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Spill a lot? NeverWet's ready to coat your gear

Waterproof and water-resistant products have nothing on NeverWet. The superhydrophobic coating, now available in stores, repels liquids like you've never seen before.

Christopher MacManus
Crave contributor Christopher MacManus regularly spends his time exploring the latest in science, gaming, and geek culture -- aiming to provide a fun and informative look at some of the most marvelous subjects from around the world.
Christopher MacManus
2 min read
Chocolate syrup glides off a shoe coated with NeverWet. Screenshot by Christopher MacManus/CNET

Imagine spilling red wine or chocolate syrup on your shirt, only to watch it glide off as if nothing ever happened in the first place. Hogwash? No, it's called NeverWet.

Awhile back, I wrote about NeverWet, a superhydrophobic coating that can be applied to nearly any surface and repels liquids startlingly well. To bring NeverWet to the masses, developer Ross Nanotechnology licensed the product to Rust-Oleum, which recently started selling the spray for $19.97 at Home Depot.

The NeverWet package contains two cans -- a base and top coat -- capable of covering 10 to 15 square feet with water-repelling action on a multitude of surfaces including metal, wood, fabric, and plastic. The base coat takes about 30 minutes to dry, and the top coat takes another 30 minutes to cure.

Unfortunately, it's not wise to use NeverWet on transparent surfaces like glass, as the spray dries with a frosted appearance. A clear-drying version is in the works, according to a NeverWet representative that spoke with Lancaster Online.

An FAQ included with the NeverWet instructions (PDF) advises that you not use the coating on electronics. However, in a video demonstration created by Lancaster Online, a NeverWet employee shows a brief step-by-step process on how to make an iPhone waterproof for up to half a foot of water. We don't recommend you try coating your own electronics with NeverWet, but it sure makes for an interesting demonstration!

Watch the jaw-dropping liquid-repelling abilities of NeverWet in the following video.