19 May 2016
CSC Services had a busy two days at Utility Week Live this week talking to industry professionals about Polyurea and the range of other coatings the company is approved to install.
Advice was also offered on why the specialist application of coatings is so important. Mark Lemon, Managing Director of CSC Services explains:
“All too often coatings will fail due to incorrect substrate surface preparation. Dirt, grease, dust and other surface latents will form a barrier between the substrate and coating to be applied which means there is no mechanical bond present. Surfaces generally need to be grit blasted or hydro blasted to form a mechanical key. Correct substrate surface preparation of concrete for instance involves correct application of pore fillers and fairing coats to address blow holes or honey combing in concrete surfaces. Fairing coats need to be applied correctly to leave the required surface profile.
CSC Services always recommends using a specialist contractor to advise on coatings for specific environments. Some products have high abrasion resistance, tensile strengths and high elongation properties. Using a high tensile strength coating with no elongation properties on a substrate where movement may occur will result in cracks and failure in the coating. A lack of specialist knowledge may result in incorrect mixing of products. Most industrial products are two pack systems. If they aren’t mixed correctly they will not cure correctly.
Using a specialist contractor will ensure the correct application method of a product at the correct application temperature. Various products require certain environmental conditions. Dew points, temperature, humidity, and air flow need to be considered to avoid condensation causing a failure in the curing process.
Curing time is also a key consideration. Coating products require a certain amount of time to chemically bond as specified in the technical data. Not leaving sufficient time may mean the product fails. After curing, the product should be fully cleaned and inspected for fails. A scheme of programmed appropriate after-care and inspections should be scheduled.”
CSC Services have experience of applying coatings to a range of structures including service reservoirs, water towers, aqueducts, water and waste water treatment plants, power stations , bridges, food manufacturing plants and all other infrastructure.
