Reflective...? Advice plz!

First and foremost Happy New Year! So here is my predicament. I grow with LED lights so after doing research I had painted my room a flat white 4 best reflective effects. I also just recently (coincidence) had to throw 2 plants in a tent - separate light cycle- with an LED. It seems like the mylar in the tent is helping my plants grow better. Since the reflective material versus the flat white paint doesn't add up with what people say is best for reflectivity I am confused. Please let me know what you all think I should do...since reflctive (silver) has seemed better. Any advice would help even if you are in support of the white. Thanks in advance!

Dr Who has the biggest testicle's here on the RIU if he says Flat White is best

I won't disagree with that or with Wiki either who claim matt flat white paint is about 87% reflective

in my own experience mold spores hide behind that plastic and can strike anytime

good luck

flat white paint is about 85% reflective. panda film/mylar is about 97% reflective. of course, you can get flat white paint with an antifungal additive for less than 20 bucks a gallon. panda film costs about 100 bucks a roll, and doesn't have any antifungal properties.
i'm not sure that when you get down to talking about the reflectivity of grow room walls, that 10 or 12 % is worth worrying about. if it bothers you, go with the pricier mylar, i'm happy with two coats of flat white antifungal killz

Roger A. Shrubber said:

flat white paint is about 85% reflective. panda film/mylar is about 97% reflective. of course, you can get flat white paint with an antifungal additive for less than 20 bucks a gallon. panda film costs about 100 bucks a roll, and doesn't have any antifungal properties.
i'm not sure that when you get down to talking about the reflectivity of grow room walls, that 10 or 12 % is worth worrying about. if it bothers you, go with the pricier mylar, i'm happy with two coats of flat white antifungal killz

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I have to agree after getting the reflectivety fixed I found the next item was venting

getting that heat out of the grow space

and how mylar and shading interrupted the venting

but thats my story lol

you could go to lowes and get reflective bubble insulation, same effect better than paint and cheap.

i used to use reflectix on the walls.when i moved my grow i discovered mold behind the reflectix.there was not alot but i do not want any.i have been using flat white paint ever since.no where for mold to start.that was two grow places ago and have not seen any since i only paint now.i also use the anti fungal additive in the paint.

I " lined " my tents with VIVOSUN Mylar .... Plants gave me a hug and jumped back into their pots. Easy upgrade to less than stellar reflective surfaces or degrading ( cracking ) inner tent surfaces.

I also pinned it to walls in another room ... Those were flat white .
Amazon is an amazing place yo get big rolls to play with ... I paid like $29 for it.

Just my 2¢ .

Budzbuddha said:

I " lined " my tents with VIVOSUN Mylar .... Plants gave me a hug and jumped back into their pots. Easy upgrade to less than stellar reflective surfaces or degrading ( cracking ) inner tent surfaces.

I also pinned it to walls in another room ... Those were flat white .
Amazon is an amazing place yo get big rolls to play with ... I paid like $29 for it.

Just my 2¢ .

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the most effective refraction surface is IR blocker or a good tent wall

if u look at the IR blocker it is patterned on the mylar glued to the bubble wrap this makes little indentations in the mylar changing the angle the light is refracted from
same thing with most tent walls they have a pattern pressed into to them so the light angles off in several direction defusing the light in the area getting more even coverage

and as for mold and all that a simple mix of 75% bleach 25% water sprayed and allowed to dry will make a good barrier for several years anytime it gets wet the bleach crystals/residue is rehydrated killing off the mold spores that could of used the water to build a colony

justugh said:

the most effective refraction surface is IR blocker or a good tent wall

if u look at the IR blocker it is patterned on the mylar glued to the bubble wrap this makes little indentations in the mylar changing the angle the light is refracted from
same thing with most tent walls they have a pattern pressed into to them so the light angles off in several direction defusing the light in the area getting more even coverage

and as for mold and all that a simple mix of 75% bleach 25% water sprayed and allowed to dry will make a good barrier for several years anytime it gets wet the bleach crystals/residue is rehydrated killing off the mold spores that could of used the water to build a colony

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once you hang the reflective sheets,do you ever take them down to clean behind them?i had stapled mine up.when i moved and pulled them down is when i found the mold.i do spray the surfaces but that doesnt get behind them.

zep_lover said:

once you hang the reflective sheets,do you ever take them down to clean behind them?i had stapled mine up.when i moved and pulled them down is when i found the mold.i do spray the surfaces but that doesnt get behind them.

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For me no ... However .... I did clean the walls with a bleach water spray prior because of dust / dirt .

My room never gets too humid ... At most ( ever ) 54% or so ... But I guess if your environment is much more extreme then I would probably check. Cali area not much in humidity during year , so I don't get any issues. Only problem is when Mylar gets DUSTY or gets slight film. I use a Swiffer hand duster to clean them off.

zep_lover said:

once you hang the reflective sheets,do you ever take them down to clean behind them?i had stapled mine up.when i moved and pulled them down is when i found the mold.i do spray the surfaces but that doesnt get behind them.

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no u spray the backs of the sheets and then let the bleach and water dry it makes a residue/crystals on the back of it .......the idea is if water gets back there it will make the bleach active once again killing any mold spores that might find that area of water........it is a preventive not a cure

u hang up the sheets or the poly warp once it has dried on it

I thought about wraping my room in orca reflect film its basically a waterproof breathable (if i remember right ) construction wrap like frog toggs frog skin ect.

I was going to use 3m glue to apply it to the walls that way you dont really have to worry about spaces for mold as long as you lay it flat with no bubbles.

