Surface
Preparation
Guidelines
Good surface preparation is essential for the
successful application of any protective coating.
Prior to the application of any coating all oil,
grease, old coatings and surface contaminants
(such as mill scale and rust on steel, laitence on
concrete and zinc salts on galvanised surfaces)
must be removed from the substrate. The performance of any coating is directly
dependent upon the correct and thorough preparation of the surface prior to coating.
■ Steel
Some of the various methods of surface preparation of
steel are described below, such as;
1. International Standard ISO 8504:1992(E). Preparation of
steel substrates before application of paints and related
products - Surface preparation methods.
2. International Standards ISO 8501-1:1988(E) and ISO
8501-2:1994. Preparation of steel substrate before
application of paints and related products – Visual
assessment of surface cleanliness.
3. Swedish Standard SIS 05 59 00 (1967) - Pictorial Surface
Preparation Standards for Painting Steel Surfaces
Removal of Surface Contaminants
The performance of protective coatings applied to steel
is significantly affected by the condition of the steel
substrate immediately prior to painting. The principal
factors affecting performance are:
1. Surface contamination including salts, oil, grease, drilling
and cutting fluids
2. Rust and Mill scale
3. Surface Profile
The main objectives of surface preparation are to
ensure that all surface contaminates have been
removed to create a surface profile that allows the
coating to adhere to the substrate. Recommended
procedures are outlined in International Standard ISO
8504:1992 (E) and SSPC SP Specifications.
Degreasing
Many surface contaminants can be removed by using
solvent washing or degreasing. Once the area has been
thoroughly washed it is essential that the area is wiped
clean with clean rags. Recommended procedures are
described in International Standard ISO 8504:1992(E)
and SSPC-SP1.
Resimac Ltd, Knaresborough Technology Park
Manse Lane, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire HG5 8LF
Tel: 01765 677757 • Fax: 01765 677757
Email: info@resimac.co.uk • www.resimac.co.uk
 Surface
Preparation
Guidelines
Hand Tool Cleaning
Loosely adhering mill scale, rust and old paint can be
removed from the surface using a wire brush,
sandpaper or scraper. This type of surface preparation
will only remove surface contaminants that are visible
to the eye and will not remove any ingrained
contamination. For this particular type of surface
preparation it is recommended that only Resichem
MPSF (Manual Preparation Solvent Free) Chemical
Coating and Resichem Aluprime are used. Methods for
hand tool cleaning are described in ISO 8501-1:1998
grade St2-B, C or D.
Power Tool
Cleaning
Generally more effective
and less time consuming
than hand tool cleaning,
power tools such as
grinders, sanders, needle
guns and power wire brushes will remove rust and mill
scale but will not remove tightly adhered contaminants.
One major drawback of power tools is to polish the
surface of the metal rather than create a key. For this
particular type of surface preparation it is
recommended that only Resichem MPSF (Manual
Preparation Solvent Free) Chemical Coating and
Resichem Aluprime are used.
Blast Cleaning
The most effective method
for removal of mill scale,
rust and old coatings is to
use abrasives, although
there are many types of
abrasive on the market
Resichem recommends for the application of chemical
and corrosion coatings angled grit should be used for
cleaning and profiling of steel surfaces.
The primary standard used by Resichem for surface
preparation is ISO 8501-1:1988(E), preparation of steel
substrate before application of paints and related
products - visual assessment of surface cleanliness. This
standard represents a slight extension of the Swedish
Standard (SIS 05 59 00 (1967)).
Key areas to be considered during the blasting process are;
1. The presence of salts, grease and oils on the surface.
These may appear to be removed during the blasting
process. However they may have been ingrained into the
surface of the metal and will require sweating from the
metal substrate.
2. Weld seams, metal slivers and sharp edges must be
ground down after the blasting process as coatings tend
to run away from sharp edges and will result in thinning
of the paint surface.
3. Weld spatter is proven to be one of the main reasons for
failure and must be removed, as the spatter maybe
poorly adhered to the steel surface.
As mentioned above Resichem recommends the use of
angled grit for the surface preparation of steel
surfaces. Other abrasives are proven to leave lower
profiles and subsequently reduce the performance and
adhesion of the product. Too low a profile may not
provide a sufficient key for coating, while too high a
profile may result in uneven coverage of high, sharp
peaks possibly leading to premature coating failure.
Typical mesh size and max height of profile for angled grit
Typical non metallic “copper slag” - 75-100 microns (3-4
mils). 1.5-2.0mm grain size
For this particular type of surface preparation all of the
Resichem products can be used, therefore the product
chosen will be influenced by chemical resistance and
application time.
