Industrial coatings help preserve your company’s construction and manufacturing appliances, machinery, and building infrastructure. Those protective coatings may help your equipment last longer, but what can you do to ensure the longevity of the industrial coating itself? With the right maintenance, your industrial coatings can stay durable and strong.
At Brush Brothers Painting Inc., we offer high performance coatings that can withstand extreme temperatures, weather, and operation. Engineered for long-term durability and tailored to meet your unique application requirements, these coatings adhere strongly and prevent degradation. Check out the many coating systems we offer and call us for coating maintenance today.
Try these 6 maintenance tips to extend the life of your industrial coatings:
1. Regular Cleaning
Routinely cleaning your surfaces is an effective way to maximize the lifespan of your coatings. Washing coatings often prevents grease, dirt, oil, salt, and chemicals from building up and degrading your industrial finish. Ensure that the cleaning tools and detergents you use are compatible with the coating type. Avoid abrasive cleaning chemicals and rinse surfaces thoroughly to remove all soap deposits. Pressure washing is a popular cleaning technique for industrial coatings, though you must be careful to avoid chipping any surfaces with high-pressure water.
2. Maintenance Coatings
By occasionally adding new topcoats to high-traffic areas, or re-coating damaged spots, you can avoid fully replacing your industrial finish. These maintenance coats help to prevent wear and corrosion from spreading, and restore protection to compromised surfaces. Handles, levers, hallways, and railings that take on more use should be considered for maintenance coatings around every 3 years.
3. Routine Inspections
Schedule routine examinations to inspect your coatings for early signs of chipping, thinning, cracking, peeling, blistering, or eroding. Monitor areas with high wear that are exposed to harsh weather, foot use, or high traffic. Keep track of wear patterns and document zones that will need regular inspection. Look for discoloration, rust, bubbling, flaking, shine loss, or cracks. When you keep an eye out for the small issues, you can address problems quickly and prevent great damage to your finishes and equipment surfaces. Invest in professional inspections to diagnose problems, plan future maintenance, and maintain valid warranties.
4. Prompt Repairs
If your inspections uncover any compromised spots on your coating, it’s essential to address the issue before the wear spreads or surfaces start to corrode. Small scratches and light scrapes may seem like no big deal, but can lead to big holes and deterioration over time. With big damage spots, you will have to make bigger repairs, stripping old paint and recoating surfaces, but small issues can be touched up with cleaning and small maintenance coats.
5. Surface Preparation
When it’s time to coat your surfaces, add a maintenance layer, or make small touchups, it’s important to properly prepare the base material. This is done by scraping away chipped coats and existing finishes, removing any debris or corrosion deposits, and cleaning off dust for a dry and level surface. With professional surface preparation, you can utilize techniques such as dry ice or sand blasting. Taking the time to set up a clear and even space helps the industrial coating sit flush and adhere more easily to the surface, preventing cracks and lifting.
6. Safe Storage
When putting away coated appliances and parts for later use or installation, the right storage methods will keep them protected and in good shape. Take measures to keep parts stored separately to prevent sticking, place them in a dry location to avoid water damage, use dust covers to keep off dirt and debris, and use padding to save parts from abrasions or cracks. Extend the life of your coated equipment by ensuring it is stored properly.
Signs Your Surface Needs to be Recoated
High-traffic areas, exposed zones, or heavily used parts need regular inspections and maintenance. Look out for these signs that your surfaces may need a recoating:
- Exposed metal or piping
- Visible damage such as scuffs, peeling, cracking, bubbling
- Loss of coating texture; gloss is now matte, rough coatings have smoothed out.
- Rust, corrosion, or cold growth
- Slippery floors, loose handles, stuck hinges, or wobbly railings.
Work with Brush Brothers for Industrial Coating and Maintenance
A leading name in the Ogden area for professional painting since 2008, Brush Brothers Painting Inc. has a team of talented painters and products of the highest quality. Whether you are looking for simple solid recoating or intricate designs like stripping or staining, we use precise and detailed techniques with quality, streak-free results. From high-temperature coatings to tank lining, pipe coating, and beyond, Brush Brothers has the solution for your company. Contact us for more information or to request an industrial coating estimate today!