aznriptide859 Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 (edited) So last year a video popped up regarding a industrial product called Ultra-Ever Dry. It's basically a superhydrophobic spray paint coating that can be used to, almost magically, repel liquids from any applied surface. I thought this was pretty amusing back when the video first surfaced, but it fell off the radar since it was never planned for commercial/public use. Fast forward to 2013, and NeverWet, another company that develops similar coatings, has partnered up with Rustoleum and decided t release this product to the public. Here in the States it's marketed as Rustoleum NeverWet, and is sold in a spray paint can kit at Home Depot for $20. Mini review time! I ordered this off Home Depot's site last week, picked it up today. The box front: The box back: Inside are the two cans of paint (base and top layers) along with instruction manual. Pretty basic instructions: paint base coat first, dry for 30 minutes, then paint top coat after (3-4 layers ideal for best hydrophobicity) then dry another 30min (min) to 12 hr (optimal) before contact with water. I decided to test these out on my Express boat shoes, since they were cheap and I don't really care what happens to them. They are black (will bring this up after done painting). I used latex/lab gloves to hold the shoes while painting, and went over the entire outside with the base layer. Here's them drying on an impromptu hanger. You can see a slight glint of white haze, but it's very minimal after the base coat. The manual suggest not soaking the fabric with the paint, just an even and thorough coat should do. The suggested dry time for the base coat is 30 minutes. Next I painted the top coat, starting with one shoe then moved to the other shoe. The manual suggests a 1-2 minute time between coats, so I simply alternated painting the shoes. I did a total of 3 coats per shoe, then let them dry for another 30 minutes. I did notice using a bit more of the top coat than the base coat; Rustoleum should've provided more of the top coat, since most people will/should be using more of it. And afterwards: The result? There appears to be a white-ish haze over the shoes now (harder to see in the pics, but very obvious in person). It's very light, so I suspect this haze is much harder to see on lighter color fabrics. Some review on HD's website report the haze being light white-blueish, which was lightly observed on the sides of the fake laces. The shoes used to be a smoother, fabric finish, but after the painting they feel much rougher and dustier. The feel is very similar to what one would expect fabric to feel after dusting/lightly painting it with any other type of spray paint. In my opinion, I would suggest not painting gloves (at least for airsoft use) with NeverWet, unless you want this weird musty feel to start wiping off on your guns. As for the hydrophobicity, does it work? Well you tell me... Funny thing is, I neglected to paint the inner soles of the shoes, so all the water bounced off the outside and into the insides of my shoes...so they're still wet now LOL. But in short, it works. There were very very VERY miniscule places where it seems water may have seeped into the microscopic holes where the paint didn't cure, but overall I can safely say the outsides of my shoes are pretty much water resistant/hydrophobic. For final thoughts, I think this product mostly deserves its hype. It may not be 100% transparent, and it leaves a weird, musty finish to the applied object, but it does its job. Of course if you bring a lot of wear and tear into the equation, you will have to recoat the object - I can see this being a largest issue for tools and other high-usage items. But overall for $20/kit, it's pretty neat and definitely applicable to a huge number of uses. I can't wait to see more uses for this product! Addendum: The instructions and the MSDS (http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/9d/9d28a478-3317-4f42-8418-9e000bdbdfe6.pdf) gives fair warning and some tips on how to use the stuff: -Works best for hard/non-porous surfaces, but works with fabrics as well -Don't apply anywhere where you could ingest it, the stuff is pretty toxic/harmful to humans (duh) -Works best to reply liquids, but solvents/alcohols/detergents will degrade the finish, and it doesn't work extremely well with oil-based substances -Severe abrasion can reduce hydrophobicity pretty quickly; can reapply by just spraying more top coat (provided you sprayed a decent, even base coat) -The lighter the coat, the more "breathable" the fabric will be. Though I'd imagine the lighter the coat, the less hydrophobicity you'll observe -Not recommended for items that are constantly submerged (manual says something about relying on a layer of air to form superhydrophobic properties) -Can be applied to glass, but you won't be able to see out of it anymore (no anti-fog goggles boo) -Cannot be applied to electronics (which contradicts one of the promotional videos showing them coating an iPhone 5) -Can be removed via sanding then using Xylol/mineral spirits -Cannot be painted over That's it for now, feel free to ask any other questions/any other ###### you want me to spray lol. I plan on using these for my boots, and will definitely be buying 1-2 more kits in the near future. Edited June 27, 2013 by aznriptide859 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MindTrick Posted June 28, 2013 Report Share Posted June 28, 2013 -Cannot be applied to electronics (which contradicts one of the promotional videos showing them coating an iPhone 5) I'm sure they added that so they don't get blamed for voided warranties or improper applications. I kind of want to get this for my soft gun case and duffel bag Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Im going space Posted June 28, 2013 Report Share Posted June 28, 2013 They didnt spray electronics only the case of the phone Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aznriptide859 Posted June 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2013 I can see this most useful for boots and maybe gear if you don't want it to get wet/dirty. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Krydel Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Not quite the 'miracle product' they often make it out to be, especially with the milky/smokey haze it puts over things, but cool nonetheless. When they figure out how to make it clear, I'll jump on the bandwagon. Still waterproof, nearly one year later? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aznriptide859 Posted March 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Not as much, no. Been too lazy to reapply lol. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bankz5152 Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Awesome. Its only available in the US though isnt it? I'd do my vest, top, trousers and boots in the stuff. Keep me a bit dryer when it rains! Any chance you could do a test on some clear glass? This stuff would be perfect for my Land Rover windscreen! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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