Resimac Ltd, Knaresborough Technology Park
Manse Lane, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire HG5 8LF
Tel: 01765 677757 • Fax: 01765 677757
Email: info@resimac.co.uk • www.resimac.co.uk
 Surface
Preparation
Guidelines
Wet Abrasive Blasting
Wet abrasive blasting uses slurry of water and abrasive
rather than dry abrasive alone. The main advantage of
this type of surface preparation is the eradication of
dust from the application area. Also while blasting the
fluids wash out any contaminants embedded in the
pitting and scarring on the surface of the steel.
However, a disadvantage of this technique is that the
cleaned steel begins to rust rapidly after blasting and
therefore it is essential that rust inhibitors are used in
the wet abrasive mix.
For this particular type of surface preparation all of the
Resichem products can be used, however we
recommend you seek advice from the Resimac technical
team prior to application.
Hydroblasting
Hydroblasting is considered to the most
environmentally friendly method of surface
preparation as it relies entirely on the energy of water
striking the surface. No abrasive is included in the
water and therefore eradicates problems caused by
dust and the disposal of blasting abrasive. There are
two common types of hydroblasting;
• High pressure hydroblasting, operating at pressures
between 680 bar (10,000psi) and 1,700 bar (25,000psi).
• Ultra high pressure hydroblasting, operating at pressures
above 1700 bar (25,000psi).
For this particular type of surface preparation it is
recommended that only Resichem CRSG (Spray Grade
Solvent Free Chemical Coating), Resichem CRFX (Fast
Curing Solvent Free Chemical Coating) and MPSF
(Manual Preparation Solvent Free) Chemical Coating
are used.
Ultra High
Pressure
Hydroblasting
The range of
pressures used in
UHPH are 2,000-
2,500bar (30,000-36,000psi). Steel surfaces produced by
hydroblasting do not look the same as those produced
by dry abrasive blasting, or slurry blasting. This is due to
the water being unable to cut or deform the steel
surface in the way abrasives can. Hydroblasted surfaces
therefore tend look dull prior to flash rust. Flash rust is
caused by the hydroblast steel drying and should be
removed by hard bristle brush or by washing down
with high pressure fresh water.
Hydroblasting does not produce a surface profile like
blast abrasives, the surface profile exposed by UHPH
will have been produced by earlier preparation work, ie
during original fabrication work, or by corrosion. To
ensure UHPH produces the required surface profile for
Resichem products it is advised to test a small area of
the surface to check the original surface profile of the
steel.
The energy created during the Ultra High Pressure
Hydroblasting process can also cause the steel substrate
to increase in temperature and therefore reduce the
drying time of the steel prior to application of the
coating.
For this particular type of surface preparation it is
recommended that only Resichem CRSG (solvent free
epoxy chemical coating), Resichem CRXF (Fast Curing
Solvent Free Chemical Coating) and MPSF (Manual
Preparation Solvent Free) Chemical Coating are used.
Resimac Ltd, Knaresborough Technology Park
Manse Lane, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire HG5 8LF
Tel: 01765 677757 • Fax: 01765 677757
Email: info@resimac.co.uk • www.resimac.co.uk
 Surface
Preparation
Guidelines
■ Concrete Surfaces
To ensure a clean surface for the protective coating the
concrete surface must be abraded using blasting,
scarifying or grinding. The type of method used
depends on the condition of the concrete surface and
the working environment of the application. As a
general rule the more aggressive the environment the
better the surface preparation required.
1. Blasting – the concrete should be blast cleaned using a
recoverable blasting unit
2. Scarifying – these machines include fast rotating
hardened flails which remove old coatings and can be
set to roughen the concrete surface at various depths
3. Grinding – the most popular method of grinding
concrete is using mechanical diamond grinders which
scarify the surface of the concrete ensuring a good key
and removing any loose material
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON PLEASE CONTACT THE
Resimac Technical Centre on info@resimac.co.uk
All the above surface preparation equipment should be
equipped with dust vacuums to ensure that particulate
dust and contaminants are kept to a minimum in the
atmosphere and application area.
One point for consideration is the porosity of the
concrete which can be increased as the surface is
cleaned, this may cause an increase in the absorption
rate of the surface and therefore affect the coverage
rates of the coating. In some cases a primer maybe the
most cost effective method of sealing the concrete
surface prior to the application of the Resichem
Chemical Resistant Coating.
For this particular type of surface preparation all of the
Resichem products can be used, therefore the product
chosen will be influenced by chemical resistance and
application time.
Resimac Ltd, Knaresborough Technology Park
Manse Lane, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire HG5 8LF
Tel: 01765 677757 • Fax: 01765 677757
Email: info@resimac.co.uk • www.resimac.co.uk