Pointers on painting

Dan Szczepanik, director of marketing, transportation and sign segments for the product finishes division of Sherwin-Williams (www.sherwin-williams.com) offers some considerations and advice when considering vehicle paint. The company is an industry leader in the development of technologically advanced paint and coatings.

How can selecting the appropriate vehicle paint help prevent rust and corrosion?

When minimizing rust and corrosion, it’s important to take a holistic view.

First, evaluate the substrate and ensure no dissimilar metals are touching. Then, clean and abrade the substrate. Or, for even better results, pretreat it with a three-, five- or seven-stage application.

Next, select a quality primer (high solids, anti-corrosive package, 2K (2 component) epoxy or urethane, or even a zinc-rich primer for extreme environments. Primers that also facilitate increased throughput with wet-on-wet application, reduced bake temperatures or reduced needs for labor in the application process provide even more benefits.

Regardless of your primer selection, you should then follow it with a high solids 2K acrylic urethane single stage. Remember to achieve the film builds recommended, as this is critical and can affect long-term corrosion protection.

For the ultimate in long life, choose a basecoat/clearcoat as the topcoat. This will provide the longest gloss and color retention, and the extra film build will provide a thicker barrier to protect from salt and chemical attack.

What are some chief considerations when deciding upon a paint?

First, look at the chemistry. Is it a 1K (1 component) alkyd (good) or is it a 2K epoxy (best) primer. The same goes for topcoats. Is it a 1K alkyd (good) or a 2K acrylic urethane (best)?

Next, ask: What are the spray volume solids? You do not want to pay top dollar for low solids paint, as these have a high level of inexpensive solvents that leave the film and add no value to the long-term performance of the coating.

It’s also important to understand color availability. After all, there are two main reasons you are painting vehicles: protection and appearance. A paint system with an extensive color library and color tools is a must.

Finally, do you know how the paint is being distributed? The best service and solutions come from suppliers that own and control formulation, manufacturing, distribution and service – all under the same umbrella – with a complete focus on the paint and the customer.

How important is it to properly repair small scratches, nicks and spots where the paint may have flaked off to prevent rust and corrosion?

We all would love a paint system where no maintenance is required over the life of a fleet. But the reality is, vehicles will get dinged, scratched and abused. When this happens, you are opening corrosion opportunities in the armor.

The good news is that if you have chosen a quality paint system, the damage will not happen immediately. The primer initially protect that scratch or ding. But for long-term protection the damage needs to be fixed.

With today’s fleet paint systems, you can color match and blend the damaged area without repainting large sections or the entire vehicle. The cost of this repair will be much smaller than the long-term cost of ignoring the damage.