Khronickush
Well-Known Member
what do you guys think is the best reflecting surfaces i can use for my walls and ceilings and for a reasonable price too
need help deciding what is the best reflecting surface
- Thread starter Khronickush
- Start date
~Dankster~420
Well-Known Member
well there is numerous things you could use.Aluminum Densdeck being 1 if you have a large area to cover. Or you could use the emergency blankets from any store hunting section (works super good & only costs like 2$)... Flat white paint. Or panda film which is on the high end $...
Southerner
Well-Known Member
I think flat white paint is the best bang for the buck. Gives a highly reflective, easy to clean, mold-resistant surface. I kinda think Panda film is a bit of a pain in the ass to work with but it is effective; I like using this stuff called Xtreme Blackout Canvas but it is definately on the higher end of the price spectrum if it is a large space.
Nitegazer
Well-Known Member
Depends on your needs. I have a basment grow that runs cold in the winter and warm in the summer. So I have the walls painted white for the summer, but hang reflectix in the winter with velcro. In most situations, white paint is fine, like Southerner says, but consider other options based on the needs of the room.
Alexander Supertramp
Well-Known Member
Egg shell Titanium white on a smooth surface is about as good as it gets. And as mentioned it is affordable and very easy to clean.
Khronickush
Well-Known Member
thanks for the Info guys im running with a basement room so it needs to cover a decent amount of space
Khronickush
Well-Known Member
do you think Mylar would be decent to use too???
budleydoright
Well-Known Member
Cleanable white painted wall is better than a shiny wall thats dirty and has water spots on it. (which is what mylar looks like after 1 run)
Khronickush
Well-Known Member
I have a Brick wall though so i dont think i can paint it, that would be kinda hard wouldn't it?
hermex
Active Member
You can paint brick, but you need to have the right type of paint. The person in the paint department should know. As for finish, I've heard that flat white is the best for plants. Reflects what is needed without creating the hot spots that can occur with mylar and other reflective surfaces. I usually star with a coat of killz. Maybe oil based killz would be the best for soaking into brick, if so get some turpentine or other cleanup agent. With any paint, glue, caulk, etc, give ample time to ventilate fumes before bringing in the new tenants....heating it a few times with the lights doesn't hurt either.
GroErr
Well-Known Member
Here's an option, cheap, easy to work with and about as reflective as mylar but without the hassles of trying to keep the kinks out. It's just styrofoam insulation, comes in 3/4", 1", and 1 1/2" thick. One side has the writing, other side is the reflective material, it's attached so won't peelI'm using it for my "walls" in my new room, attaching it to the studs with velcro strips so it'll be easy to remove if I need to do any work later, replace it (damage), or remove it quickly in a pinch. About $13 per 4'x8' sheet at Home Depot... Probably cost you less than paint, never mind the work associated with painting (I f'n hate painting), take you about an hour to put it up.
Bwpz
Well-Known Member
I've painted walls, used mylar (the emergency blanket), and panda film. The best one imo is panda film, but it's also the most expensive 
Panda film is less of a hassle than the emergency blankets. I just got a 100' roll of panda film, it works great for building grow cabinets or lining walls
Panda film is less of a hassle than the emergency blankets. I just got a 100' roll of panda film, it works great for building grow cabinets or lining walls
Bwpz
Well-Known Member
Does that work well for reflecting light, and not reflecting heat? I would think all those ridges wouldn't be good for reflecting.
GroErr
Well-Known Member
The reflective properties are fine, I've seen a lot of guys using this here. As far as heat, of course it will, so does mylar, any highly reflective material will reflect both light and heat, that's where your fans/exhaust come in. In my case I'm in a cold cellar so I'm using it as insulation as well, plus that room will be running LED/Induction, I may have to heat it in the winter, even with insulation - lol.
Khronickush
Well-Known Member
so i can buy that at Home depot? and put it on my walls?
GroErr
Well-Known Member
That's where I found it, I'm in Canada but talked to someone in the US about it before I bought it and it's available at HD there too, same stuff. Just an option, it's a cheap and easy option too so if you don't end up liking it it's not a big investment in money nor time. You'll just have to figure out a way to attach it to the concrete. In my situation it's easier attaching it to studs and I want the flexibility of being able to take it off if I need to do some electrical or the like so I'm going to try the velcro first. I'm using it for a few things in the new room, building a small box for seedlings, using it to insulate a res. It's cheap and easy to work with, and the reflective side is handy for things like insulating a res where you want to insulate and reflect the light away to keep temps down.
superstoner1
Well-Known Member
Easily painted, just use a primer like kills. If you really want good reflectivity, easily cleanable, and very resilient surface use a rubber paint, like for roofs. I used it on my grow and along with sealing the room I can hose it down if needed and it looks great.