When it comes to reducing levels of EMF radiation in your house, particularly for those who are more sensitive to EMF, the outside sources contributing to the levels of radiation in your home can not be overlooked. Whether these are nearby cell towers, smart meters, satellites, 5G signals or your next door neighbour’s WiFi, blocking EMF radiation wall by wall inside or outside of your house is a very effective way to do it. You can do this by coating all or at least some of the key walls with EMF shielding paint.
Which forms of radiation does the paint shield against?
EMF paint can shield against all forms of EMF radiation, such as radiofrequency (RF) radiation (think WiFi – both internal and external, smart meters and cell towers), microwaves (such as radars and satellites) and extremely low frequency radiation, or ELF, for example that produced by power lines and electronics.
Depending on the brand, effective EMF paint should be able to block both lower and higher frequencies up to 18 GHz and sometimes even higher, and therefore effectively block cell phone signals, WiFi and even 5G frequencies up to that range. Ironically, that comes with an interference with your cell phone and WiFi signal. Keep that in mind when planning which rooms you are going to paint. Consider going wired or changing the positioning of the router to allow the WiFi signal reaching where it is most needed.
EMF paint will also block an unauthorised external use of your WiFi signal, as it will prevent the signal from leaving the house, which often is a security concern.
How does EMF shielding paint work?
EMF Paint Ingredients
The EMF shielding paint is a water based solution that typically contains graphite and carbon fibre. It is these components that block electromagnetic waves from penetrating the walls.
Graphite is well known for its absorbing property of fast moving particles and as such it is able to absorb electromagnetic waves that generate these particles. Also, it is for this reason, graphite is widely used in military to absorb radar.
Where it can be used?
EMF paint can be used both on internal as on external walls, painting an entire room or just one wall depending on which walls or areas you want to have an ability to block electromagnetic frequencies.
EMF paint generally acts as a base coat, which means you can further paint on top, any paint of your choice, or keep it as is, if you’re happy with the colour of the base coat. Note that often EMF paint comes in black colour.
Attenuation
The shielding strength of any given EMF paint is dependent on attenuation, which is in turn is measured in decibels (dB). The higher the value of dB the better protection or shielding effect is provided.
EMF shielding paint may not entirely be the cheapest product out there, but it’s certainly worth its investment when it comes to the safety of your home. Therefore, finding the best protection at a reasonable price is key.
What is a Top EMF Shielding Paint Brand on the Market?
Without a doubt there is a number of brands on the market offering EMF shielding paints. But one brand that stands out in particular is YShield.
From its company’s philosophy and values to the product development and product effectiveness, as shown by the independent lab test results, this brand is a market leader when it comes to EMF shielding paints. No wonder it is a top choice of leading building biologists and renowned fashion labels when it comes to shielding their premises and also some of the largest data centers in the world.
Who is behind YShield?
YShield is a family run manufacturing business based out of Germany. The company prides itself for its environmentally and socially sustainable management philosophy that is embedded into company’s core values.
The company, that has been manufacturing EMF shielding products since 2003, develops and produces everything in house and all their products undergo rigorous testing.
How much more protection is offered by YShield?
Some independent lab tests found that at least half a dozen of EMF shieling paint brands tested didn’t reflect the protection indicated by the manufacturers. Some of the paints were rated 3 to 10 dB, which means they blocked about 50 to 90% of EMF radiation. One competing paint rated 35 dB, or 99.95% of radiation, and YShield, if applied as directed, rated from 39 to 62 dB, or 99.99 to 99.999% of EMF radiation at the frequencies most often encountered in homes.
YShield stood out as the best protection against EMF radiation for safety-conscious homeowners who want to protect their family, pets, and plants from EMF radiation.
Pros and cons of YShield paints
Putting our bias aside, as for any other brand, there are of course some pros and cons. We can summarise the main ones in a few bullet points below.
Pros:
- Very high EMF radiation shielding effectiveness, up to 63 dB in attenuation
- High moisture and heat resistance
- Long term durability
- Free of odour after drying
- Non-toxic, environmentally safe
Cons
- The paint is black in colour, few layers of the top paint will be needed
- Not the cheapest product
What makes YShield such an effective EMF blocking paint?
YShield differentiates itself from other brands with its formulation in that it is possible to get added protection by additional coatings of paint. With a fairly straight forward application, the paint provides attenuation of 36 dB, which, as manufacturer advises, blocks 99.9% of EMF radiation.
Adding a second layer will achieve an attenuation of up to 53 dB, or 99.99% effectiveness in clocking EMF radiation. Further, a third coat would take the protection factor up to 63 dB and more.
