Commercial Painting - Understanding Industrial Coatings

The various classes of Industrial paints

Within a commercial setting anything and everything getting damaged due to the daily business of the worksite, being exposed to dust, wind, scrapes and chemical damage. It’s important that business owners prioritize and keep top of mind durability, toughness and utility when selecting their paints to ensure things stay painted over the lifetime of the business. There are lots of different types of industrial paints but they all share a common goal, to shield the layer that they are covering. Here are some industrial coatings you’ll see used frequently on a job site with some of their use cases and unique characteristics. 

Epoxy Paint Coats

Epoxy paints are a high quality and high performing paint with robust film formation and chemical makeup. A bonus of Epoxy paint is the relatively fast drying time and thus are very appropriate to be used in commercial and industrial settings where things require the highest level of protection. From wear and tear to water damage and chemical exposure this paint does it all. This paint is found in many commercial settings and are usually used on the floor, in particular on concrete because of these various benefits:

• It’s flexible and builds film thickness
• Affordable, highly durable, long lasting and shock resistant. 
• Improves grip and isn’t slippery allowing for safer working.
• Highly visible with a glossy shine that is very bright when reflecting light allowing for safer worksites.
• Chemically resistant and water resistant. 

Alkyd Paint Coats

Alkyd may sounds like a strange word but it actually originates to mean acid or alcohol. This makes sense when we see that this pain type can create a film. Alkyd is not as durable and tough as epoxy paint coats but it still does a great job at being physically tough and highly visible with it’s bright shine. 

Alkyd paints can be used in a variety of settings to the usual inside or outside of buildings to more creative uses such as under water and subterranean use cases. Alkyd paints actually use a oxygen to create a chemical reaction that results in a very durable and ever lasting paint. This type of paint does take time to dry however because the oxygen needs to be spread throughout the layers of paint. 

Alkyd can be seen everywhere and is extremely popular for area with high traffic such as airport lobbies and schools. Alkyd paints are really easy to clean which is a great bonus and when dry have a bright shine which does not discolour or dull for very long periods of time.

Polyurethane Pain Coats

Polyurethane is chemically identified as a polymer belonging to the sub category of chemicals commonly called carbamates. Polyurethane doesn’t melt when heated at extreme temperatures but instead burns. Polyurethane paints are great because they can be changed to suit the occasion having a shiny, matte, transparent or blurry effect.

Polyurethane paints are extremely tough and is the most customisable paint due to it’s temperature characteristics and how easy it is to use. 

This type of paint is also more stretchy which means that it can hold its coat and paint even during very low temperatures such as below 2°C.

Metal Paint Coats

Metallic paints contain a very small layer of metallic film which are primarily used for visual effect or commercial use cases. Metal Paint Coats have the appearance of being “metal” like and can be put into spray form, chemical or electrochemical use. This is best used for machinery or components that you want to appear shiny whilst keeping the layer underneath away from the sun, the air and general wear and tear. 

These paints are tough and do not mark easily, nor do they attract friction very easily either. It also contains great reflective capabilities and looks fantastic in a visual setting. This is likely the most cost effective choice when it comes to using paints in a very unforgiving and rough environment. 

Duration of Industrial Painting Projects 

This is a tough topic to provide a concrete answer for as there are many variables at play such as the ease of access to the area being painted as well the number of coats needed to achieve the desired result. 

Most commonly smaller jobs to moderately sized jobs can span over days to weeks when performed by experienced painting professionals. It is possible to increase the speed of project completion but this usually comes at the extra cost of additional man power and labour. One must also consider traffic considerations such as redirecting traffic from busy areas while painting is done or while waiting for the paint to dry. It’s common for most industrial paints to have a cure duration of 14 days or more which will allow the paint to mature and set into its primary functioning state. While the paint is forming it’s crucial that you do not touch it and let it sit at the appropriate temperature to form correctly. 

Choosing The Right Industrial Coating

Paint is not just paint and industrial coating is no exception. Industrial coating has the express and specific purpose of being a shield to create a barrier between the underlying layer and the unforgiving environment it’s operating in. While modern steel, plastics and concrete are very tough they can still all fall victim to everyday wear and tear and must be adequately protected with industrial coating to ensure their longevity. 

Common things that industrial coating protects are floors, walls, buildings and machines. These paints can also be applied in different ways that require the paint to be made a certain way for that application. Spray paint, dip paint and brush paint and some examples and the choice is yours which one best suits your needs. 

Identifying the Substrate

It really depends on the use you’re after for the paint as different paints are made with different materials and this can cause difficulties when it comes to regulations around food safety and other restrictions within certain industries. Depending on what paint you use on different types of surfaces, the surface itself can change the result making it more or less superior to other paints. 

Temperature

The temperature of the surface the paint is being applied to will also change its properties and how the paint itself will cure. What is the temperature that the material itself will be subjected to over the lifetime of its use? This will also have an affect on the paint and should be considered as well. 

Conditions for drying

A really popular error that is frequently made by commercial manufacturers is when the paint looks dry but it isn’t. So they pack the product ready for shipping when the paint isn’t fully developed. When this happens it causes the durability of the paint to suffer and can lead to the paint being damaged, cracked and it can show signs of peeling. This leads to a dissatisfied customer and poor presentation on products. Thus it’s important to consult your paint manufacturer on the correct temperature to dry your paint with. 

Maintenance

One of the best things about industrial coating is that aside from cleaning on a semi regular basis is that they’re very low maintenance. The most crucial part is that they are applied correctly and then given the best time to cure. That way their durability is top notch and longevity is promised. 

This is why it’s important to work with the right painting professionals because they’ll be able to tell you everything you need to know and be able to apply it in the best and most efficient way. This way you you’ll get the long lasting result and truly be happy with your investment.

To hear more about our painting services in Ballarat and how we can help you, call us on 03 4828 1320 or visit our website to see the services that we offer here.