Cover & Protecting – Industrial Painting in Pennsylvania & Maryland
One of our favorite customers our of Philadelphia recently asked for our industrial painting services in one of their main production rooms. PennCoat always enjoys a painting challenge, and gladly considered the project. What they had to show us was a room that needed its ceiling painted. The ceiling was corrugated, and lined with bar joists, sprinkler piping, lights, conduit, and a large air duct. Ordinarily, this is a common challenge, and our approach is to pressure wash the substrates, and then paint the surfaces.
However, in this particular case, there was a large piece of machinery that occupied nearly 50% of the room. Not only was this an obstruction that required special consideration regarding which lifts to use, but we also couldn’t pressure wash the room. What we ultimately chose to do was use the facility’s air pressure system to air clean the substrate. But before we were able to do any of that, we first had to cover and protect all the equipment, walls, and floor.
The floor received 6mil plastic. The 6mil plastic extra durable, and can handle the lifts running over them, without tearing. The walls and equipment received 1.5 mil wrap. Normally, if we pressure washed the room, then the walls and equipment would have received the 4mil plastic. But because water was not going to be used in this situation, we were able to use 1.5mil, without compromising the equipment being covered, or the walls.
If you’ll notice the picture above, an unexpected consequence of all this containment was that when we opened the door to bring in air flow, all of the plastic ballooned. All of this inflated plastic needed additional clasping, which accumulated for a few hours that were estimated with the original budget.
Once the containment was completed, the next step was to air blow all the substrates using high pressure air. The high pressure air worked really well, removing a lot of dirt and debris that had accumulated over the years. And it was a good thing that we covered the floors & equipment prior to blowing, because it was a dusty mess once the air blowing started. Which is why it’s a great idea to remember your PPE’s and always wear a dust mask in these situations.
Once the ceiling, bar joists, dust, and pipes were prepped with high pressure air, we were able to apply the industrial paint. We selected to use an alkyd dryfall for this area. Dryfall is a recommended product for ceilings, or painting other substrates that are above or near items that aren’t meant to be painted. When dryfall gets airborne, it quickly drys up, and falls on the ground in clumps that can be swept up, preventing it from sticking to the surface. We used an alkyd because of it’s adhesions performance. Acryllics have really good adhesion too, but alkyds do offer a greater adhesion. And when you’re unable to brush and roll the paint into the substrate, it is best to use the stickiest paint, and alkyd wins that contest.
Once the work was completed, we removed all of the plastic, and departed from the facility, leaving our customer from Philadelphia with a nice, reflective white ceiling.
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.