Even in the harsh, New Jersey coastal environment, the proper industrial coatings can prevent equipment corrosion, and help maintain a clean appearance and work area. But that industrial coating system requires qualified industrial and commercial painting contractors to install these specialized systems.
It’s known that preparation is the most important step in any painting project. But in addition to this critical step, it’s just as important to know which coating system to apply in each specific situation. Interior substrates require interior coatings, while exterior surfaces need coatings that can tolerate challenging environments.
We recently tackled some industrial painting projects in the beautiful state of New Jersey. The customer had some roof top equipment that was severely corroded. And it was their intention that they wanted the equipment to have a new coating application to improve its appearance, but also that will prevent future corrosion.
Due to the excessive UV and weather, this roof top shed was suffering from severe corrosion. And additionally, the saline atmosphere amplifies the corrosive environment, leaving exposed steel vulnerable. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to restore.
The first step is to prep the surface. Mechanical hand tools are used to remove the rust and other calcified solids on the surface. But even though the rust is removed, there’s still contaminants and debris remaining on the substrate, which can impair proper adhesion. So the unit will need to be power washed to remove this debris.
Once the surface has been hand tooled and power washed, it will need a rust-inhibitive primer. Epoxies, or solvent paint can act as good primers. However, being outdoors, those products may amber over time. So thin film urethanes will be the best alternative.
We use a product called POR15. This thin film urethane uses cross-links to penetrate into the steel, to lock into the affected areas. This prevents the corrosion bleeding through the top coats, and resurfacing.
Once the rust inhibitive primer is applied, we selected a 2 component, mastic urethane. The masticides in the urethane give the product additional adhesion properties, making it a superior urethane compared to other urethane top coats. But not only does provide excellent adhesion, it also offers excellent UV resistant and chemical resistance. And considering these areas are in constant sun exposure, and saline atmospheric conditions, this mastic urethane proves to be the ultimate industrial coating system.
As the before and after picture proves, the mastic urethane top coat does an excellent job withstanding the relentless environment
Overall, this system proved to be an excellent option throughout the entire project. Rain, sleet, snow, nor UV rays could penetrate this coating application, leaving the steel protected from more corrosion. And as a testament, the industrial coating system maintained its integrity well after the intial installation. Because we went back for a 2nd site visit 32 months later, to see that everything was still properly coated.