Prepared By: Renato B.

Bermillo
 BACKGROUND
 STANDARDS
 LEVEL OF INSPECTION
 DUTIES OF THE INSPECTOR
◦ Before Surface Preparation
◦ During Surface Preparation
◦ Before Paint Application
◦ During Paint Application
◦ After Paint Application
 INSPECTION EQUIPMENT
 RECORDS, REPORTS, AND DOCUMENTATION
 COMMON COATING FAILURES AND THEIR CAUSES
 Quality assurance is simply a question of
ensuring that the specification is being followed.

 The higher the demand to protection, the more

advanced the coating system and painting
specification.

 Advanced coating system increases the demands

to the execution of the work and –consequently –
to the degree of quality control/paint coatings
inspections.
 ASTM D-4414 : Standard Practice for Measurement of WFT
by Notch Gages

 ASTM D-7091 : Standard Test Methods for Nondestructive

Measurement of DFT of Nonmagnetic Coatings Applied to
a Ferrous Base

 British Standard, BS 5493 – Code of practice for protective

coating of iron and steel structures against corrosion

 International Standard ISO 8501-1: Preparation of steel

substrates before application of paints and related
products -- Visual assessment of surface cleanliness --
Part 1: Rust grades and preparation grades of uncoated
steel substrates and of steel substrates after overall
removal of previous coatings
 British Standard BS 7909 - Preparation of steel substrates before
application of paints and related products. Visual assessment of
surface cleanliness. Representative photographic examples of
the change of appearance imparted to steel when blast-cleaned
with different abrasives

 American SSPC-SP/PA Standards : Surface Preparation and Paint

Application Standards

 International Standard ISO 8503-1 : Preparation of steel

substrates before application of paints and related products.
Surface roughness characteristics of blast-cleaned steel
substrates. Specifications and definitions for ISO surface profile
comparators for the assessment of abrasive blast-cleaned
surfaces

 National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) – Rust

Grades and Surface Cleanliness
 FULL – All operations observed by a Coating
Inspector and passed as complying with the
specification before the next stage is started,
i.e. ‘Hold’ point in each activity.

 INTERMITTENT – Part of operations observed by a

Coating Inspector and passed as complying with
the specification before the next stage is started,
i.e. ‘Hold’ point in critical activities.

 OCCASSIONAL – All operations observed initially by a

Coating Inspector for setting standards of
workmanship. Ad hoc visits by a Coating
Inspector thereafter.
The duties of the Coating Inspector are to:

 Prevent faults and mistakes to occur

 Correct faults and mistakes, should they

occur
There are five distinct phases – some of them recurrent
– require the Coating Inspector’s attentions:

 Before Surface preparation

 During Surface preparation

 Before Paint application

 During Paint application

 After Paint application

Before start of any surface preparation, it is importance
to examine:

 Working conditions – lighting condition and

accessibility

 Rust grade of surface (e.g. A, B, C, or D according to

NACE or ISO 8501-1)

 Contamination of the surface, i.e. water, oil, grease,

soluble salt, and others which will not be removed by
mechanical cleaning

 Filtering equipment, to see if possible oil and water

are separated correctly
 Blasting media, purity and soluble salt

 Adhesion of old coating system if present

 Welds – slag, spatter, rough and uneven welds,

arc strikes

 Sharp edges – will lead to local coating damage

 Excessive pitting – localized reduction of

thickness

 Corrosion traps - requiring stripe coating

 Concrete – adherence on surface

 Blasting equipment – plus safety gears

 Blast hoses – size and material

 Compressor – delivered pressure

 Nozzles – size and lining

It is also advisable to check at this point if the

paint is delivered, and type, and color of the paint
is correct.
Checks, to the extent possible, are made on:

 Equipment

 Cleanliness of surface –removal of

contaminants

 Surface profile – surface roughness and

roughness profile, if steel is to be prepared.
Main areas, on which the Coating Inspector should
focus before any paint is applied would be:

 Working conditions – lighting, access, and ventilation

 Application equipment – type, adequacy, and

condition

 Microclimate – surface temperature, air temperature,

relative humidity, dew point

 Paint to be applied – quality and quantity, color, shelf

life, time at storage
Other checkpoints can be relevant in specific
cases:

 Type of thinner

 Type of curing agent

 Mixing ratio and stirring

 Storage temperature

 Paint temperature
Surface to be painted might also be checked for:

 Roughness

 Cleanness

 Curing ; drying state of previous coat – recoating

interval

 Thin spot or misses, referring to previous coat

Equipment might also be checked for:

 Capacity and type – compression ratio

 Length and condition of hoses – pressure capacity

 Condition of pumps and guns

 Nozzles – include spray fan also

 Paint heater – when required

 Dehumidification
Most of the checkpoints from previous phases are
still valid in this phase and in addition attention
should be paid to:

 Wet Film Thickness (WFT)

 Workmanship – possible pinholes, misses, dry

spray, etc.

 Drying/Curing of paint

 Recoating interval
After completion of the application, checks must be made on:

 Opacity – visibility of substrate (primer) or previous coat (contrasting

color plays role on this)

 Total Dry Film Thickness (DFT)

 Microclimate – to secure drying/curing of coat

 Film formation – pinholes, mud cracking, sagging, misses, dry spray,

orange peel

 Adhesion/cohesion

 Damages – mechanical

 Smoothness
 From the listings of paint Coating Inspector’s
duties and main checkpoint, his most vital
equipment is his eyes and ears, his common
sense, and his wide experience in paints and
allied technologies.

