Why is it that certain coatings will cover more square feet at the same thickness, especially if there are no solvents to speak of that would evaporate and leave a thinner coating behind? How can 10 gallons of materiel cover 250 ft² at 1/16″ thickness with one system and another only cover 200 ft² with a different system?
Well, you’re about to find out. (Hint: It has to do with how the material is delivered) 1 cubic foot = 7.48052 US gallons
1 US gallon = 0.13368 cubic feet
that means that if I have a regular kit of Vortex material (10 gallons), times 0.133685 cubic feet per gallon [10gal x 0.133685 ft³/gal = 1.3368 ft³]. Let’s assume that rather than our material sitting in two five gallon buckets, we have one Cuboid (Rectangular Cube) with a volume of 1.3368 ft³, that has dimensions of 1′ x 1′ x 1.3368′.
=
If you then took this 1.3368ft³ Cuboid of material, and cut it into sheets of desired thickness, for our case, we’ll use [1/16" = (0.0625 iches) = (0.0052083 feet)].
[1.3368ft³ / 0.0052083' = 256.6656ft²].
Essentially, this means that if you poured 10 gallons of any material onto a surface at exactly 1/16″ thickness, it would cover 256.6656ft² of that surface. So why does material not really go that far? If you look at most high pressure systems, you will see that the increased pressure over-atomizes the coating material so that it simply floats away. These systems can waste 20-30% of your material. At only a 20% loss (80% efficiency), the impact can be staggering. [256.6656ft² * 80% = 205.3325ft²]. This is why Vortex uses a High Volume, Low Pressure (HVLP) design. This design has only about a 2% loss of material (98% efficiency) so you have more material where you want it. [256.6656ft² * 98% = 251.5323ft²] 251ft² covered compared to 205ft² means Vortex provides a costs savings to you!
This can add up to huge savings very quickly. Think about it, what if every time you bought 5 pails (or drums) of material, you tossed one in the trash? That’s essentially what you’re doing with a high pressure system, except in this case, you’re putting that material in the air around you, making a large mess and potentially a health hazard.
Vortex has always been a leader in versatility. Taking bed liners to new locations and finding new ways to protect people’s investments. Vortex is even a standard feature on many of the high quality trailers manufactured by Logan Coach. Logan Coach has been in business since 1985, and has been striving to create a better better trailer. This passion has given Logan Coach quite a name for itself in the horse trailer industry.
Check out this Logan Coach Review at mrtrailer.com. Logan Coach trailers hold their resale value, due to their attention to details. The steel frames are galvanized and coated with the Vortex liner material to prevent rust and other damage, and the skin is all aluminum, to contribute to a lightweight, durable design that will last.
Vortex is also part of the “Whiz Proof” design used prevent corrosion of the trailer floor due to horse urine. The floor is made up of vortex coated aluminum planks that have space for the horse urine to pass through and drain from the trailer. Floor condition is a major factor is resale value on any trailer, and this is one of the biggest assets to the Logan Coach design.
If your picking a bed liner for your truck. Please be careful. Earlier this year we worked on a van that came in the a pre-existing liner from another company (we wont name any names). The van was not very old but had been used to transport salt on a regular basis. While the liner should have protected the body of the Van. The result was much different.
It turns that the liner pealed out very easily and the salt & water had been destrying the van body underneath the bed liner. If you held the bed liner material up to the light you could see that it was riddled by pinholes. These pinholes allowed the salt & to pass through to the surface below, which had the paint sanded for adhesion.
Upon Closer Inspection, we find that the liner on average, is not much thicker than a business card. This liner was applied with a paper thin base coat then was covered with a extremely agressive texture coat. The result, was a very rough feeling liner that, to look at, seemed very thick, but in reality, had no strength or other protection.
If you have ever been dealt the unfortunate hand of having poor concrete work done, or buying a property that already had pre-existing concrete that was in poor condition, you know how bad it can make a home or office look. Unfortunately, little can be done to fix ugly concrete. Whether it is poor application, bad substance, or abuse, there hasn’t been any way of fixing the concrete. You could patch holes, which would stand out more than the original defects, or you could tear out the concrete and start new.
The good news is that now there is a way to make any concrete surface look better than ever! Start by cleaning the concrete surface with K7 Degreaser & J3 Deactivating Power. Then, patch any large wholes with a quick drying all purpose patch. Once the patch dries you are ready to Super Sealer. The Super Sealer will fill the pores of the concrete and create an unbeatable bond to the concrete surface. Super sealer also fills some of the smaller imperfections in the surface.
Polyvinyl Acetate Flakes are then put down into the Super Sealer. (If desired, a Granitex color glaze can be put down over the Super Sealer.) Once the Super Sealer has dried, the flatblade is used to remove any extra Flakes, and a coat of Granitex clear glaze is added over the flakes.
