From time to time, you’ll need to deploy a lick of paint in your business. Whether it’s for aesthetic or practical reasons – or both – a coating of paint is often needed to provide the finishing touch to machinery, buildings, vehicles and a host of other things.

Yet, this isn’t as simple as painting at home. You can’t just pop to the local DIY store and pick up a tin and get cracking. Industrial paint work has to be carefully planned and executed to have the desired effect.

Specifically, you need to think about cleaning, preparing your surface, picking the paint that will do the job for you and the method of application.

Cleaning

A dirty surface is one that is not fit for painting. Dirt, grease, dust or mould cannot just be painted over. This will simply store up a problem that could leave you in trouble down the line. Take the time to have a thorough clean of any surface – with particular attention to grease or mould – or your efforts will be undermined before they begin. Take a look at this video on YouTube to see some industrial grease removal in action and see what the process entails.

Surface preparing

Cleaning is only the start; a surface also needs thorough preparation. You might well want to remove the previous layer of paint or strip away any rust, for example, to return it to its original state. Such tasks can be carried out in controlled conditions in a blast cabinet. Without this, the paint that you apply might well not grip to the surface. Some paints carry a guarantee with them to last a certain length of time if they are applied after the right level of surface preparation.

Choosing the right paint

There are lots of factors that need to be considered when it comes to selecting the right paint for your job. First, you need to consider the surface – some paints are more suited to metal, plastic, wood, etc. Then you need to consider the environment that the surface will be exposed to. Specialist paint can handle exposure to the elements when positioned outdoors or the sorts of extreme temperatures that can occur in an industrial setting. Then, it’s time to consider aesthetics. Is your surface customer-facing? Does it need to display your branding? If this is the case then, clearly, the way that it looks matters too.

How to apply the paint

There’s more than one way to apply your chosen paint. This will depend on the paint and the surface in question, but it’s important to be aware of the different methods and their relative strengths. As this blog demonstrates, there are principally five different ways to get this done: sprays, rollers, dip coating, brushing or airless spraying. Take some time to research which of these is the most appropriate to your circumstances.

Once you’re cleaned, prepared, painted and armed with the right paint and method of application you’re good to go.