Anti-rust coating comes in all shapes and sizes. When performance and a durable result are your primary focus, what aspects are critical? These are some of the qualities you should look for when considering the options to protect metal surfaces from corrosion.
When it comes to anti-rust coating, maintenance managers have high expectations. They need to protect metal surfaces against corrosion and deterioration in order to keep installations and equipment operational, safe and looking good. This is crucial to extending their lifespan, preventing accidents and keeping maintenance costs and downtime to a minimum.
5 criteria to consider when choosing anti-rust coating
There are many anti-rust options to choose from, but what criteria do you need to take in account when you’re responsible for industrial maintenance?
1. Easy application
Touching up and repairing rust patches is not only needed in accessible places. Surfaces needing a lick of metal coating are often located high up, deep down or in other hard-to-reach areas, while working conditions are often far from comfortable. That’s why you want a solution in one single layer that combines primer and finish. Applying a coat should feel smooth, leaving no stripes or marks, even when painting a rusty surface. And since nothing is as unpredictable as the weather, you’d prefer a solution that can be applied in a broad range of temperatures.
2. High coverage and hiding power
Whether you need one or two coats of metal coating depends on the circumstances. The nature of the specific surface, the condition of the rusty part, the possible colour difference between surface and paint, to name but a few. Therefore, the better coverage and hiding power you can get, the better the chance you will only need one coat. This will save you time, effort and money!
3. Long lasting
Don’t be penny wise, pound foolish. Invest in a proven, reliable brand that guarantees long-lasting durability of its products. Check product specifications and customer reviews so you can make an informed decision. The more durable brands might come at a slightly higher price, but if the coating doesn’t suffer from flaking and protects metal surfaces for a longer time, you’ll end up spending much less in the long run.
4. Product range
You’ll probably need specific colours, pack sizes and finishes. On top of that, some parts will be coated using a brush, while other spots require spraying. For industrial sites there might be a need for specific machine, identification or safety colours. Look into which brand offers the most appropriate variety that fits your specific needs, and don’t go for the one-size-fits-all solution that might seem interesting but will not tick all the required boxes in terms of durability and performance.
5. Eco-friendliness
Going eco-friendly is much more than just a bonus. When selecting a high-performing anti-rust metal coating that’s sustainable as well, you’ll hit more than one goal: - You’ll reduce your environmental footprint by purchasing and releasing less VOCs or other hazardous components;
- You can improve safety and reduce health risks for those handling the product.
- You might reduce total costs if you can reduce investments in PPE, hazardous compound storage and waste management.
- You can integrate all the eco-results in your sustainability goals and reporting and rightfully promote your organisation as positively contributing to the environment. Eco-friendly anti-rust coating does exist, in various forms. You can look into water-based anti-rust products that have the same performance as their solvent-based counterparts, or innovative non-zinc anti-rust coating with non zinc anti-corrosion additives that do the trick just as well as the solvent-based original product.
Critically selecting your anti-rust coating will bring only benefits
Corrosion is one of the biggest challenges in industrial maintenance. Anti-rust metal coating is one way to deal with rust, alongside other mitigation strategies for corrosion control. Choosing a good quality anti-rust coating that ticks all the necessary boxes will save you time and money, while reducing health, safety and environmental risks for operators as well as the local and global environment.
