Minnesota winters drag your building through sleet and subzero temperatures before throwing it into the muggy heat of the next season. Dampness condenses on metal surfaces that are already coated in pollutants. Water collects in pockets, accelerating corrosion, and if that’s not enough, the sun doubles the rate of rust in humid conditions. In short, your building has no hope against rust. Not unless you coat it well, anyway. “I always admire a rusty business,” said no customer ever. Just as many executives say, “Before I decide to work for a company, I always check for dilapidated railings that are a second away from breaking into a hundred pieces.” If your rusty first impression is corroding your reputation, it’s time to put the sparkle back into your brand.
Understanding Rust-Resistant Paint
Contrary to popular belief, rust isn’t caused by H2O alone. Corrosion only occurs when atmospheric pollutants and salts mix with water to cause anodic oxidation. The metal itself oxidizes, which means that orange and brown palette isn’t merely ugly. It’s dangerous. A good coating keeps your metals out of contact with oxygen and water. That means an efficient solution is a nonporous one, but chemistry has a different rust-fighting paint to impress you: Some are like first responders, oxidizing ahead of the ferrous metals they defend. If it were as simple as choosing between two different strategies for your entire building, your coatings specialist would get home in time for Game of Thrones. Even The Iron Throne is prone to rust, though, and somebody has to cope with it.
Coatings are an art requiring a different blend of strategies for every bolt and rail in your building. Stainless steel and aluminium resist corrosion well, so they’re a simple solution, but not a perfect one. Even stainless steel can corrode in salty air, so if your building is near the sea, you’ll need a different solution that prevents galvanic corrosion. Anodic coatings can keep your rivets and screws brand new, while nonporous paints form a barrier between humid air and the larger metal surfaces beneath them. In plain English, they renew your building and then keep it looking fresh enough to impress even the fussiest of clientele.
The Stripping Process
Coating without thorough stripping is like treating a cut without cleaning it first. Rust forms more rust just as bacteria forms more bacteria. Leave the slightest bit of corrosion behind, and your paint will only mask the problem, ensuring that you need to replace all your metal parts when they ultimately break down far away from the human eye. Paint chipping must be treated with a solvent, while scratches require an abrasive buffer so that no pollutants are left behind to rust in secret. Blistering is a sign of hidden rust, so it must be exposed and sanded. In the end, your surface will be smooth and ready for primer.
The Importance of Priming
Your primer is your first layer of rust-resistance. It can treat large surfaces while preparing your building and signage for a massive range of colors. This way, you can wave goodbye to that shopfront with the muddy hues that didn’t quite look like the paint sample deck promised it would. You can paint your home half a shade away from your expectations, but your brand has a precision palette. Your clients will notice when your building doesn’t quite fit your advert. You wouldn’t greet your buyers in a mustard-stained suit, and your building should be just as impressive. A competent brand is aesthetically concordant and impeccable. Brand consistency increases revenue by 23%. If you don’t want those profits, you can pass them onto us. We need to bribe George R.R. Martin to put Tyrion Lannister on the throne.
More than 60% of businesses say the materials they order don’t conform to their brand guidelines, and that lack of precision can lead to a decidedly unprofitable quality gap. The right coatings specialist will take your guidelines seriously, and the first step to that result lies in the priming of your space with nonporous latex, shellac, or rust-resistant oil-based primer. The better your surface is primed, the cheaper your painting will be. Your primer can even prevent future rust.
Paint is more than just a pretty layer. There are NS4 anti-rust coatings and paints with inbuilt heat resistance. There are coatings with stainless steel flakes, and resin/lubricant blends that form nonporous layers. Whether you choose chemical resistance or weathering protection, a throne-worthy contractor will create just the right strategy for every part, from your handrails to your service doors and stair systems. An immaculate commercial front is a lasting one, so choose a contractor who’s committed to keeping your building sparkling long after the world has forgotten what an iron throne even is.
