Mylar vs. ORCA Grow Film vs. Flat White Paint

Mylar vs. ORCA Grow Film vs. Flat White Paint
For my first grow room, i"m trying to decide between Mylar, ORCA Grow Film, or flat white paint.

I've read that even though Mylar is highly reflective, it's pretty much impossible to get it's maximum reflectivity due to wrinkling and staining. And it can easily cause hot spots. And cleaning Mylar is a very difficult and delicate process that sometimes ends up damaging the Mylar.

I like what I've read about the ORCA Grow Film. It's much more sturdy and easier to work with than Mylar (easy to hang, no wrinkles, no hot spots, easy to clean, sturdy enough to serve as a room partition).

Obviously, flat white paint is the cheapest and easiest solution. And I'm leaning in that direction.

All 3 of these products are highly reflective. But is any one of these clearly better than the others? My guess is that while precise laboratory equipment can tell the difference in the reflectivity, the marijuana smoker cannot. In other words, if all 3 of these reflective materials were used in different but very similar grows, one could not tell the difference just by smoking the marijuana produced. If this is true, then using the flat white paint is a no-brainer.

If it matters, my grow closet is 3.5 x 3.5 x 8 and I will be running a 600 watt HPS in a DayStar air-cooled hood.

What do you experienced growers think? Am I off base here? Cost is not a major factor in my decision.

Thanks.

I used to use Mylar but I really don't see any difference between it poly and white paint and I have tried them all. Though I usually have more than enough light for my area. These days I go with flat white paint everywhere except the floor where I use poly. Mylar is a pain in the ass for little to no benefit.

Flat white paint will be the easiest and most care free of any reflection material assuming you have proper walls that can be painted on.

flat white paint FTW; you got a nice light with air cooling, wichh means light is gonna be real close to your plants, thus elimnating a great need for reflectivity. flat paint is like 85-90% reflective, mylar closer to 95%. you more than make up for it with a nice light and air cooled hood. go cheap, go flat white paint, iuts durable, easy to clean, blocks odors and is mildew resistant. beats the hell out of tampering with plastic sheeting.

i could be wrong but i think diamond mylar is the most reflective of the reflective family of reflections. In the 95%+- range.

I am trying a ceramic white paint on my walls...don't know if this will be any different than just reg. white paint or not...if you want more reflectivity from regular paint go to any big box store and ask them to add as much Titanium dioxide as possible to the can and it will be at its maximum whiteness and max reflectivity. Titanium dioxide it what makes white paint white, it is a pigment.

I think flat white paint is the best.

PROS:

very reflective; probably more than mylar ( i explain below)
cheaper than mylar
cleaned easier than mylar
re-coat when necessary is easier than replacing sheets of mylar
leaves walls nice and 'flat' (kind of relate to first PRO)

So I like FLAT white paint best, because it is so easy, doesn't redirect light or air movements like mylar will (paint doesn't hold shape or separate from your wall stealing grow space and creating a great unwanted additional grow space) and paint can have pesticides and biocides added to it, increasing the cleanliness/godliness of your grow area.

IT'S TOO CHEAP TO GO ANY OTHER ROUTE

p.s. when mylar gets trichrome smeared across it from your plants it really kills the reflectivity. White paint just creates a nice bright consistent glow. This is why operating rooms are white, not mirrored

I would have to say the flat white paint is the best just for the simple reason of ease of reapplying. And one gallon would probably last you for many many years.

flat white with titanium additive and anti fungas additive mixed in

Dood,
FWP on a smooth surface. Lots of TiO2 if you like. Apply a few coats. I like the idea of poly on the floor. FWP is sooo easy and damn good at reflection of both the visible and heat waves.

FUK mylar, FUK the hitech shit that you have to buy and wait to come in the mail and measure and cut and stick it on and FUK it up. Besides silver/chrome surfaces reflect heat like a biotch.

I love my FUKin FLAT WHITE PAINT.

if you're running a 600w setup i would think that the difference between flat white or mylar would be negligible.. go with flat white and call it a day

I'm planning on growing inside of a uhaul wardrobe box. Is there a way for me to paint that flat white without damaging the box, or would it be better for me to hang mylar?

by the dashboard light said:

I am trying a ceramic white paint on my walls...don't know if this will be any different than just reg. white paint or not...if you want more reflectivity from regular paint go to any big box store and ask them to add as much Titanium dioxide as possible to the can and it will be at its maximum whiteness and max reflectivity. Titanium dioxide it what makes white paint white, it is a pigment.

Click to expand...

You're correct, To2 is a highly reflective pigment, and ceramic mircrospheres will add reflectivity and emissivity to your coating. Adding solids to a coating throws off the formula. Having access to the resin/binder would be great. Its called an aqueous polymer emulsion, and you can call upon distributors for samples. You will also need a little extra surfactant when adding solids, samples of these can be had for free as well. All this isn't necessary, but would be helpful for a coating with long lasting qualities.

Thought of chiming in here as I have used mylar, flat white, and just installed the orca film. Jesus, this shit is BRIGHT. Like REALLY bright.

Rather than be like most stoners and just look at something and decide its better, I pulled out the trusty LUX meter. A foot from the wall surface I am getting 11% higher Lux ratings. 8,210 lux to be exact over the flat white paint.

That is like free light (well it cost me $50 more over the flat white paint) but I will say this, you can hang it in about 10 minutes with a staple gun or roll of foil tape. I fucking hate painting shit. So while paint is cheap, you still need a roller,roller covering, and paint all over your shit.

It is probably splitting hairs, but I'm a hair splitter. I can say however that having highly reflective surfaces in close proximity to the plants makes a huge difference. Especially when your trying to get light to bounce off the walls and illuminate the understory of your plants.

Just thought I would chime in. I'm really impressed with the Orca.

Okay, so I've done my research, as you can tell, from my bringing up this old thread, and I know that flat white paint is the way to go, but what about white primer. I have about a gallon of the stuff and was wondering if that would work, or does it have to be "regular" flat white paint? I'll be painting it onto sheet rock walls.

I dunno, probably not as primer is pretty flat..like absorb all the dirt flat. Just staple some panda film up.

Its Diffuse VS specular reflection.
Specular Wins, it delivers far mor light back to the Plants at the right angle.

The reason you cant see your reflection in white paint is because it isn't very reflective.
I use true mirrors in my cab.

For future reference, I did some more research on primer, and I'm concentrating on primer because that is what I have, and apparently primer is more reflective of light (light will penetrate paint and be reflected back through it).

now i want the Orca film badly!!!! i need to film my veg/mother/cone room. think its time for a little remodeling!!

LMFAO at the guy who is using mirrors. There are a million different resources telling people that mirrors actually ABSORB light...yet..here he is with mirrors in his "cab". I guess its kind of dick thing to say but I rarely listen to anyone growing in a cabinent. LOL

Anyways, if you have the cash, the orca film is pretty damn nice. The shit is STRONG. Like seriously strong! I think its actually some kind of house wrap product or what not, but only in white with no printing. It was worth the money for my situation. Its bright as fuck, tough as nails, and cleans easily.