Industrial Painting in Pennsylvania & Maryland
We were on site painting the exterior of a food manufacturing factory. One of the site’s maintenance personal directed us towards their silo. It was experiencing paint failure, where the system was not adhering properly to the substrate.
The coating can be seen blistering and bubble, and the exposed steel can be seen where the paint already failed, and was released from the substrate. The result is an unsightly tank that exposes steel to the weather and other elements that can cause damage to the surface.
The first step to the project is to prepare the surface. With large tanks, specifically ones already experiencing paint failure, the best course of action is to use a pressure washing system. Initially, we believed that the existing industrial paint was adhering well to most of the substrate. However, after we started pressure washing, it was evident that the coating was going to come off pretty easily.
So regardless of what our intentions were, the entire coating system removed with very little effort. What this let us know is that the entire coating system was on the brink of failure. And, although it proved to be a little more work cleaning up, it makes for a better prep job, which will allow better adherence to the substrate.
Because the substrate is already corroded and rusty, we elect to use a rust inhibitive primer that will penetrate and adhere to the steel better than paint. This rust-inhibitive primer has a low viscosity, which allows the material to penetrate and cross-link into the surface of the steel. Additionally, the rust-inhibitor is moisture cured. So any moisture that attempts to make contact with the substrate, will cause the rust-inhibitive primer to cure harder.
Another issue that displayed itself was the joint at the perimeter edge of the tank.
The caulk began to dry out, and lost adhesion with the concrete and the tank. This allowed moisture to enter beneath the tank, and make contact with the substrate, allowing rust to contact the steel from underneath. To correct this paint problem, we removed the failed caulk, installed backer rod, and reapplied a new application of a polyurethane sealant. The final result was a big improvement over the old caulk.
One of our most commonly used paints is an high-solids acrylic urethane. The benefit of this coating is that it has excellent adhesion. The adhesion was the customer’s biggest concern with the previous failed coating. With an improved adhesion, this will relief the customer of his worries. Additionally, because it is an acrylic, the industrial paint will withstand constant UV exposure. Most solvent based and epoxy paints will amber and yellow with too much sun exposure. Color retention is on of the best features that acrylic paints can offer, which is another selling point for using the acrylic based urethane on a 40 foot exterior tank.
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.