Lilypad,
a
new-to-market
paint
and
primer
system
that
is
engineered
to
act
as
a
dehumidifier
by
pulling
moisture
out
of
the
air,
promises
to
protect
homes
from
damage
caused
by
excess
moisture. 

The
paint
captures
moisture
when
humidity
rises
and
releases
it
as
humidity
falls,
helping
regulate
room
air
temperature
–
an
energy-performance
feature
that
can
impact
a
homeowner’s
cost-of-ownership.
The
innovative
concept,
which
has
the
financial
backing
of

D.R.
Horton
and

PulteGroup,
could
save
homebuilders
money,
as
excess
moisture
complaints,
callbacks
and
litigation
costs
builders
and
developers
billions
of
dollars
annually. 

Whether
or
not
Lilypad
can
break
through
as
a
scaled,
sustainable
business
in
the
nearly

$36
billion
North
American
paints
and
coatings
market,
time
will
tell.
Competing
with
the
sector’s
giants,

PPG
Industries
(US),

The
Sherwin-Williams
Company
(US],

Axalta
Coating
Systems
(US],

RPM
International
(US)
and

BASF
SE
(Germany),
will
be
no
mean
feat,
given
the
ongoing
research
and
development
commitments
and
investments
these
industry
leaders
pour
into
innovation.

At
least
for
the
moment,
Lilypad
appears
to
be
out
in
front
with
a
technological
moat,
albeit
with
a
price-point
–
$175
for
a
kit
that
includes
a
gallon
of
primer
and
a
gallon
of
paint
–
that
will
raise
eyebrows
among
homebuilding
purchasing
managers
looking
for
opportunity
areas
for
efficiencies.

In
an
interview
with

The
Builder’s
Daily,
Dr.
Derek
Stein,
founder
and
CEO
of
Lilypad’s
Sommerville,
Mass.-based
parent
company

Adept
Materials,
said
that
one
gallon
of
Lilypad
paint
can
absorb
more
than
a
soda
can’s
worth
of
water. 

“This
is
the
one
and
only
paint
that’s
on
the
market
that’s
designed
to
actually
absorb
moisture.
If
you
take
Lilypad
paint
and
apply
it
to
the
wall,
the
film
will
actually
absorb
excess
humidity
as
it
starts
filling
the
room,
and
then,
when
it
dries,
it
resets
itself
by
slowly
letting
it
back
into
the
space.
So
it’s
regulating
humidity,
Dr.
Stein
said. 

The
primer
aids
the
paint
by
controlling
vapor
flow,
ensuring
that
moisture
exits
into
a
ventilated
space
rather
than
collecting
in
the
walls.
It
will
release
any
trapped
moisture,
essentially
working
as
a
one-way
valve
for
water
vapor.
Even
as
the
paint
absorbs
moisture,
the
wall
remains
dry
to
the
touch. 

The
costs
associated
with
excess
moisture

The
excess
moisture
problem
is
particularly
pronounced
in
bathrooms,
which
rapidly
fill
up
with
moisture
when
the
shower
is
left
on
for
extended
periods
of
time.
According
to
Stein,
Lilypad
paint
has
enough
capacity
to
capture
the
moisture
produced
from
hot
showers,
which
keeps
the
humidity
levels
below
the
mold
threshold. 

Without
this
dehumidifying
capacity,
mold
can
accumulate
and
cause
long-term
health
problems
for
residents.
Almost
half
of
homes
nationwide
have
experienced
a
persistent
dampness
and
mold
problem,
conditions
that
strongly
correlate
with
a
rise
in
respiratory
illness
and
asthma. 

For
developers
and
builders,
these
health
issues
also
present
a
financial
liability,
as
complaints,
callbacks
and
litigation
tied
to
moisture-related
insurance
claims
can
prove
costly. 

D.R.
Horton
and
PulteGroup
decided
to
invest
in
Adept
Materials,
joined
by
Massachusetts
Clean
Energy
Center
(MassCEC),
a
state-run
economic
development
agency,
and
Point
Cove
LLC,
an
investment
firm.
In
2024,
the
homebuilders
led
a
$4
million
seed
round,
which
provided
the
funding
for
Lilypad. 

