Frequently Asked Questions

When do I apply Primer and when do I apply Sealer? As a rule of thumb, if the cement tile has any retained colour left after high pressure washing, apply Primer. If there is no colour left on the tile, apply Sealer. Note: When the tile surface is very rough we recommend applying High Build Sealer to smooth out the surface.

What can happen if I don’t apply Primer/Sealer before applying the colour coat? Tiles retaining colour can powder. Primer penetrates into the tile carrying any free powder with it. Without Primer, the free powder on the surface will cause the colour coating to lose adhesion and delaminate. If no colour is left on the tile and no Sealer is used, the first colour coat will absorb into the tile and act like a pigmented version of sealer. The problem is that if two colour coats are applied the total film build will be too low for maximum durability and the gloss will be reduced.

Can I apply one thick coat of colour instead of two coats to save time? Applying a thick coat of colour can lead to serious film formation problems and ultimately early coating failure. It is far better to apply thin coats to achieve complete film formation and therefore maximum durability and gloss.

How long should I leave between coats? The coating should have a dry solid surface before recoating. There are many factors such as temperature, humidity, condition of tile surface, etc which affect the dry rate of the coating. A guide is to let the coating dry for about 2 hours. This should give the coating suitable time to dry through enough before the next coat is applied.

What is the best temperature to apply coatings? We recommend between 14°C and 32°C ambient temperature. It is in fact the temperature of the tile which impacts on the coating film formation. Below 14°C the tile temperature may be too low for complete film formation and this can result in poor durability and gloss. Above 32°C the tile may become so hot it will “cook” the coating. This will again result in poor durability and gloss. Most metal, and some tiled surfaces may retain heat due to the use of sarking.

Note: Do not apply coating if there is any chance of rain within 3-4 hours as the coating may wash off.

How many coats can I apply in one day? It is possible to apply three coats in one day providing the conditions in Q5 and Q6 are met. We generally recommend two coats as this gives the best chance of film formation in both summer and winter conditions. In both these cases the time frame suitable for coating is often quite narrow due to temperature and weather restraints.

How much product do I need? Firstly you need to determine the roof area in square metres. Generally the size of the house in “squares” multiplied by ten (10), to convert roughly to square metres, multiplied by a factor of 1.3 to allow for eaves, hips, valleys, etc. is a good guide to roof area. Once this is established, the coating application level per pail as shown in Q3 will establish the amount of product required.

Can Primer, Sealer or Colour be mixed? Tileguard Colour/AB and Sealer can be safely mixed. Ultra and Primer should not be mixed with either Sealer or Colour/AB, or each other.

Can I add water to your product? We do not recommend the addition of water to any of our products, as this will lower the solids and give inferior coverage. It can also cause instability in the coating resulting in blocked spray gun filters.

Will the gloss be increased if I apply a clear coating over the colour coat? The gloss level of our colour coatings is already high. Tests however have shown that applying an appropriate clear coat over the coating does extend gloss life.

Should I apply a glaze coat to Terracotta tiles? We no longer recommend or will warranty any coating applied to any terracotta tile. This is because application conditions are far more critical than with cement tiles and can easily lead to problems such as loss of adhesion, peeling etc.

How should I apply Tileguard Heatguard? Application procedures should follow standard Tileguard methods. For more information, view our Technical Specifications library (downloadable pdf format)

Who is covered by Regent Paints Warranty? Note that our warranty is only applicable to trade painters. We do not warranty untrained personal.