Keeping cool

Decorating articles and inspiration from TrendsIdeas

To keep this Lockwood show home cool in summer, the dark timber exterior is stained in Resene Waterborne Woodsman Cool Colour in Resene Iroko.

Sustainable design initiatives have an increasingly strong influence on product selection these days – and this extends to the paint choice.

The exterior of the Lockwood Homes Ecosmart show home features Resene Waterborne Woodsman Cool Colour tinted to Resene Iroko from the Resene Exterior timber stain range. The Resene Waterborne Woodsman timber stain range is Environmental Choice approved, but the sustainable features don’t end there.

Resene Cool Colour looks just like normal paint, but it reflects much more heat. This means it doesn’t get as hot as a standard paint of a similar colour, which makes dark colours a more viable option.

Resene marketing manager Karen Warman says the pigment technology allows the coating to retain its usual colour, while the reflected heat reduces the stress on the coating and substrate, limiting subsequent heat-related damage.

“The technology also minimises the build-up of unwanted heat inside the house, keeping air conditioning and cooling costs down,” Warman says.

Resene Cool Colour can be used on all sorts of exterior surfaces and applications, from weatherboard cladding and concrete blocks to windowsills. It is available in a variety of Resene exterior finishes, and numerous colours.