“They
appreciate
how
important
moisture
problems
are.
It
is
a
top-five
ticket
item
in
callbacks
and
litigation,”
Stein
said. 

Bathrooms
aren’t
the
only
rooms
of
concern.
Mold
issues
are
also
common
in
kitchens
and
laundry
rooms. 

“[Homebuilders]
spend
a
lot
of
time
and
money
addressing
issues
that
are
hard
to
pinpoint.
So
resilience
has
real
value,”
Stein
added. 

For
context,
today’s
energy-efficient
homes,
which
are
built
“tighter”
to
restrict
air
movement,
can
be
more
conducive
to
mold
growth
if
moisture
becomes
trapped
during
construction.
Moisture
intrusion
and
resulting
mold
are
leading
causes
of
construction
defect
lawsuits,
with
builders
often
held
liable
for
issues
arising
from
faulty
flashing,
poor
site
grading,
or
plumbing
failures.
Builders
may
pay
between
$1,000
to
$3,000
more
per
home
for
better
vapor
barriers
to
prevent
future,
more
costly
remediation.

Adept
Materials
also
worked
with
scientists
from
the
National
Laboratory
of
the
Rockies
to
test
the
temperature-regulating
effects
of
Lilypad.
The
researchers
found
that
Lilypad
can
reduce
energy
consumption
by
5%,
or
even
more
in
the
most
favorable
climates.

“The
way
that
the
water
is
working
in
the
paint
is
kind
of
like
a
phase
change
material.
When
it’s
released,
when
it’s
time
to
evaporate,
it
provides
a
cooling
effect,
the
same
way
that
our
sweat
cools
our
bodies.
And
when
it
gets
cold
and
clammy,
and
it
gets
absorbed,
it
releases
heat,
so
it
has
this
temperature-regulating
effect
as
well,”
Stein
said. 

Use
cases
for
this
technology

Lilypad
is
the
first
commercial
product
to
utilize
Vaporwisp,
a
moisture-regulating
technology
created
by
Adept
Materials.
It
is
first
going
direct
to
consumer,
but
PulteGroup
and
D.R.
Horton
have
expressed
interest
in
piloting
the
technology,
and
Adept
Materials
hopes
to
roll
out
the
product
to
the
homebuilding
sector
in
the
future
once
the
company
scales. 

Adept
Materials
also
partnered
with
the
Boston
Housing
Authority,
which
plans
to
deploy
Lilypad
paint
into
about
30
to
50
public
housing
units
in
the
city.
Once
they
apply
Lilypad,
the
housing
authority
will
conduct
controlled
tests
on
units
with
and
without
the
paint
to
assess
the
effectiveness
of
the
product. 

“The
developments
where
we’ll
be
piloting
this,
they
don’t
have
exhaust
fans
in
the
bathrooms.
If
you
have
something
that
can
soak
up
as
much
water
in
20
minutes
as
the
exhaust
fan
does,
it’s
much,
much
cheaper
to
put
on
a
lick
of
paint
than
to
go
in
and
do
ducting
work,”
Stein
explained. 

A
problem
that
can’t
be
ignored

The
idea
for
Lilypad
was
born
out
of
a
lab
at
Brown
University,
where
Stein
was
a
physics
professor
for
more
than
15
years. 

The
product
started
as
a
student
project
for
the
Solar
Decathlon,
where
the
team
built
a
solar-powered
home
and
uncovered
a
problem.
They
found
that
airtight,
energy-efficient
houses
trapped
too
much
moisture,
a
problem
that
didn’t
receive
much
attention.
This
realization
led
to
the
research
that
created
Lilypad. 

“People
are
working
on
air
tightness
and
energy
efficiency.
People
are
building
homes
that
are
more
and
more
like
beer
coolers,
and
are
able
to
hold
stuff
in.
That’s
great
for
thermal
efficiency,
because
you’re
not
letting
heat
in
or
out.
But
at
the
same
time,
those
same
buildings
tend
to
trap
in
moisture,”
Stein
said.
“While
everyone
was
focused
on
the
heat,
there
was
very
little
being
focused
on
dealing
with
those
moisture
issues.”