The Skipper's Blog

23Richard Kittel asked:

Is Canvas Shield good for both cotton canvas and acrylic canvas? Also how much coverage for Canvas Wash and Canvas Shield?

Answer:

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Canvas Shield can be used on most tightly woven canvas materials made from cotton, acrylic, polyester, PVC and other materials. There are no known safety issues with different fabric materials. If you have any doubts, it’s always wise to do a small test on an inconspicuous spot before tackling the whole job, just in case. We’ve had one report of it causing delamination of a loosely laminated material used in waterproof back packs yet many others have had good success in waterproofing their back packs with Canvas Shield.

During the development of Drykon and Canvas Shield, most of our testing was done on the most popular marine canvas materials such as Sunbrella and Top Gun and the results were superior to all competitive products that we tested against. We were however, unsuccessful at waterproofing some boat cushion materials with a very loose or open weave as the threads were too far apart.

Canvas Shield uses Drykon, a PFOA free, Nanoized Polymer, to provide the waterproofing while still allowing the canvas to breath. Although very effective, the nano sized particles are incredibly small and are reliant on the closeness of the threads or weave to keep the particles in close enough proximity to provide the waterproofing. The closer the threads are to each other, the greater the waterproofing effect will be.

In addition to coating the surface, the Canvas Shield also penetrates through the weave and coats the individual threads, providing superior waterproofing even on some looser weaved fabrics. This feature also provides more resistance to mold and extends the effective life of the Canvas Shield. All waterproofing coatings on the market are subject to wear from wind abrasion, washing, UV degradation, etc. Those that are reliant on only surface protection begin to allow water leaks when the surface coating degrades, whereas Canvas Shield continues to waterproof longer because of the inter thread added protection. This allows the boat owner more time to re-waterproof their canvas before the inevitable water and mold damage occurs inside the boat.

We recommend applying Canvas Shield while the canvas is on the boat in order to avoid stretching and shrinkage from wetting and drying.

Coverage of Canvas Shield is about 35 ft.2to 60 ft.2for a bottle and 210 ft.2to 360 ft.2for a gallon, depending on the material, age, condition, weave density, etc.

Fabri-Klean is a water based, water activated, deep penetrating and free rinsing concentrated cleaner. Although Fabri-Klean is a very powerful cleaner that will clean dirt, grime, soap scum, mold, bird feces, blood, grass stains, etc. it is completely safe for all canvas fabrics, the environment and humans.

The recommended way to clean your boat canvas is while the canvas is on the boat, in order to prevent stretching and shrinkage from wetting and drying. Wet the canvas with fresh water and spray a mist of Fabri-Klean over the surface, scrub with a soft bristled brush, rinse clean and allow to dry. It’s concentrated so a little goes a long way. You can adjust the amount you need by spraying more or less to get the desired cleaning action. The wet surface acts as a diluent, for economy, and also activates the cleaning properties for best results. It’s free rinsing so there is no soap scum remaining to act as water wicks or food for mold and it’s biodegradable so rinsing into the lake will not hurt the environment.

Coverage for Fabri-Klean is difficult to determine as there are so many variables. Some tops are dirtier than others. Some have been washed previously with soap or detergent and the fabric is full of soap scum which needs to be removed and flushed away. Some have mold that needs to be remove. Others have different issues. As a guide, you can estimate that you will need one bottle for every 100 ft.2however, for your application; you may need ½ as much or twice as much.

Thanks for your question,

Captain Aurora
Richard Kittar

The Skipper Recommends:

CANVAS SHIELD

FABRI-KLEAN