowing water ingress?
🔎 Is corrosion developing beneath the coating?
🔎 Has the existing coating lost adhesion or deteriorated?
🔎 Was the correct coating system used in the first place?

Good remedial work isn't simply about making a surface look new again. It's about understanding why it failed, correcting the underlying problem, preparing the substrate properly and then applying the appropriate coating system.

👷 CONTRACTOR TIP:
INSPECT → IDENTIFY → PREPARE → REPAIR → PRIME → PROTECT → MAINTAIN

Don't cover the evidence.

Fix the cause. Then protect the surface.

📞 Morné | 076 945 7632
📧 [email protected]

🌧️ AFTER THE RAIN | Inspect. Repair. Protect.

Winter may be coming to an end, but the evidence it leaves behind shouldn't be ignored.

Months of rain, moisture, wind and changing temperatures can expose weaknesses in existing coating systems — and now is the ideal time to inspect before small problems become expensive repairs.

Look out for:

🔎 Cracks and movement
🔎 Peeling, flaking or blistering coatings
🔎 Damp marks and signs of moisture ingress
🔎 Mould, algae and biological growth
🔎 Rust and corrosion breakthrough
🔎 Failed joints, flashings and waterproofing details
🔎 Chalking, fading or deteriorated protective coatings

Early identification matters. Minor repairs, cleaning and timely recoating can often prevent deterioration from progressing to the point where a complete system replacement is required.

👷 Contractor Tip: Don't simply paint over what winter has exposed.

INSPECT → IDENTIFY → PREPARE → REPAIR → PRIME → PROTECT → MAINTAIN

The condition of the substrate should determine the remedial work and coating system required — not simply the appearance of the surface.

Spring is the perfect opportunity to assess your roofs, exterior walls, metalwork, gutters, downpipes and other exposed surfaces and carry out preventative maintenance before another season of exposure begins.

Identify problems early. Extend the life of your coatings.

Because professional coating work doesn't end when the final coat dries — responsible inspection and maintenance are part of achieving long-term performance.

A coating is not a product — it's a system.

📞 Morné | 076 945 7632
📧 [email protected]

💧 PRODUCT / SYSTEM FOCUS | 3 in 1 + BIO KLAD

Two water-based solutions. Different jobs.

Choosing a coating shouldn't start with “What colour do I want?” It should start with “What am I coating, and what does that surface need?”

🔵 3 in 1 — Versatile Water-Based Coating System
A practical pure acrylic system combining primer, filler and final coat properties in one product. Suitable for applications including interior and exterior walls, ceilings, wood and Nutec fibre-cement fascia boards.

✔ Quick drying
✔ Excellent UV stability
✔ Good abrasion resistance
✔ Water-based and easy clean-up
✔ Versatile across a range of suitable surfaces

🔵 BIO KLAD — Fibre-Reinforced Exterior Wall Protection
When exterior walls face more demanding exposure, Bio Klad provides a premium pure acrylic, fibre-reinforced protective coating designed for durability, waterproofing and crack-bridging performance.

✔ Excellent UV and weather resistance
✔ Fibre-reinforced waterproof protection
✔ Flexible with crack-bridging capability
✔ Vapour permeable — helping moisture escape
✔ Excellent resistance to water ingress
✔ Suitable for plaster, concrete, brickwork and fibre cement

💡 Contractor Tip: Two products may both be water-based, but that doesn't make them interchangeable.

Before selecting a coating, consider the substrate, exposure, required performance, movement and location.

DON'T CHOOSE BY COLOUR OR FINISH ALONE.
Choose according to the substrate and exposure — so your coating system performs as it should.

Right product. Right system. Right performance.
That's The Lab Difference.

📞 Morné | 076 945 7632
📧 [email protected]

🆕 NEW PRODUCT | BIO-RUBBERPROOF

Flexible. High film build. Serious waterproofing protection.

Meet the newest addition to The Lab Chemicals & Coatings water-based range — BIO-RUBBERPROOF, a PU-modified flexible acrylic waterproofing coating developed for roofs, parapets, wall surfaces and other suitably prepared building substrates.

💧 Why Bio-Rubberproof?

✔ High-film-build waterproofing protection
✔ Flexible, non-tacky protective film
✔ Excellent UV protection & weather resistance
✔ Resists mould and fungal growth
✔ Water-based formulation
✔ Faster drying than conventional acrylic waterproofing coatings
✔ Easy application by brush or roller
✔ Clean-up with water

One of the great advantages of Bio-Rubberproof is its versatility within a correctly specified waterproofing system.

It can be applied as a multi-coat liquid waterproofing membrane without reinforcement in suitable applications, or used with an approved polyester membrane over cracks, joints, weak areas and critical waterproofing details where additional reinforcement is required.

Suitable applications include roofs, parapets, cement roof-tile ridges, plaster bands, window sills, copings, concrete, cement plaster, fibre cement, cracks, joints and junctions between different building materials.

👷 Contractor Tip: Waterproofing performance starts before the first coat. Correct preparation, appropriate priming, attention to cracks and details, sufficient film build and proper drying between coats all form part of the system.

NEW BIO-RUBBERPROOF
Prepare. Prime. Apply. Protect.

Ask us about the right Bio-Rubberproof system for your project.

📞 Morné | 076 945 7632
📧 [email protected]