You can make anything look as fancy or as plain as you want. For this particular front step, we used a vinyl decal showing the message “Welcome”, and masked around the risers, to apply a coat of chocolate brown Granitex glaze. Once the brown glaze dried, we applied another coat of clear over the whole job.
It can be very easy to make any disaster, look like a million bucks!
A restaurant owner had a walk in cooler that was found defective by the local health department. The walk in cooler was made of galvanized steel. Over the years, the zinc coating had finished oxidizing and no longer worked as a sacrificial anode. As a result, the steel began to rust and corrode. Rust provides a rough surface which can trap organic materials, and promote mold & bacterial growth. This is a concern for food safety and is not allowed by the health department. The restaurant owners had been cited by the health department several times over the past year. Finally, the owner was given one week to fix the problem or the restaurant would be forced to close. They had enough warning over the past year to fix the problem but chosen to ignore it.
Salvation
In a panic, the owners contacted a local Vortex dealer to come and coat the entire interior of the cooler with Vortex in an attempt to seal off the rust. The Vortex dealer worked through the weekend, and on Monday, the inspector showed up as promised, expecting to shut down the establishment. She walked into the cooler, inspected it, walked out and said “Best sh*t I’ve ever seen”. She was amazed how Vortex sealed off everything and the problem was a thing of the past.
Now hears the good part! A few months later, the Vortex Dealer contacted the restaurant owner to ask if they could use them as a reference for another restaurant that was having a similar problem. The owners were ecstatic. They said that not only could they be used as a reference that Vortex had completely fixed their problem, but that the Vortex had actually paid for itself in the last three months! Prior to having their cooler Vortexed, they had to keep their refrigeration equipment running at 100% capacity just to keep the food cold. After Vortexing the walls, floor and ceiling, they had to turn down the equipment 50% because the food was actually Freezing! The savings on the utilities alone had actually paid for the cost of having the cooler Vortexed in the first place.
Analysis
The thermal conductive properties, or insulation capabilities, of Vortex have since been tested at a major university in England. They used brick as a control test because of its high heat conductivity. With brick there was literally a 98% transfer of heat through the material when heat was applied to one side of the brick. With a coating of Vortex, there was less than 10% heat transfer. This means that over 80% of the heat that was applied to one side was held back and not allowed to transfer through. This was an amazing test and incredible result.
Innovation
One of the most expensive things to heat in a home is a concrete floor. Imagine having a coat of Vortex applied first, then applying your tile, granite or carpeting to the room. The heat of the house would then heat up the floor material and not be transferred into the floor. Essentially a blanket over the floor of the room to keep garages, storage lockers, basements, and hundreds of other surfaces warmer, such as keeping the heat inside an asphalt truck by lining the outside of it. It’s a matter of using your imagination and you will be amazed with the results.
If you want to run a successful business, it is important to spend your money as efficiently as possible. This isn’t just more money in your pocket, this also helps your business keep prices lower for your customers, which will improve their satisfaction. Everyone knows that if a customer gets a more for his or her or her money, they not only will come back, but will also let everyone know what a great deal they got.
Hidden Costs
When we discusses how to Spray a Bed Liner Safely, we mentioned that spraying at higher pressure causes overspray to form a cloud of material in your work area. This, of course, means that you will need a ventilation system that will achieve safe levels of MDIs VOCs & CFCs. This is a big extra expense when starting a business. Not to mention the cost to insure an operation like this.
Extra Items
So you bought your new spray system and installed your spray booth, what else do you need to get up and running. To start, your going to need an air source. to get 11-15 CFM at 80-100 PSI, you need at least a 10 horsepower air compressor. Don’t forget that polyurethane reacts with water, so you have to have an air dryer on your compressor.
1 horsepower is equal to 745.7 watts. 10 Horsepower (7457 watts) is going to draw over 30 amps at 240 volts, and forget running it on 115 volts. Once you have your air compressor wired in, you should have everything you need to spray… Unless you need to be portable, in which case you need to add a generator that can handle your 7500 watt air compressor, your air dryer, & your spray system. At this point you might consider buying a trailer in order to move all of this equipment. As far as moving your spray booth goes, we’ll let you figure that out.
The Real Money
If Vortex’s self contained, system that can plug into any 115 volt outlet and spray without an air compressor, air dryer, or spray booth doesn’t seem interesting yet, your about to see where Vortex really makes the difference.
After everything is purchased and you have become your lending institution’s best friend, you are finally ready to start making money to pay it all off. Material will cost you over $200 per truck (possibly more if you want color). The cost of material to do the same truck with a Vortex system is close to half. Want to know where all of your money is going?
When you spray with a high pressure system, watch how the material behaves, see how much material floats into the atmosphere and either lands on every item laying out in your spray area or is whisked away by your ventilation system. Imagine how many trucks you could spray with the material you waste in a year. Vortex’s patented WhisperJet™ technology, has a transfer efficiency of up tp 98%, which means your material goes where you want it, not everywhere else. If you spray 10 trucks in a week, you could save from $20,000 to $40,000 a year. In 5 years, you could save up to $200,000 just in material.
