coating science

One common industry practice occurs when painters are preparing to apply industrial coatings for the first time. With catalyzed coatings, part A and part B are mixed together according to the instructions. Purely out of habit, a stir stick is then used to assess the consistency...

water and wastewater

When it comes to linings for wastewater applications, concrete substrate has always been trickier than its steel cousin. This is largely because there are so many factors to consider—from concrete repair, laitance removal and new concrete cure times, to outgassing...

coating recommendation

In simple terms, a secondary containment area is defined as the containment of a leak or spill of a commodity that is being held in a primary containment unit, such as a tank or vessel. In order to properly specify a secondary containment lining…

water and wastewater

Serving a vital function in the local community, wastewater collection systems are designed with underground pipes and maintenance structures used to collect and convey wastewater away from homes and businesses to be treated…

coating science

Let’s start out by evaluating paint emissions. A good way to estimate total VOC emissions is in the same way that estimators price out a paint job. When evaluating different paint systems in a coating specification, estimators always ask two questions…

coating science

When I talk with asset owners about changing their coating specifications to lower VOC emissions, the topic of waterborne coatings inevitably pops up. The lines from a classic poem, The Rime of theAncient Mariner, come to mind: “Water, water, everywhere...

fireproofing

In the industrial coatings world, there are few things worse than transporting freshly coated steel to a job site only to find significant damage to that coating upon arrival. Shipping steel members is hard on coatings systems—even cementitious ones.

coating recommendation

Coatings recommendations are one of the most highly debated—and even misunderstood—aspects of the industrial coatings industry. Many different factors go into making the right selection. For instance, have you ever called a coatings…

coating science

Steel is the cornerstone of modern civilization—it’s strong, relatively inexpensive and lacks any viable alternatives. Some form of steel is used in virtually every modern structure, piece of equipment and vehicle.

coating science

Water, crude oil, sulfuric acid, caustic soda, ammonia, dimethylformamide, sodium acetate, gasoline, jet fuel, bleach, nitric acid, beer, toluene and brine—this is quite an extensive spread, but it’s only a fraction of the chemicals for which…

coating science

To understand the concept of metamerism, we must first start with a basic definition. In colorimetry, metamerism is when two colors that are not actually the same color appear the same under certain lighting conditions.

coating science

As governments, companies and individuals across the globe increasingly seek to reduce their respective carbon footprints, emissions and other negative impacts on the environment, it’s critical that all strategies be explored…

coating recommendation

However, when spills happen in an industrial facility, it often involves dangerous chemicals that are harmful to humans and the environment. When these types of spills occur, the containment and cleanup response is critical to minimizing impact…

coating recommendation

When it comes to industrial environments, a variety of condensation issues can occur on process vessels, piping, gas lines, storage tanks or even the sides of metal buildings. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see “sweating” occur on the north sides…