Q1: Does NAf's ice paint cause cancer?

A1: Naf's OMG! Premium Base Coat will absolutely not cause cancer. Our OMG! Premium Base Coat is specially formulated to use only the best and purest ingredients available. Unlike other calcium carbonate based ice paints, lab reports from EMSL Analytical, an independent testing company, have proven that OMG! Premium Base coat contains no crystalline silica. Naf's paint powder, which comprises 80% of our paints, are actually used in the food growing industries!

Q2: Can titanium dioxide in paints cause cancer?

A2: It depends whose it is and how it is used. Titanium Dioxide is a powerful whitening agent that is used in numerous high-quality ice paints, as well as in most household paints, cosmetics, and food colorings to help the product hide and appear white. In 2006, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reclassified the exposure from titanium dioxide (TiO2) dust from Class 3 (not classifiable for human carcinogenicity) to Class 2B (possible human carcinogen). While Naf's OMG! Premium Base Coat does have titanium dioxide in the formula, we only use a liquid form of the product to eliminate any respirable dust that may develop when pouring a bag of paint into the mixing drum. Because there is no TiO2 dust created, there is no exposure to this carcinogen. Other boxed or bagged ice paints that contain TiO2 will form a dust cloud when spilled or emptied exposing the rink employees to a dust which, according to the IARC, is a possible carcinogen.

Q3: Is our paint product environmentally safe, especially when it comes to disposal?

A3: Yes. We run an ice rink, and know how most facilities dispose of their ice. Our product is safe to dispose of in any of the most common methods: Dumping the ice in the snow pit; leaving it in the parking lot; letting the ice melt into the sand, etc. At our facility, we let the ice/OMG! Premium Base Coat paint melt into the sand and go back into the ground water without issue. There are no products in Naf's OMG! Premium Base Coat that are on EPA watch lists, and none are classified as hazardous or toxic. However, it is important to check with your local officials regarding proper disposal methods, since every municipality has its own waste disposal laws and regulations.

Q4: Can OMG! paints be used in our existing spray system (not just Naf's)?

A4: Of course! Other manufacturer's ice paints can damage your existing pump/spray system! Not Naf's. OMG! Premium Base Coat has a smaller particle size and is less abrasive than other paints, so our product can be used in any of the spray systems on the market today.

Q5: Can Naf's sprayer systems accommodate other brands of paint?

A5: Yes. Any ice paint can be used in the spray systems we manufacture. Other than regularly scheduled maintenance, our spray equipment has a usage load in one year of what most facilities will put on the pump in its lifetime, and we expect our sprayer systems to perform well with any paint. Of course, we can also say that in 3+ years of use with our own OMG! product, our current pump/spray system is still in perfect condition, and we have yet to replace the seal on the pump.

Q6: Did my paint fail (gray) because it is of poor quality?

A6: Probably not. Any ice paint can gray out under certain conditions regardless of the paints quality or cost. A brighter/whiter ice paint reflects more light and heat allowing a rink to have higher surface temperatures during the painting process. Because of this, a higher quality paint (brighter) should perform better in adverse conditions. However, with a properly refrigerated floor and using correct ice painting and making procedures, there is no reason for any ice paint to fail, regardless of price or quality.

The two main reasons ice paints fail are chemical contamination and temperature. If there are chemicals/oil on the sand or cement before the ice paint is applied, those impurities will work their way to the surface over time and take any ice paint with it. No ice paint produced on the market will stop this from happening - which is why it is very important for facilities to clean their floors before making ice.

Temperature, however, can be controlled, and Naf's OMG! Premium Base Coat is specially formulated to withstand higher temperature loads than other paints. For more information please call us directly and we will provide you with statistics.

Q7: Of all the white ice paints, which is least likely to cause skaters to trip?

A7: Naf's OMG1 Premium Ice Paint, of course. It is well known that as a skate glides through ice, friction is created. When the skate starts to cut through white ice paint surfaces, skaters have occasionally tripped. Why? Some (white) ice paints are extremely abrasive, with the same hardness as an iron pipe“ like trying to skate on 80 grit sandpaper, with a very high "trip potential" Not so with Naf's OMG! Premium Ice Paint which is about 75% less abrasive than the competition's paint. The potential for tripping is greatly reduced.

Q8: I heard about a lawsuit after someone who tripped over a logo! True?

A8: Probably not. We have heard this story many times. While we cannot definitively say there has never been a lawsuit about someone tripping over a logo (or cloth line or paint), there is no evidence regarding where this may have occurred at what facility?... in what town?...on what date? There is also no evidence of a lawsuit against any vinyl or cloth manufacturers or suppliers, which leads one to wonder if a lawsuit ever occurred.

We decided to test the possibility of this occurrence. We installed a vinyl logo in our rink right at the surface and had lots of skaters skate over it. While the logo ended up with some cuts in it, nobody tripped, and the skaters did not report any noticeable problems. Plus, we have never had any complaints regarding any installed logos or lines. The simplest way to prevent any chance of litigation from a logo, line, or even possibly from the white paint is proper and regular rink maintenance.

Q9: Does Naf's OMG! Premium Base Coat create a thermal barrier?

A9: No, but others do. Ice painters have always advocated 3 coats of ice paint, which corresponds to 9 bags of OMG! Premium Base Coat. As competition in the industry has started to heat up, we have heard the "3 coats" enthusiasts change their story, now saying any more than 2 coats will create a thermal barrier.

Here are the facts, both scientific and anecdotal. Heating and cooling is expressed in calories (energy) needed to heat (or cool) an object. It takes 7.3% more energy to cool the leading competition's paint than it does to cool our OMG! Premium Base Coat. Therefore, if our paint creates a thermal barrier needing less energy to cool it than our completion's paint, what kind of barrier would that be?

More anecdotally... a few years ago, a local company that manages 2 outdoor rinks asked us to deliver our OMG! Premium Base Coat for one of the rinks. They already painted the first rink using a competing product. About 2 weeks after installing our paint, there was an unseasonably warm, sunny day. The rink with our ice paint on it had frost on the surface, while the rink with the competing paint was melting. The manager admitted to us that in years past, the rink with the frost would have been melting as well. Since then, this customer will only use Naf paints.

If a rink with our ice paint on it only had frost, while a rink with the competition's paint was melting, it seems as if our competitor's paint created a thermal barrier“ not Naf's OMG! Premium Base Coat.