Successful applications of paints and coatings start well before the paint meets the surface. Maintenance managers must make a series of important decisions related to a host of issues, all with the goal of helping workers carry out the task effectively.
To ensure success, managers need to combine advances in new-generation paints and coatings formulated to meet growing user demands for performance and sustainability with savvy product specification of items ranging from brushes, rollers, and sprayers to ladders and scaffolding.
Paint jobs that meet performance and sustainability demands result from specifying appropriate products for the conditions. Managers also need to consider proper surface preparation and application practices, based on proven standards, that cover all phases of a project from specifying, purchasing, and receiving to cleanup and disposal.
In terms of product specification, managers need to apply product-performance standards related to wet- and dry-film thickness, abrasion resistance, indent hardness, drying time, adhesion, oil absorption, viscosity, electric resistance, anti-foaming, and odor control.
Formulation advances include solutions with higher standards of performance to address multiple problems. One example includes algae- and fungi-resistant antimicrobial paints that also have low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC). The paints offer very good protective performance.
Another example is an alkyd-resin exterior and interior enamel. With added technology to yield low VOCs, it also offers high sustainability and can be used on metal, wood, and gypsum-board substrates. Also, new alkyd, water-based paints dry with a hard, plastic finish to deliver increased performance and sustainability.
In terms of easier cleanup, some spray-on paints dry as the overspray falls, enabling faster cleanup. New metal-specific claddings also provide excellent exterior and interior protection. New primers combine to provide stain killing and sealing performance. And new polyurethane formulations for floors outwear many of their predecessors.
Successful Paint Applications
Specifying Paints for Performance and Sustainability
