Working with Industrial Paint Coatings

When it comes to working with industrial paint coatings, there’s a wide range of helpful tips that will ensure you get the best possible look. Today, we’ll cover several tips for applying industrial coatings and we’ll discuss some of the common terms used in the industrial painting market.

Properly Cleaning Surfaces

One of the most important things you can do before you paint anything is properly cleaning the surface you’re painting. You’d be surprised how many people do this. They clean the surface, but not properly. In return, you get a bad application. All surfaces need to be properly cleaned and prepped.  Otherwise, the paint will be adhering to the contamination or residue remaining on the substrate.  This will weaken the bond that the paint is supposed to have with the surface, which will ultimately create a situation where paint failure is more likely to occur.

Using The Right Material

There’s no shortcuts when it comes to applying industrial coatings correctly. Always make sure that you use approved primers and topcoats. The correct material can be determined based on the environment and expected performance of the paint.  For areas with UV exposure, you’ll want to select a color stable paint (typically acrylics and other water based paints have great color retention).  If the paint is indoors, and being applied to steel, oil based paints are an excellent selection.  Oil based paints are great for coating steel because they won’t cause the steel to rust.  And also because oil based paints are less viscus than water, they will have better penetration into a steel surface, and have a stronger bond.  These are considerations that need to be made when selecting a paint for an area.  .

Proper Spray Gun Adjustments

This is common sense here, ALWAYS make sure you adjust your spray gun before you apply coats. Adjustments are based of how thick to apply the paint, the spray distance, and viscosity of the paint, and the application expectations.  Always do a test spray if needed.  Make sure your spray gun is adjusted correctly. If it’s not, you’ll be left with several types of issues. Choosing the proper air cap and fluid needle is essential for any job

Choosing The Right Solvents

Temperatures can affect your coatings, knowing what coats to use at different temperatures is vital to a great coating. You should always use solvent or catalyst according to the temperature of the spray area. Since a lot of industrial coats are applied outdoors, it’s a top priority before you apply coats. Using the wrong solvents can leave you with a mess.

Proper Flash Times Between Coats

Always follow the recommended recoat window for the industrial paint being applied to avoid trapping solvent. The problems associated with improper flash times (generally, not waiting long enough between coats) are due to the trapping of solvent within a paint film. This leads to long dry times, loss of gloss and solvent popping.

Know Your Application Area

Your spray area should be between 70 degrees and 85 degrees. If the temperatures fall below 60 degrees F, you shouldn’t be painting.  Temperatures this low can cause retardation with curing paints, which can lead to irregular gloss and sheen.

Get To Know VOC

VOC is a very common term you hear in the coatings industry. VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound. VOCs are released during application of industrial paint products and go into the atmosphere where they react with sunlight, auto emissions, and dust to cause pollutants known as Photochemical Smog. Oversprays contain VOCs and VOCs contribute to air pollution! VOCs are found in paints, primer, solvents and catalysts/hardeners.

Reducing VOC

There’s a few different ways to reduce VOC. One of the best ways to reduce VOC is by using top of the line spray applications. You may want to consider hi-volume low-pressure sprayer, also known as HVLP. You can also use electrostatic. Both of these require less paint, automatically reducing your VOCs.

You can also reduce VOC by reducing the amount of solvent added when mixing and spraying your paint. Always make sure you’re aware of the VOCs in coats.

PennCoat, Inc. has been providing industrial painting, commercial painting, epoxy flooring, and polished concrete services for nearly 30 years.  Our experienced installers are trained and equipped with the proper knowledge and tools to ensure that every installation is installed efficiently and safely.  PennCoat, Inc. provides service to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware.  And we cover York, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Chester, Montgomery, Baltimore, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Bucks, Berks, and other counties in the surrounding area.