Staining of metal structures: objectives and technology

Metal structures have a number of advantages in comparison with structures made of reinforced concrete, and in the first place this is a much smaller mass while maintaining the necessary strength. In addition, metal structures can be made collapsible, and their erection is possible in any period of the year. But metal structures must be protected from the harmful effects of environmental factors (sun, water, wind, temperature drop), and along with special methods of protection (cementing, nitro-cementing), a method such as metal painting is used. The coating layer can protect the metal from all the above factors. Among other things, painting, metalwork is also used to give the structure aesthetic appearance.

Particular attention should be given to the choice of coating. The paint for the metal must be special, with certain characteristics. At present, with this there are no difficulties, each company-manufacturer includes in its line of specialized paints for metal.

Staining of metal structures is a responsible and time-consuming work, for which professional skills are needed . This is due not only to the technology of coating, but also because such structures are quite large and it is not so easy to apply a coat of paint on them. Such structures are often painted by the method of industrial mountaineering, which only professionals can do.

Painting of steel structures begins with mandatory preparation of the surface. Such preliminary work is needed to improve the adhesion (adhesion) of the coating and the metal elements. First you need to remove the old cover, if any. Then, chipping and traces of corrosion are carried out. The next step will be cleaning the entire surface with a manual, mechanical or abrasive blasting method from dirt and dust - this step should never be missed, even if the surface looks clean. On the metal there are always foreign particles, and if they are not removed, the paint will roll down from the elements of the structure or lie in an inhomogeneous layer, which will lead to the fact that the coloring of the metal structures will be made poor.

Then, if possible, surface grinding is performed - this procedure also helps improve the adhesion of paint and metal. The next step is degreasing, it is carried out with the help of alkaline, acidic or emulsion agents. After this washing it is necessary to wait - the structure must be completely dry before painting. The last preparatory procedure is priming - processing in one or two layers of special materials, the second layer is applied only after the first layer dries completely. After the primer, you can proceed directly to staining.

The only thing to remember about is not to make big breaks between surface preparation, priming and applying paint, because the structural elements can be re-contaminated and the coating will not be easy to fall. But if all the works are done correctly, the service life of the coating will be at least 3.5 years.