When you’re in the market for a product to use outdoors that is similar to latex paint, you need Rhino Shield paint. It coats exterior surfaces for greater protection and better color retention than ordinary latex paints.
Rhino Shield is a ceramic elastomeric coating – it has the same look as rich latex paint but is eight to nine times thicker. This paint resists mold, algae, and mildew, plus other potential problems from weather exposure. You can use RS for residential, commercial, and industrial settings and on nearly any surface.
What else should you know about Rhino Shield paint? It comes in a huge variety of colors, and it’s good for the environment and lasts for years and years.
What is Rhino Shield?
Rhino Shield is a type of ceramic elastomeric coating that works in the same way as latex or water-based paints on exterior surfaces. It changes a surface’s outward color appearance, but with better performance and protection. RS has the highest safety ratings for fire resistance, with a low R-value of 6.89 and an E coating classification. It also passes certifications for ASTM standards – Atlas Labs, UL, BAF, and Momentum.
Customers rely on Rhino Shield for its stunning color and thick, rich appearance. Plus, it offers impressive features like working as insulation that can help reduce energy bills while being nearly impervious to major sources of damage that pose risks to regular paint. Best of all, one 2-step coating of Rhino Shield can last for a few decades without requiring touch-ups or repainting. It’s also much better for the environment, making it the perfect choice for people who wish to be environmentally conscious. However, in order to get the expected performance, RS requires annual cleaning to remove any microorganism growth, stains, or airborne dirt.
You can even use Rhino Shield to repair minor defects and damage on a structure due to the coating’s 2-step process, including cracks that are less than 1/16″ wide. By comparison, regular paints will often require recoating every five years and repairs in between. Normal latex paint won’t fix any problem issues like minor structural cracks. These kinds of paint materials are also more harmful to the environment due to the fumes they produce.
What Is Rhino Shield Made Of?
Rhino Shield features tiny environmentally safe ceramic beads that act as color pigments to tint the paint. As a result, RS (and every ceramic paint) has a thicker consistency and stronger durability, while providing the same look as luxurious latex paint of noticeable thickness. However, Rhino Shield is not technically a paint. It consists of elastomeric acrylic and urethane resins that form a mimicked rubber coating that sticks to a surface to bond and become one with the substrate. The fine tiny cylindrical ceramic beads create a smooth impervious coat that, once dried, is not only washable but will also repel moisture to prevent water-related issues – cracking, color fading, mildew, mold, algae, and UV rays.
Pros and Cons of Rhino Shield
There are advantages and some drawbacks to using Rhino Shield. It’s always a wise practice to weigh a product’s pros and cons to ensure you pick a product with the features and performance you need.
Pros
- Class A fire rating for safety
- Flexible so it won’t crack or peel
- Available in more than 1500 colors
- Low maintenance
- Thick rubber-like material
- Repels moisture
- Prevents mildew, moss, mold, and algae growth
- Insulative properties
- Versatile – bonds to multiple surfaces including wood, brick, and concrete
- BASF Tested
- Environmentally friendly
- Two coat system = 25-year warranty
- It has a similar look to latex paint
- Recoating is possible to change color
Cons
- Only for exterior use
- Not for use on boats or vehicles
- Use on rigid, non-moving surfaces only
- Rhino Shield is only available through independent dealers
- Requires application by an authorized dealer, so not DIY friendly
- More expensive than regular paint
- It won’t prevent rust on its own
- Pricing varies by IDN (independent dealer)
- Not for use on marine locations or vessels
Rhino Shield – Applicable Surfaces
Most Rhino Shield applications require application with a professional spray paint rig, although in rare cases, the application can be rolled or brushed on. In all cases, the application must be made by experienced and authorized professionals. It is not a product that you can or should apply yourself.
The thick coating of Rhino Shield works the same as paint, making it applicable for exterior uses on almost every surface, for residential, commercial, or industrial settings. If you need a Rhino Shield product that you can use for interior spaces, you’ll do better with the line Nature’s Cote. However, there’s Rhino Shield’s product, Super Shield, which works for commercial or residential roofing.
