Mylar Or White Paint? Or Both???

J

JTSBossMan

Active Member
Obviously Mylar is a far superior reflective surface..... Just look at a piece of mylar and then look at the paint. Which one hurts your eyes more? ;)
 
NLXSK1

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
marksantiago1968 said:
what do u guys think is the better reflective surface? flat-white plaint or mylar? or both mylar on top of the white paint?
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Flat white paint is supposed to be about 90% reflective and mylar 95%.

If you have the money then mylar is better but white paint is pretty good on a smaller budget.
 
GotBeat5.0

GotBeat5.0

Well-Known Member
wanna know whats beter then that Pandafilm well in my opinion anyways lol. I find it alot easier to work with and reuse without the hassles of fold marks and crinkles and all that dumb BS that can happen wit mylar
 
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marksantiago1968

Active Member
alright....thanks a lot guys....but what do you think if i put the mylar on top of flat white paint? how will that be like?.. would that be advisable?
 
FullMetalJacket

FullMetalJacket

Well-Known Member
If you are stuck on using mylar i would actually recommend white paint and then mylar. You can then just use the mylar where it would be most effective... Because Mylar is a pain as it needs to be relatively smooth, also some people clean it but i tried and it looked like shit.

If i were going to use mylar again...I would paint my closet white. I would then get some 4"x3" sheets of thin plexiglass or some other light/ waterproof material. I would cover these with the mylar and just velco them up where they would be most effective. That way they can be removed for cleaning and easier get a flat application of mylar when you arent dealing with corners and angles.

I have personally found that mylar is not worth the trouble and my reults were never better with it.
 
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NLXSK1

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
marksantiago1968 said:
alright....thanks a lot guys....but what do you think if i put the mylar on top of flat white paint? how will that be like?.. would that be advisable?
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The light will not get through the mylar. It would be good for spots you do not cover with mylar.
 
panhead

panhead

Well-Known Member
This whole flat white thing has me seriously confused here,there is no way on earth that flat white is more reflective than high gloss white paint,where does everybody get this flat white theory from anyway?
 
NLXSK1

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
panhead said:
This whole flat white thing has me seriously confused here,there is no way on earth that flat white is more reflective than high gloss white paint,where does everybody get this flat white theory from anyway?
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Here is an article from another websites FAQ...

Flat white paint:
Self explanatory; a great option for large grow rooms or for people who are interested in a low maintenance wall. Flat white paint has the ability to reflect between 75-85% of the light, and does not create hotspots. Adding a fungicide is recommended when painting.

Glossy and eggshell whites not reflect light as efficiently as flat white. Semi-gloss paint for example, only has the ability to reflect between 55-60% of the light. Also important to remember when using paint is that any smears or blemishes on the surface take away from how reflective the wall is so care should be taken to avoid marking or staining the walls. Titanium white paint is very reflective; however it is usually only used on reflectors due to its high cost.
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What Reflective Materials can I use for my Grow Room? - 420 Magazine
 
M

marksantiago1968

Active Member
yea i think i agree with full metal and koncyse.... i admit that i heard a few people complaining that they had trouble keeping the surface area of mylar smooth and ended up becoming wrinkled and shit. the plexiglass method sounds real interesting. thx all!!
 
Hawk

Hawk

Well-Known Member
I wonder if the plexiglass would absorb any light energy though.

I only mention that because when it comes to such matters as light absorption, reflectivity, etc, sometimes the answers aren't as obvious as they appear. For example, you'd think a mirror would be tops for reflectivity--but according to the GROWFAQ, mirrors are a poor choice. And light goes straight through a thin sheet of glass, right? No harm there. Yet I've seen hood tests that showed a measurable drop in lumens when HID light passes through glass first.

I love the idea of plexiglass covered mylar. And it might be a wonderful solution but I have no idea what happens to light as it hits or passes through plexiglass. Flat white paint might actually perform better than plexi covered mylar for all I know [shrug].

$0.02
​
 
NLXSK1

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
Hawk said:
I wonder if the plexiglass would absorb any light energy though.

I only mention that because when it comes to such matters as light absorption, reflectivity, etc, sometimes the answers aren't as obvious as they appear. For example, you'd think a mirror would be tops for reflectivity--but according to the GROWFAQ, mirrors are a poor choice. And light goes straight through a thin sheet of glass, right? No harm there. Yet I've seen hood tests that showed a measurable drop in lumens when HID light passes through glass first.​

I love the idea of plexiglass covered mylar. And it might be a wonderful solution but I have no idea what happens to light as it hits or passes through plexiglass. Flat white paint might actually perform better than plexi covered mylar for all I know [shrug].​

$0.02​
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You would tape the mylar to the front of the plexiglas I would think. Doing it the other way would diminish the reflection properties.
 
Hawk

Hawk

Well-Known Member
NLXSK1 said:
You would tape the mylar to the front of the plexiglas I would think. Doing it the other way would diminish the reflection properties.
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Yes. Like I said, apparently I misread FullMetalJacket's suggestion. Doh!

 
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