Industrial Coating Maintenance: How to Prevent Corrosion and Extend Metal Lifespan

The facility maintenance team often need to protect metal surfaces from corrosion. Part of their strategy is to paint stairs, railings, tanks, and pillars more or less frequently, depending on environmental conditions and the quality of the coating. 

As Cortec’s Coatings Chemist, Jake Hemberger, explains, “The more time invested in surface preparation and a well-controlled application, the longer the coating will last and the less likely they will need to revisit the job in the future.” Hemberger recently shared some tips to help maintenance crews achieve that goal on painted metal surfaces.

Common Signs of Coating Failure in Industrial Environments

The first key is knowing when a coating needs to be replaced. Hemberger recommends an annual inspection, adjusted as needed based on factors such as coating type or traffic levels. “Signs of rust or blistering are the most straightforward indicators.” However, he suggests that maintenance teams can stay ahead of the problem by placing a sample coated metal panel in the same environment for easier inspection. Fading is another sign that the paint is ageing and may need replacement soon. “It’s not a full alarm, but it is a sign to keep an eye on the coating,” Hemberger points out.

Repainting Over Existing Coatings: What Maintenance Teams Need to Know

When it is time to repaint, surface prep is just as important as choosing the right coating, especially if rust has already set in or the paint has failed. It is not advisable to paint right over the problem: “If there is a paint failure and one paints directly over it, this may slow the failure, but it will still fail faster than desired,” says Hemberge. For localised failure, scraping the paint away until uncorroded metal can be found and removing or passivating the corrosion before repainting is recommended. 

If a coating has not yet failed but shows signs of ageing, the best practice is to remove the paint and apply a new system. “However, if that’s not possible, painting over existing paint is still doable, provided the surface is clean, there’s good intercoat adhesion, etc.” Instead, sanding the existing paint is a good way to promote better adhesion between the old and new coats of paint when removal is not possible.

Achieving Longer Results on a Never-Ending Job

Painting is an important part of routine upkeep. It is a job that never completely ends, but that can have longer-lasting results with the proper coating selection, surface prep, and application.