If you wish to keep the natural look of wood, you can use Rhino Shield’s Protect Stain and Sealer. This clear sealer works as a water repellant while refreshing and protecting old surfaces. This wood sealer uses micronized silicone additives to prevent mold, mildew, algae formation, and sheeting (water intrusion).
Exterior
Rhino Shield’s thick base and similar behavior to regular paint mean it can adhere to nearly any surface without issue. You can use Rhino Shield on exterior walls and roofs to waterproof or for protection from UV rays, water damage, microscopic growths, and for structural integrity. You can use Rhino Shield to protect exterior surfaces, including brick, stucco, metal, wood, block, James Hardie siding, or vinyl siding. The water-repelling nature of the ceramic elastomeric material means there’s less risk of water damage to the structure. When using Rhino Shield on metal though, you will also need to use a rust preventative, as RS does not prevent corrosion on its own.
What Is Rhino Shield Used For?
The durability and beauty of Rhino Shield mean you can use it almost anywhere and on just about any type of exterior surface material. Check out the various uses for exterior residential, commercial, and industrial settings. It’s really helpful to use when working with mixed material surfaces that require the same protection since Rhino Shield paint is versatile enough for use on many different materials.
Residential
Rhino Shield coatings can be the perfect combination of protection and appearance for giving your home’s exterior a beautiful and functional upgrade. One of the biggest selling features, besides its stunning look and durability, is the extended lifespan. Rhino Shield does not need recoating as frequently as regular paint, nor will it chip, crack, or peel (per the 25-year product warranty).
Another significant feature of Rhino Shield is the wide availability of compatible materials. You can apply Rhino Shield on your exterior surfaces, including on block, brick, wood, metal, stucco, and vinyl siding, plus on shingle or metal roofs. There are over 1500 color choices, including color matching for a custom shade, letting you pick any color you desire. In addition, you can apply Rhino Shield as the exterior’s accent color on trim and other structural elements.
Expert tip: Check out Color Choice Paint Visualizer to see how your color choices look before deciding on a Rhino Shield shade.
Commercial
Rhino Shield also has special formulations that make it suitable for commercial buildings’ roofs, both sloped or flat, and walls of multiple substrate materials, like wood, stucco, metal, brick, cement, or block. Once applied to the substrate, Rhino Shield won’t peel, crack, chip, or corrode. Plus, it waterproofs and reflects UV rays. You can use Rhino Shield on commercial buildings like warehouses, condominiums, retail stores, churches, professional buildings, hotels, apartment complexes, multi-family homes, offices, and much more.
Industrial
The industrial formula of Rhino Shield consists of water-based epoxies, high gloss polyurethanes, ceramic epoxies, rust inhibitors, and encapsulators. This concoction of ingredients makes it more resistant and durable than the RS you’d use for residential settings.
It has multiple uses for warehouse floors, high-use outdoor railings, car wash bays, metal roofs, potable water tanks, parking garages, chemical storage tanks, and industrial steel poles, to name a few. In terms of appearance, you can get a shade that color matches your existing business color. Or you can find colors that meet OSHA safety requirements. As a point of interest, industrial Rhino Shield paints are a preferred product for coating fighter jets and wind tunnels.
Rhino Shield vs. Paint
While Rhino Shield works like paint to coat a surface and give it the color, it’s not the same thing as paint. Instead, RS is a coating that goes on much thicker than paint and provides advanced protection.
Check out the chart below for a comparison of Rhino Shield vs. paint.
| Content-Type | Rhino Shield | Paint |
| Water | 21% | 60% |
| Plasticizers | 46% (Elastomeric resins) | 17% |
| Pigments | 17% | 12% |
| Fillers | 16% (Mildewcides & Ceramics) | 11% |
| Solid to Water Content | 80% | 40% |
| Dried Thickness | 8 to 9 mils | 1 to 1.5 mils |
Rhino Shield will contract and expand with the natural movement of walls while paint doesn’t. Paint also doesn’t pass federal wind-driven rain specifications, while RS does.Plus, most paints will neither resist mold, algae, mildew, or salt air corrosion nor reflect UV rays while RS is resistant and UV reflective.
