Painting Structural Steel: Commercial Painting Projects

Commercial painting contractors need to be adaptable to a huge variety of situations, from aerial lifting to confined space work, and from premium wall-covering installation to sand-blasting. For commercial and industrial applications, structural steel is one of the most common building materials that we paint. However, the fact that it is common does not make it an easy, one-size-fits-all endeavor. Structural steel painting could be performed on a warehouse ceiling, an apartment fire escape, or even the underside of a bridge!

Stages of Structural Steel Painting

The first stage of any commercial painting project is to prepare the work environment. We need to protect vulnerable surfaces and make sure we prevent contamination of the surrounding area.

Once the surroundings are protected, the next step is to prepare the metal surface for painting. If the previous coatings are in good shape, this might just involve some cleaning. However, in other cases it could involve abrasive blasting, rust removal, or other heavy-duty cleaning processes. That’s definitely the messy part!

preparing structural steel for painting

A vital step in painting structural steel is the priming. Depending on the circumstances (interior vs. exterior, presence of chemicals or salt, prior rust issues, etc), this could require different kinds of specialized treatments to prevent paint failure or corrosion of the metal.

Once the priming is complete, we get to the fun stage! Using air-powered spray painting, or sometimes even electrostatic spray painting, we add the topcoat(s) to the steel surface, creating a new look and giving new life to the structure. The coatings might be fireproof (intumescent), corrosion/chemical resistant, anti-graffiti, or any number of other special coatings for specific applications.

after picture structural steel paintingFinally, we get to unveil the final product! Newly-painted steel goes far beyond being just functional. It also adds beauty and freshness to the structure.

For the full story on the unique painting project pictured here, see our post about painting the Otter Creek Bridge. Also, feel free to browse our commercial painting portfolio pictures.

Commercial Painting in Westchester and Fairfield Counties

A.G. Williams is a commercial painting contractor serving New York and Connecticut. We paint all kinds of structures and materials, including steel, concrete, wood, stucco, masonry, PVC and more. If you have any questions about commercial painting, please contact us. We’re happy to help!

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