 Some checkpoints, however, demand a

degree of accuracy not easily afforded by
human senses, and some electronic
measuring instruments are called for
although not all tools are that sophisticated.
 Fresh water – when sprinkled on a suspect
surface will reveal whether oily or fatty
substances are present or not.

 Electric/Battery torch - and an angled mirror

with telescopic handle will enable the coating
inspector to look into things in a surprisingly
thorough manner.

 Standards – to aid the assessment of surface

preparation degree.

 Comparators – for determining surface

roughness and roughness profile.
 Tape – for checking and documenting dust
or other deposits.

 Thermometers – for reading temperatures of

air, substrate and, in some cases paint.

 Hygrometer – or sling psychrometer, for

measuring relative humidity.

 Dew point Calculator – or table for

determining the dew point.
 Wet Film Gage – of the comb type, and made of
steel, not plastic, for measuring and monitoring
WFTs.

 Dry Film Gage – for measuring DFTs. Can be

banana type or electronic type.

 Sharp knife – for opening blisters, evaluate

adhesion/cohesion, layer of coatings.

 Magnifying glass – for closer examination of

blast cleaned areas, deteriorated coatings, etc.
 Camera – for recording and documentation
purposes.

 Small plastic bag/containers – for gathering

samples, e.g. blasting media.

 Pad and pencil – for making sketches and

notes.
 Pinhole Detector – used when checking the
dried/cured system for continuity – free from
pinholes, misses, and holidays.

 Adhesion Tester– to check or assess

adhesion/cohesion.

 PROTIMETER– to indicate the degree of moisture

in concrete.

 Roughness Gage– to indicate the degree of

moisture in concrete.
Surface Profile ISO 8503 – Roughness
Comparator Comparator
 ISO 8503 – Roughness
Contamination Test Kit
Comparator
 DFT Gages – Banana &
WFT Gage - Steel
Electronic Types
 Electronic Contact Sling Hygrometer –
Thermometer – Steel
Temperature Relative Humidity
Dew Point Table
Adhesion Tester
Calculator
 The degree of detail to be recorded and
reported by the paint Coating Inspector
depends on the level of inspection demanded
by the painting specification and its intention.

 The documentation provided by the Coating

Inspector is a historical record; it may be
used for insurance purposes, for settling
disputes, and as basis for future
specification.
To be at all meaningful and useful, records should
– as an absolute minimum – contain the following
information:

 Identification of area(s)/location(s) inspected

 Date and Time

 Weather/ambient/microclimatic conditions

 Information on paint system being applied

(brand, type, color, extent, and location)
Continuation of required minimum information:

 Quality control checks carried out, and their

results

 Faults observed and corrected

 Compliance with, or deviation from, the painting

specification

 Advice and recommendations given

Where full inspection is warranted, it is customary also to
record items such as:

 Condition of surface before preparation

 Condition of surface after degreasing and desalting

 Condition of surface after preparation/immediately prior

to paint application

 Hours worked, down time, delays and their issues

(progress of work)

 Time between surface preparation and paint application

Continuation of full inspection documentation/recording
requirement:

 Actual recoating intervals

 Standard of workmanship

 Equipment and technique used – includes working

conditions

 Full details of all tests and measurements made – and the

type of instruments used

 State of drying and/or curing at given intervals and prior

to application of subsequent coat
In special cases, it my prove useful to have
recorded also:

 Handling and/or stacking procedures for

painting

 Appropriate information about contractors

 Safety precautions observed

 Measured employed for the protection of the

environment
Sags are recognized as
“curtains” on the painted
surface. It occurs when:

 Paint is applied in excess

of the DFT specified

 Too much thinner is

added to the paint

 The gun is held too close

to the surface.

Causes Sagging
 Wrong spraying technique,
i.e. excessive air pressure

 Excessive film thickness,

i.e. air will be entrapped in
the paint

 Strong wind, too good

ventilation

 Too long application

distance, i.e. spray gun
distance

Causes Pinholes and Pores

Most common type of failure
related to the adhesion of the
paint. Sometimes blisters are dry
and sometimes filled with liquid:

 Soluble salt contaminating the

substrate or the surface between
coats – permeable, dissolving
the salt - osmosis

 Contamination of the surface

due to oil, waxes, dust, etc. – dry
blisters

 Poor or inadequate solvent

release from the coating

Causes Blistering
Lifting is the raising of
the undercoat. The result
is a wrinkled surface

 Stronger solvent used

in the top coat thus
attacking the
previously applied
film.

Cause Lifting
Loss of adhesion to the
substrate or between coats is
delamination or peeling. The
causes are:

 Unsatisfactory surface
preparation

 Incompatible primer or
undercoat

 Substrate or inter-coat
contamination

 Excessive cure time between

coats

Causes Delamination/Peeling
Finely pebbled or dimpled surface
texture with an appearance similar
to the skin of an orange.

Caused by:

 Improper atomization due to low

air pressure

 Incompatible primer or undercoat

 Substrate or inter-coat
contamination

 Excessive cure time between coats

Causes Orange Peel