How Much Does Rhino Shield Cost?
Rhino Shield is a more expensive product compared to traditional paint jobs. However, when you weigh RS’s enhanced features like thicker coat application, wider color choice, extended lifespan, warranty, advanced protection, and reduced need for touch-ups and reapplications, the money is worth it. Rhino Shield can save you money over using traditional paint by reducing the costs for damages or repairs, less money spent on recoating, and an impressive warranty and lifespan.
The price of a Rhino Shield application will vary based on location, the size and requirements of the home, business, or commercial building, the amount of preparation and labor, and by different professional dealers. However, you can expect to pay between $4 and $7 a square foot on average. The cost per gallon for ceramic paint is around $60, but you should expect to spend approximately $12,000 to cover the price of materials and labor for a full exterior cover job.
As a comparison point, working with latex paint can save you money all across the board. For example, you would only spend about $3,700 for an equivalent professional paint job, and one gallon of paint runs $15 to $30. You can save even more money with latex paint by doing the job yourself, which isn’t an option when working with ceramic Rhino Shield paint.
Can You Paint Over Rhino Shield?
One of Rhino Shield’s biggest selling features is the guaranteed lifespan of 10 to 25 years, with warranties giving you protection for up to 25 years. The extended longevity of the paint product means there will be no need for frequent repainting, as you would with latex. It is also possible to recoat the old layer with a new layer of RS in a new tint.
It is important to note though, you don’t have the option to apply, or re-apply, Rhino Shield yourself. Therefore, if you want to paint over your existing Rhino Shield layer with a new layer to change the color or to make repairs, you’ll face the higher costs of a professional install.
Can You Put Rhino Shield on a Wood Deck?
The thickness of a two-step Rhino Shield coating makes it suitable for numerous surfaces, which includes wood, and more specifically, wood decks. Rhino Shield can also help protect wood decking boards from water damage, mold, mildew, moss, lichens, and structural problems like cracking, rotting, splintering, or swelling. It also keeps wood deck boards safe from fading in the sun, damage from UV rays, and thermal expansion.
Rhino Shield should not be used in place of a wood sealant, though. Although Rhino Shield will repel water and reduce the chances of the wood absorbing standing water, it won’t prevent the wood from damage completely.
Can Rhino Shield Be Used on Vinyl Siding?
The versatility of Rhino Shield means you can even use it to give vinyl siding a fresh look without the expensive costs of residing the whole house. However, when using Rhino Shield, or any ceramic coating, you might want to go with a lighter surface color. The darker the color, the higher the risk of the siding warping.
The siding’s gauge, or thickness, will also affect which color of Rhino Shield to use. The thinner the vinyl, the more at risk it will be of buckling or warping due to heat absorption. Picking a lighter color will reduce how much heat the vinyl will absorb, while going with a darker color means it will absorb more heat, posing a more serious risk of material warpage.
Rhino Shield Problems
One of the biggest issues with using Rhino Shield ceramic paint is that it can be problematic should the need arise to perform touch-ups to a small piece or section. If there are significant problem spots, the surface may require re-applying the Rhino Shield coating over the entire area rather than treating small areas.
Having Rhino Shield coverage can also be an issue if you have a phobia about committing to a long-term look. Once you have a color applied, the only way to change to a new hue is to add a new layer over the top of the existing coat.
Customers claim to experience other issues when using Rhino Shield include a surface that cracks, peels, chips, and bubbles with colors that experience fading and dullness, similar to regular paint.
Is Rhino Shield Worth It?
Rhino Shield is a fantastic product for exterior residential, industrial, and commercial use. This ceramic elastomeric coating offers protection to surfaces from issues caused by water and enhances the structure’s visual appearance. Additionally, Rhino Shield works on almost all materials, making it suitable for just about every project. Plus, there’s also 1500 color choices available or custom-made colors if you’re in the market for a tint that matches your existing options.
