While it’s hard to put an exact price tag on what concrete-floor coating failures cost building owners, contractors and retailers each year, two things are clear. First, these failures, nearly all of them avoidable, happen a lot. Second, if it happens to you, it costs too much. Concrete is a complex material and many issues […]
Why New Coatings Fail on Old Concrete Floors Read More »
Many important industrial coatings are two- or even three-component products (also referred to as two-pack, 2K, or three-pack, 3K) in which a chemical reaction between the components results in a coating film. The components are packaged separately and require mixing at a specific ratio to form the desired final product. The compositions of the materials
Incorrect Mixing of Multi-Component Coatings Read More »
Background of PCB While exposure to lead is often regarded as the most prevalent health and environmental hazard in the coatings industry, it is important to be aware that there are other hazards that can be of serious concern. One of these hazards is exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls, commonly referred to as PCBs. PCBs are
Polychlorinated Biphenyls PCBs In Paint, Adhesives, and Caulks Read More »
Bridges, buildings, and other structures commonly include designed bolted connections of steel beams, girders, and other structural members using connection/splice plates of various sizes and configurations. High-strength bolts are used to secure the connections. The holes in the steel members and the connection/splice plates are larger (typically 1/16–1/8 of an inch larger) than the bolt
A consultant follows the facts to discover why perfectly good, recently applied paint fell from a new steel ceiling and to find the source of the coating failure. It wasn’t like the sky was falling, but when large pieces of paint dropped from the roof deck onto machinery being installed in a newly built manufacturing
Clues to a Coating Failure Read More »
This month’s Case from the F-Files describes the problem of bubbles, pinholes, and blisters in a polyurethane finish coat applied to new structural steel members at a coal-fired power generation plant. Many of the pinholes and bubbles were so small that they were difficult to detect with the unaided eye. Many of the largest blisters
The Case of Bubbles, and Pinholes, and Blisters, Oh My! -Coating Condition Assessment Read More »
Remarkable Career Achievements during her 18 years of service. (Pittsburgh, PA) – KTA-Tator, Inc. is pleased to announce the promotion of Cindy O’Malley to Manager of Consulting and Laboratory Services. In her new role, O’Malley will oversee all consulting services, including failure analysis, system selection and specification development services, and research projects. She will continue
KTA Announces the Promotion of Cindy O’Malley Read More »
Question: What type of coating system is most common for the exterior of an above ground concrete tanks (pre-stressed)? Answer: Many of the same coating systems that are used on steel water storage tanks are also used on concrete tanks with the exception that zinc rich primers are not applied. For example, a common concrete
Ask A Consultant Q&A: Exterior Coatings for Above Ground Concrete Tanks? Read More »
A variety of coating system choices can be applied to metal roofing, including acrylic, epoxy/polyurethane, and fluoropolymer systems. Specifications frequently call for fluoropolymer coatings, which are considered to offer the best performance in long-term weathering resistance. Roof panels are fabricated from sheet-metal substrates such as steel, galvanized steel, aluminum, and other metals. Galvanized steel (a
Failure Analysis: When Metal Roof Coatings Fail Read More »
Most of the past Cases from the F-Files have focused primarily (although not exclusively) on coating failures on steel. However, coating failures can and do occur on other substrates such as aluminum, wood, and concrete, to name a few. In this case, a warehouse concrete floor coating was exhibiting blistering only a few months after
The Contractor Who Almost Got Floored Read More »