A Mantrip is what they use to transport workers in and out of coal mines. Recently, a law was introduced that required equipment to be modified or replaced if it would expose workers to high noise levels for long time periods. Alpha Services Inc of Illinois, came up with the perfect solution. VORTEX!
According to Ty Elliott, prior to Vortexing the roof, top and bottom the inside and complete understructure of the Man Ride, the decibels would hit 168 Db. After Vortexing, the decibel level dropped instanly to an amazing 96 Db with the use of Vortex.
One thing that can be very frustrating to any driver, is the amount of noise that they experience on the road. Most people have had the experience of having trouble hearing your phone, or having to turn your radio louder as you get on the highway. Some car makers actually include a feature that increases the stereo volume as your speed increases. While some vehicles are better than others, every nothing is perfect.
How It Works
Sound is a wave of pressure that travels though the atmosphere (a vibration). If a sound wave oscillates faster, we perceive a higher pitch. As a sound wave increases in amplitude, the perceived volume increases. What this means is, if something in your vehicle is vibrating, and it passes the vibrations on to other parts of your vehicle, there is going to be more vibrating area to act on the atmosphere. The bigger atmospheric disturbance (amplitude), is what gives you more noise.
Now What?
One thing you can do is change to a less aggressive tire, this can reduce some of the initial vibrations by putting riding on a smoother surface. The downside of a smoother tire risking decreased performance, in rainy or snowy conditions. For any off-road enthusiast, you can kiss the trails goodbye.
If you want a quieter ride without sacrificing your choice in tires. There is another way to soundproof you vehicle. If you drive a truck, the large metal surfaces of the bed conduct a lot of vibrations. Putting a Vortex liner in the bed will absorb these vibrations and quite the road noise of your truck. Vortex also works great in wheel wells to keep noise down.
With your new sleek looking, sound deadening, ultra protecting Vortex Liner, you will hear every detail of your favorite New York Philharmonic piece on your way to work, and you wont miss a word of how much your mom misses you (with a hands free headset of course) on you long drive to college.
When your are looking for a way to protect an investment like your truck, saving money might not actually by saving money. Consider buying a mess of “Bedliner in a Can” and tackling the job yourself. While you are indeed, spending less money, you are also getting much less back in Return.
In order for any spray, like a bed liner or automotive paint, to work out of a can, it has to be premixed in that can. In order to have a liner material premixed and remain liquid, it is going to have to be dissolved in a solvent. So plan on keeping oils and solvents out of your truck bed in order to keep the soluble liner from staining or being washed off. The biggest problems with solvent based liners is that, as the solvent evaporates, the liner looses volume and shrinks. This can lead to re-exposure of the bed’s paint over time.
This doesn’t even consider the danger of the fire hazard and health hazards associated with the airborne solvents you are exposed to in order to spray on a liner. Vortex liners a solvent free. They contain no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). So not only is Vortex environmentally friendly & much safer to apply, but since it has no solvents to release, will not shrink, or be washed out by the same solvents that put it in.
Methylene Bisphenyl Isocyanate (MDI) is used in hundreds of materials, such as fire retardants, protective coatings, automobile bumper components, and rigid foams found in almost every refrigerator and freezer in existence. It is also an essential part of any spray-on bed liner.
This extremely useful chemical must be used with caution. As a vapor, it is a very powerful respiratory sensitizer, as well as an eye, skin, & mucous membrane irritant. Exposure to high concentrations cause cough, shortness of breath, increased secretions, and chest pains. OSHA’s maximum amount or concentration of MDI that a worker may be exposed to is 20ppb.
The Claim
Some bedliner companies have been making big claims about the safety of application when it comes to their products. Even going as for as commissioning independent labs to conducts MDI level tests of their spray areas. They are even so bold as to tell you how effective their ventilation system removes vapors from the workplace. This should be a big red flag.
The Truth
A system that requires a custom ventilation system not only doesn’t sound safe, it also definitely doesn’t sound portable. This doesn’t even take into account the extra air compressor and air dryer that have to go with the system, not to mention the size of the generator needed to operate everything for real portability. Be careful about systems that make these types of claims. These alleged low pressure systems still require at least 50psi in order to move enough air to effectively spread the liner effectively. Only Vortex has the patented Whisper-Jet™ technology which can move higher volumes of air with only 8psi.
The extra pressure these systems require greatly increases atomization and spreads a cloud of overspray into the spray area. A Vortex system does not require a spray booth or special ventilation system in order to achieve a safe work environments. With only 8psi of pressure, Vortex virtually eliminates overspray and mess.
When your looking at a spray on bed-liner system, think what safe really is, as well as what it costs to achieve safe. When looking at the costs to start a business, ask about the need for a special spray environment and additional startup costs in order to even operate at what is considered legally safe.