I dont know if the orca film is hype or not but the vids looked good it really is supposed to diffuse the light as well as being reflective.

Just my 2 hope it helps

I always use reflectix. It is like 95% reflective and does not create hot spots.

justugh said:

no u spray the backs of the sheets and then let the bleach and water dry it makes a residue/crystals on the back of it .......the idea is if water gets back there it will make the bleach active once again killing any mold spores that might find that area of water........it is a preventive not a cure

u hang up the sheets or the poly warp once it has dried on it

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https://www.thoughtco.com/chlorine-bleach-shelf-life-3976002
Even unopened bottle have a shelf life.

David Ferguson said:

First and foremost Happy New Year! So here is my predicament. I grow with LED lights so after doing research I had painted my room a flat white 4 best reflective effects. I also just recently (coincidence) had to throw 2 plants in a tent - separate light cycle- with an LED. It seems like the mylar in the tent is helping my plants grow better. Since the reflective material versus the flat white paint doesn't add up with what people say is best for reflectivity I am confused. Please let me know what you all think I should do...since reflctive (silver) has seemed better. Any advice would help even if you are in support of the white. Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

vostok said:

Dr Who has the biggest testicle's here on the RIU if he says Flat White is best

I won't disagree with that or with Wiki either who claim matt flat white paint is about 87% reflective

in my own experience mold spores hide behind that plastic and can strike anytime

good luck

Click to expand...

@Cold$moke

I don't find 7% to be much of an improvement over the cost and work needed to hang Orca. You can get paint with the same reflective value as Orca too!
Much cheaper!

Regular flat white ceiling paint is 87% reflective. And that is diffuse reflection (spread out) Ceiling paint contains actual reflective materials - fine ground - to increase reflection, over wall paints.
Orca is diffuse and 94% reflective.
Behr 4650 Ultra Pure White latex paint is 94% reflective (diffuse) the bold type is an embedded link

The only two things higher are:
Mylar
Radiant Guard (house wrap or attic wrap) https://www.cycloptics.com/sites/default/files/RadiantGuard.pdf

These 2 are 96% reflective. These are also specular (or something) reflective. That means that the light reflects off at straight angles from where it hits.
This can be a minus in a way. You may inadvertently create a light "hot" spot and burn a part of your plant...
I use some mylar on portable coat racks - Kinda like a reflecting wall for between lights - one working, and one not. Helps keep the light back on the plant.
I have not ever "burnt" a plant with it's use. However, it is only secured to the top bar and floats in the breeze. You can "see" intense bars of light, move about. If non moving, they would light burn the plant in that spot.

Radiant guard will hold in heat. That can go each way. Be sure your cooling is sufficient. It's NOT CHEAP!

Roger A. Shrubber said:

flat white paint is about 85% reflective. panda film/mylar is about 97% reflective. of course, you can get flat white paint with an antifungal additive for less than 20 bucks a gallon. panda film costs about 100 bucks a roll, and doesn't have any antifungal properties.
i'm not sure that when you get down to talking about the reflectivity of grow room walls, that 10 or 12 % is worth worrying about. if it bothers you, go with the pricier mylar, i'm happy with two coats of flat white antifungal killz

Click to expand...

Roger brings up a huge point! Affixing films to walls, can Create area's of mold retention. Not a good thing. There are ways to combat that as seen in a later post here.

In the end. I say use the Behr paint - with an anti fungal (you ask them to add that when the paint is mixed, or simply to add it.).
It works perfectly and costs seriously less then attempting to hang sheeting (rolled) perfectly flat on anything bigger then it's supplied width.

Simply go with the paint!
Want to be fussy and spend a few more bucks - Go with the Behr paint!
Otherwise, simply use a commercial ceiling paint, cheap and effective.

Ed R suggests the paint too.
He wrote a book, and has smaller balls.....

@vostok Gee, thanks for the testis...
@Roger A. Shrubber Nice post!

Testis ....new word ....thx

@Dr.Who

I pretty much agree with you thats why my walls dont have the orca
(except the mold issues if properly installed i dont "think" it would be a problem.)

My reasons for considering it was the fact that after you apply it you "shouldn't" have to worry about repainting as often (mines needs a new coat for example ?

Now i dont know how many scrubbings would start to wear the product though (one of the reasons its not on my walls)

My main reason for wanting it was how well it Diffused the light (might have just been marketing) but the vid impressed me.

It would be hard in my mind to get a wall to diffuse the same way with just an orange peel type paint surface.

All that said i couldnt justify the shipping to get the product for the few percent that you would gain....
but in my mind little gains add up like cents to a dollar

The kicker is i mi g ht have found a product that does the same thing but for 20 bucks for a sheet cheaper then repainting every other year.

No science to back it but my eyes noticed a huge difference in how much light will reflect back off the surface.

Anyhow
Not the gospel just my 2

jarvild said:

https://www.thoughtco.com/chlorine-bleach-shelf-life-3976002
Even unopened bottle have a shelf life.

Click to expand...

look at the shelf life of powdered bleach

that is basically what u are doing ..........letting all the mositure pass into the air leaving behide the chemicals on the backside of your reflective mats
it is 2 years .......with the rate of tech advancements in grow lights 2 years is good amount of time (by then should of saved enough cash to redo the room better and make it more profitable )

On overgrow.com there was a paint comparison and a certain type of Rustoleum silver was the most reflective you could get.

anything other than white......means that it absorbs light of some wavelengths.