Continued Monsoon and Typhoon... Moisture Disappeared After Changing 'Jajae' Materials

Humidity Control and Antibacterial Features: Paint, Flooring, and Tiles with Various Functions Popular Among Homebodies

Volcanic pumice, a porous rock formed when lava meets air and solidifies, is a natural material with excellent antibacterial properties and humidity control. 'The Clashy Jeju' is made from this volcanic pumice.
[Photo by Samhwa Paint]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] Due to the heavy rain brought by Typhoon 'Bavi,' interest is rising again in building materials that control indoor humidity, which increases discomfort levels. As the resurgence of COVID-19 leads to more people working from home, demand is growing for products that remove harmful substances and moisture inside homes and create a comfortable living environment.

Recently, building materials with various functions such as humidity control and antibacterial properties have been launched, gaining popularity among those staying home who want to change their interiors. The most notable item is paint. Without the need for major renovations, simply applying paint can remove indoor moisture.

'The Classy Jeju,' released by Samhwa Paint in April, is an eco-friendly paint made from Jeju volcanic scoria. Volcanic scoria is a porous rock formed when lava meets air and solidifies, known for its strong antibacterial effects and excellent humidity control as a natural material.

The fine porous structure of volcanic scoria in The Classy Jeju exhibits powerful adsorption capabilities, effectively eliminating odors from food and pets. It especially helps maintain a comfortable indoor environment by naturally regulating humidity in the hot and humid summer climate.

The Classy Jeju has obtained the Jeju Excellent Product Quality Certification (JQ Certification) and eco-friendly certification for non-detection of harmful substances such as volatile organic compounds and formaldehyde, as well as the top 10 heavy metals. It is available in five colors inspired by Jeju nature: White Pebble, Silver Grass Wave, Wildflower Pink, Jeju Wind, and Blue Oreum.

A living room with Dongwha Enterprise's flooring 'Natusjin' installed. The 'Urban White' pattern of Natusjin.
[Photo by Dongwha Enterprise]

There are also flooring materials that eliminate indoor harmful substances. Dongwha Enterprise's fiberboard Kangnaru 'Natusjin' reduces 'Radon,' a major cause of lung cancer. Natusjin is made from an eco-friendly new material called NAF (Non-Added Formaldehyde) board, which excludes formaldehyde. The NAF board is an SE0-grade eco-friendly material made entirely from domestically sourced Korean pine.

During installation, a special adhesive called 'Greenpool Hwangto,' which contains substances that control radon, is additionally used. The NAF board reduces radon gas emitted from the floor after installation, and Greenpool Hwangto effectively adsorbs and decomposes radon gas.

The NAF board has better thermal conductivity and latent heat retention (the property of retaining heat) than plywood, maintaining floor warmth 1.3 times longer compared to plywood laminate flooring. It also has excellent water resistance, showing minimal deformation even after prolonged exposure to water, and if deformed, it recovers easily to its original state when dried. The high-strength special coating layer on the floor surface contains silver ions, providing excellent antibacterial and insect-repellent functions.

A veranda playground space with wall tiles applied on the walls.
[Photo by LG Hausys]

Instead of wallpaper, interior wall tiles can also regulate indoor humidity. LG Hausys' 'Sumtile' is an interior wall tile made from natural clay components. This tile contains countless micro-pores measuring 4 to 5 nm (1 nm is one-billionth of a meter). These micro-pores absorb moisture when humidity is high and release moisture when humidity is low.

If the micro-pores contained in 1㎡ of Sumtile were spread out, the surface area would reach 385,000㎡?an enormous area equivalent to 54 times the size of a soccer field. It has excellent humidity control capabilities, absorbing and releasing about 0.5 liters of moisture per 10㎡ of installation area. When water is sprayed on the surface of Sumtile, it does not immediately run off but disappears as moisture seeps into the micro-pores.

Additionally, these micro-pores adsorb harmful substances such as formaldehyde, removing 75-95% of ammonia (which causes bathroom odors), triamine (which causes food waste odors), and methyl mercaptan (which causes pet odors).

An industry insider said, "Recently, inquiries about materials with moisture removal functions have increased significantly as people renovate their interiors," adding, "The industry is responding by introducing a variety of products with dehumidifying, antibacterial, and harmful substance removal functions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.