Industrial coatings & lubricants Specifications · Technical guide
Surface preparation before industrial painting
A practical overview of contamination, cleanliness, surface profile, edges and inspection before coating application.
Identify the starting condition
Inspect for oil, grease, salts, dust, moisture, rust, mill scale, laitance, old coating and fabrication defects. Photograph representative areas and distinguish local defects from the general condition.
The starting point determines the practical route. A specification for new blast-cleaned steel cannot simply be transferred to an aged, partially coated structure without reviewing adhesion and compatibility.
Remove contaminants before creating profile
Oil, grease and soluble contamination can be driven into the surface or spread by later preparation. Use an approved cleaning procedure and verify the result before abrasive or mechanical work.
Dust and spent abrasive also require control. A surface can look visually clean while carrying contamination that interferes with wetting, adhesion or long-term protection.
Match cleanliness and profile to the system
Cleanliness describes what remains on the surface; profile describes texture and anchor pattern. Specify both with an applicable method and acceptance range for the selected coating.
Excessive profile can leave peaks under-protected, while insufficient profile can reduce adhesion. Reconcile the coating supplier’s approved data with the project specification before work starts.
Treat details and control the coating interval
Sharp edges, weld spatter, undercut, laminations and crevices make uniform coating difficult. Define grinding, rounding, repair or stripe coating and inspect these details before broad application.
Prepared surfaces can recontaminate, oxidise or collect condensation. Set the permitted interval, environmental checks and reassessment route, then record preparation method, result, date, location and deviations.
Use approved project documents as the authority
This guide structures a review. Product suitability, numeric parameters, compatibility, approvals and commercial terms must be confirmed for the selected material, equipment and order.