Basic Information About Paint Needed

Funny, I have been painting professionally since I was 10 and am now 45 and still can't fully explain what enamel paint is. The term was generally used for oil based paints, (semi-gloss or gloss) but now is used in conjunction with water based semi-gloss and gloss paints, so I would have to tend to believe it simply has to do with the sheen and properties of the paint, not the chemical makeup. Enamel paint is a finish paint. In industrial applications, we use enamel, (usually oil or alkyd based) over oxide primers for interior and exterior metal, such as pipes, doors or any other metal surface.

Epoxies, one or two part, are generally used as primers for industrial metal and concrete substrates. The one part epoxies you buy at your local hardware store are basically junk. They maybe ok for a garage or porch floor, but not for industrial use. We only use two part epoxies and they are very technical in application and there are many different epoxies for each individual application. The only time you can properly use an epoxy as a finish coat is when it is not exposed to uv rays. They will kill it. Inside water or oil tanks, industrial floors inside a building etc.. Seemingly simple, but quite complex in proper application.

I haven't used durathane in awhile and can't remember if it is a one or two part urethane system, but I believe two. Durathane is a brand name from Devoe coatings. It is a great top coat to epoxy for exterior metal. I used to use it alot on large (multi-million gallon) water storage tanks and piping.

The best advice I could ever give you is to call your local ICI-Devoe store and ask for the industrial coatings rep. Have them come over to your office and ask them to bring an industrial products manual. Pick their brains! They should be more than happy to educate you, (especially to use and specify their products). Take a look at the manual and you will see that it is very easy to select their products and systems for industrial applications. Then, if they don't give you a manual for you to spec out their products, they will give you their website which contains everything you will need. Many times, I simply call my rep and ask their advice for a coating system for particular applications.

in a nut shell, industrial coatings may seem simple, but are extremely complicated in their application. Profile, humidity, curing, thickness, testing, on and on and on. and on. Ask your local sales rep!

btw, if you are in Southern California and need a qualified contractor, (I am one of only a dozen or so truly qualified in the area), let me know!

Call a Industrial Paint Distributer!

They can supply you with all the information you would ever require.

I spent ten years as a spec writer in the paint and coating industry

My favorite saying was "where else would I get a paint spec?...from an old spec obviously"....do you see the nonsense in this concept?

enamel is basic paint terminology..like saying "rubber" but with many different forms

urethane is also basic terminology...comes in many forms...

Epoxy is basic terminology and is based on its curing mechanism...generally speaking a 60 year old technology....and overrated

Durathane is a brand name for a 2K isocyanate cured urethane...more advanced thin film technology

If I were responsible for new coating system specifications, I would be looking in a whole different area

I would look at polyaspartic technology, polyureas, moisture cured urethanes and fluorinated urethane technologies. These far outperform the old standbys. Be careful, preparation is 95% of the issue when using coatings. Improper preparation can result in premature failure.

Stay clear of polysiloxane technology. It is riddled with issues. It was the latest and greatest only a few years ago but numerous failures worldwide have proven the technology unready for market.

With moisture cured urethanes, do not believe the hype that you can paint on wet surfaces in 100% humidity conditions. This is just stupid advice. Ask BAPCO about their marine wharf application using moisture cured technology. Moisture cured urethanes offer awesome performance properties and when properly applied, will outperform any epoxy system. I have worked with a company in the USA www.enviroprotectivecoatings.com and they have consistently proven to be the best performer of all paint manufacturers I have ever tested. This includes all the huge brand names. I have tested all the epoxies against it and nothing has even come close to competing including polysiloxane technology.

If using Ultra high pressure water blasting, use sweet water...I have seen some use salt water...what a nightmare

Another good technology is chlor-rid...get your dissolved salts down to minimum levels < 5-10ppm if possible. It wreaks havoc under a coating system and leads to premature blistering and coating failure.

Invest in your coating system and your capital investment will last longer and offer you extended service. It is probably the most important investment you will ever make in your engineering career.