Q:
Is your product a paint?
No,
our product is not a paint. Our products have been designed to penetrate
the surface pore structure of clay bricks and/or mortar and/or concrete
block and/or sandstone. Our products then bond to the walls of these
pores permanently, attaching our colourants within the surface.
Commercially
available paints are formulated as a surface coating and largely
sit proud as a film coating of what they have been applied to. They
also have been designed by the manufacturers to require repainting
after a period of service. This is usually because the paint in
service has either or faded, flaked off, gone chalky, blistered
off, etc.
Nawkaw
colour treatments have been designed to be applied once only and
to never need any further maintenance or re-application.
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Q:
Will your product fade or wash out of the bricks and or mortar once
you have treated them?
No. Bricks or
mortar that has been recoloured by our trained technicians won’t
fade due to the UV radiation in the sun nor will they wash out causing
a colour change. We have thousands of jobs around the world (and
hundreds of jobs in Australia) that are proof of this. In addition,
we subject our products to accelerated weathering tests in more
extreme conditions that would be found in service. Our products
come through these extreme tests unscathed. For more detailed technical
information, please refer to our technical information section.
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Q:
How is the product put into the brick, and or mortar etc.?
This depends
on the type of product that we are recolouring whether it be bricks
only, mortar only, block only, or a combination of either, and the
type of colour change we are making.
Generally speaking, most of our application is done by hand, one
brick at a time, or in the case of mortar, by hand inch by inch.
We use a variety of different techniques and methods for applying
our colour treatments. This includes brushing, sponging, rollers,
rags, air brush, airless spray, etc.
The correct application is selected to give authentic, cost-effective
results.
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Q:
What is the product made of?
We manufacture
and apply a number of products (please refer to our page Our Products
for specific product information.).
Essentially,
our products are based on water-based (or hydrous) emulsions with
base polymers and copolymers and additives. These emulsions carry
colour fast, inorganic iron oxide pigments that are adjusted by our
technicians on site to affect the job at hand. The chemist that
designed these products for recolouring also developed some specialty
products and auxiliary products to work with the recolouring emulsions.
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Q:
Is the product environmentally safe when it is applied and after
it has been installed?
Yes the product
is environmentally safe. Wash up is with water, our colour technicians
remove any waste product from your site. Please refer to the Material
Safety Data Summary (M.S.D.S) section of this web site.
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Q: Is your product available for DIY
(do it yourself) application?
No, our product
is not available to the DIY market for a number of reasons. The
main one is that extensive on the job training is needed to know
how to formulate and apply the colour treatment (this often takes
an average of two to three years experience). There is only one
opportunity to recolour brick, so it has to be done right the first
time for authentic, warranted results. Our products installed by
our technicians carry a 25 year limited warranty available . Click here to
see our example warranty available .
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Q:
Can you recolour concrete driveways and paths, clay or concrete pavers
with your products?
Our products
and testing have been designed for installation into vertical masonry
(bricks, mortar, blocks, and sandstone) usually erected in a wall
as part of a home or building or fence. We can recolour horizontal
surfaces as well and will only take these jobs on after viewing
them to see whether our treatment is suitable. We usually don’t
warrant jobs on pavers, drivers and pathways as we have no control
over the conditions that they are going to be subjected to.
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Q:
How long does your product last?
In excess of
25 years. Our accelerated weathering
tests indicate that the product is unchanged after
the equivalent of being weathered in the sunshine of energy approximate
to exposure at a latitude of Rockhampton Qld. There is no reason
to expect it to fail after this time. The colours don’t appear
to be fading at the end of the exposure testing and there are no
signs of disintegration either. Please refer to photos of accelerated
weathering test samples.
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Q:
How much does it cost?
This is a very
difficult question to answer briefly, as this is not a commodity
that sells down the hardware store in 4 liter tins.
Each project has different requirements with regards to materials,
labor and travel and set up time components.
Each of these
needs to be ascertained before we can give you a cost.
If you would
like an estimate when you call be prepared to have the following
information at hand.
Job site address,
nature of the colour treatment required, how many bricks ( or square
meters that require treatment), whether the mortar requires treatment
as well, or mortar only, what is the texture and features of the
brick, what type of mortar joint is in existence( raked, ironed
or rolled, flush etc),whether we are being asked to match new to
old, to recommend an alternate brick to effect the match up with
our treatment, whether the work is higher than can be reached of
a normal extension ladder.
If you can provide us with this info, we can give a much better
range on our quoted amount. Sending samples and photos showing the
size and nature of the colour treatment required will even help further
in getting to a budget amount.
Alternatively
you can arrange for a quotation and consultation on your site by
contacting us on one of the methods below.
Email: Sales@nawkaw.com
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Q: Why would I choose your product
over cement rendering?
An improved unique appearance, will not spill or crack with movement
in the wall or foundations, won't need repainting in 5-10 years.
Also, cheaper to purchase.
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Q:
If I'm not happy with the final colour, can it be changed?
Yes, to an extent and at an additional charge.
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Q:
Can your product be used to remove paint from brick walls, restoring
the original brick colour?
No, this would be done by using the appropriate paint removal products.
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Q:
Does your company belong to any certified organizations or associations
that would prove your credibility?
Yes, to find out more, look at- associations'
links...
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Q:
Can I use your product to colour my house blue, for example?
Yes, all colours are available. Some colours, formulated with chemical
dye colourants, won’t carry our 25
Year Warrantythese colours include: bright blues, greens, yellows
and reds..
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Q:
Can your product be used to remove water damage and damp from brickwork?
No, the source of the moisture must be eliminated and the brickwork
allowed to dry out. Nawkaw can then restore the brick colours to
original in most cases.
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Q:
Can you match the texture of old brickwork as well as the colour?
This depends on the texture of a new available brick and its size
being available. Nawkaw then provides the right colour on this texture.
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Q:
Can your product be used on stone walls, for example, to lighten
sandstone?
Yes, however darkening stone is cheaper easier and the results are
often better.
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Q:
As a builder, I'm interested in ordering your product. How do I
go about doing this?
For Nawkaw Head Office, contact- 630-681-1400 or
one of our other Nawkaw
Branches.
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Q:
I live in an area not mentioned on your web site and feel I could
make great use of your product. What should I do?
Please contact your closest Nawkaw office - Nawkaw
Branches USA
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Q:
My house is built on rock and I have water seeping in. Can your
water repellent product be used to solve my problem?
No, our product is a water repellent and I suggest you contact a
specialist waterproofing membrane company.
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Q: I'm interested in finding our about working for your company.
What should I do?
For Nawkaw USA and Canada services, contact 630-681-1400 or look
at Nawkaw
- employment.
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Q:
How can you warranty available your product for 25 years if you haven't been
using it for this long?
Nawkaw products have been used for 22 years in North America in
its current form. The product is cycled through accelerated weathering
tests to prove that is capable of withstanding at least 25 years
of normal weathering. Provided it has been installed by our qualified
technicians and that the building meets industry standards, we back
our product with our limited warranty available .
If you question was not answered please email
us
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