YShields’ paints contain carbon and natural graphite (the relative shielding power of which we have discussed above) and are free from toxic solvents and metal particles. All paints are developed within strict environmental guidelines using lowest emission ingredients possible and avoiding nanotechnology, the full risks of which are still unknown.
It is worth noting that different formulations of YShield paint have different applications:
- HSF54 is the best all-around paint, offering up to 59 dB of protection.
- HSF64 is an especially environmentally friendly paint, with no preservatives. It offers up to 48 dB of protection.
- MAX54 provides the absolute maximum of EMF protection of any paint on the market, up to 63 dB. To get that level of protection it contains more graphite, which makes it a little less scratch resistant. The paint has quite a distinctive odour until it has dried and has been painted over.
- PRO54 offers great EMF protection at 48 dB. But it also dries to a hard, abrasion-resistant coat.
Any paint by YShield offers superior EMF protection. But some offer a harder surface to which you can apply latex paint to achieve the colour you want.
How to apply EMF paint?
While by and large YShield paint is applied as any other paint, bear in mind that the paint is conductive and must be grounded by a certified electrician.
So how do you go about applying EMF paint?
- Similar to any other paint work, prior to applying the paint, the surface needs to be smoothed, primed and washed, covering any areas you don’t want to be painted.
- YShield’s paint is best applied with a roller. For even attenuation levels, make sure to apply the paint evenly and cover all exposed areas. Allow it to dry for at least 24 hours before applying another layer. Note that, if the layer is applied too tickly, it will take longer to dry. Therefore, for best results avoid over lumping each layer. Additional coat will not only increase paint’s shielding effectiveness but will also protect it against mechanical damage and moisture.
- Generally, a 5 litre tub should be sufficient to cover approx. 400 sq. feet area. So for a double coat for that size area you will be looking for a couple of 5 litre tubs.
- Finally, finish off by painting the surface with a top paint of your choice. Note that YShield paints are mostly black, thus you may need a few layers of actual paint to fully cover it. For best results use water-based emulsion paint, dispersion silicate, silicon resin paints or facade paints for better adhesion.
Grounding
Grounding is an important step when painting your walls, ceilings or floors with EMF shielding paint to ensure maximum effectiveness of the paint.
The grounding tape is conducive on the top side, therefore it must be placed before the EMF paint is applied to ensure grounding of the paint.
Place a grounding tape or a grounding strap (you can also get this from YShield) along the surface you attend to paint.
You will also need a grounding plate installed (ideally one per wall) attaching the grounding straps to a plate. It should be placed near the electrical outlet.
Grounding plates must be installed only be a licensed electrician, they will ensure the entire network functions properly.
YShield EMF paint application is very well demonstrated in the video below:
Measuring the effectiveness of the paint
You have laid the paint. The licensed electrician has installed the grounding plate. How do you know your EMF blocking paint is working?
The best way to quantify the effectiveness of your paint is by using an EMF meter. A high-quality meter like Trifield is able to detect and measure both EMF and RF radiation in your home.
Make sure to take readings before applying EMF protective paint and then again after the paint is applied and dried and grounding plate installed.
The reading should show a significant difference in EMF levels in the room of your house, depending on which walls you paint. These measurements can also help you make decisions about applying one, two, or three coats of YShield paint (note that some other brands won’t stick if you use more than one coat).
Test EMF levels all around your home. This can help you find other areas in your home that need EMF protective paint or other kinds of EMF shielding, such as a router shield or a Faraday cage around your electronics. Be sure to take readings in any part of your home where your children sleep and where your family spends a lot of time.
Final Thoughts
EMF shielding paint is a great way to block larger areas of your home from internal or external EMF radiation. When considering an EMF shielding paint, whether you go for YShield or another brand, make sure you do as much research as possible. Some brands don’t offer any protection at all. And there are other brands that protect against EMF radiation but aren’t formulated with adhesive or “sticking” power. Such brands don’t adhere to painted surfaces as well as they adhere to unpainted surfaces.
No doubt EMF paint is an investment, it’s not cheap and it will require some of your time and effort. It will pay off getting it right from the start to save you any hassle of redoing the job.
So far, YShield has produced one of the best quality EMF shielding paints in the market. And if you are not ready to paint the entire house, it makes sense to paint the key walls to reduce EMF radiation levels in your home, such as walls exposed to a smart meter, WiFi or a cell tower. Or any rooms that you want to create a dead zone area in, just remember that by doing so you will block out any cell signals.
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