Rust-Oleum Wants to Waterproof the World with Neverwet

Rust-Oleum Wants to Waterproof the World with Neverwet
Rust-Oleum’s NeverWet deflects liquids from multiple surfaces. This shoe was treated with the liquid repellant and then covered in mud. Photo courtesy of Rust-Oleum.

Messy people and mothers of toddlers are in luck. Rust-Oleum has released a liquid-repelling treatment that promises to protect surfaces from water, mud and any other wet stuff one should avoid like the plague when wearing white clothing.

“Rust-Oleum NeverWet will forever change the way people protect their belongings,” Mike Freeman, Rust-Oleum’s brand manager, said in a press release. “You’ve never seen liquids behave this way.”

You’ve never seen liquids behave this way.

Liquid falls onto the protected surface at a contact angle of 165 degrees, more than three times the normal contact angle of untreated surfaces. This causes the liquid to form a sphere and slide off, leaving the item dry and clean.

The silicion-based spray can be applied to various surfaces, including metal, concrete, fabric, paper, and leather. Whether the users want to protect their favorite pair of shoes or their garden gnome, NeverWet is also easy to use.

Users first apply a base coat, and then allow it to dry for 30 minutes. Then, they apply one to two coats of the topcoat. One kit of the spray provides 10 to 15 square feet of coverage.

NeverWet was created by Pennsylvania steel company Ross Technology Corp. to reduce corrosion on its products,according to lancasteronline.com. A licensing agreement with Rust-Oleum brings the product to the consumer.

“This is a game changer,”  Jim Stinner, Rust-Oleum’s vice president of marketing, told lancasteronline.com. “Everyone is going to want to try it out.”

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Posted 09/18/2013 in news