How to paint steel structures?

Ostania aktualizacja 30 January 2023

How to paint steel structures? Are you planning to paint a steel structure, but you don’t know how to go about it and where to start? If so, we have excellent news for you. Especially for people like you, we have prepared a few tips on how to paint a steel structure so that it looks as good as possible.

Spis

1 What are steel structures

2 Types of steel structures

3 Why are steel structures painted?

4 What paint to choose?

5 What should the painting process look like?

What are steel structures

Before we get to what steel painting should look like, let’s answer what steel structures actually are. Well, the term steel structure is used to describe objects of construction use that are made of steel. Of course, this is a very big abbreviation, because these items do not have to be made of 100% steel, but this definition should help you understand what the mysterious structures in question are. Steel structures are most often used in construction, including the construction of halls, large warehouses or other such rooms. Interestingly, steel structures are becoming more and more popular every year. This is mainly because they can be used for many different jobs. Their versatility has been appreciated by both professionals and amateurs involved in construction work.

Types of steel structures

Few people realize that steel structures have many different types. When choosing a structure, you should know well what its purpose will be, because it depends on what type it is worth betting on. Among steel structures, permanent structures and temporary structures are distinguished. How do they differ? Well, the difference between them is quite obvious, because it is indicated by the name itself, namely, permanent structures will prove themselves in the case of building a building from scratch (then we are talking about a building on the plan of steel structures). Temporary structures, on the other hand, are an excellent solution in the case of renovation or extension of an existing building.

In addition to permanent and temporary structures, there are bar and bar-tension steel frame structures.

Frame-bar structures are most often used to erect halls and warehouses. They are an excellent material for the internal skeleton.

Strand-string frame structures are used to build bridges or large-area roofs. It can be said that this type of construction will be suitable wherever hanging projects are concerned.

The last type of construction is the so-called surface construction. As the name suggests, it is used in the construction of surface reservoirs.

Why are steel structures painted?

Once you know exactly what steel structures are and what are their types, we can move on to how to paint such installations. First of all, it is worth knowing why steel structures should be painted. Although for many people this is a purely aesthetic procedure, it should be clearly emphasized that painting steel also has a very important practical application. What? Well, thanks to a properly selected and applied paint, it is possible to protect the steel used for the structure against various types of negative external effects. What do we mean? First of all, unnecessary and not very elegant scratches. What’s more, it turns out that thanks to painting you protect the structure against corrosion, which is commonly referred to as rust. No one needs to be explained how destructive rust can be in the case of metals. Every car owner who has met this uninvited guest at least once, is certainly well aware of how much damage a seemingly harmless-looking red color can do. The fight against rust is one of the main reasons why it is worth investing in good quality paint and starting painting the structure today. However, before you decide to buy the first better paint with the color you choose, you need to know that whether the painting will be successful largely depends on the type and, above all, on the quality of the paint.

What paint to choose?

As we mentioned, the choice of paint is one of the most important things in the entire painting process. Before going to the store, you should be aware that there are many types of paints that are suitable for covering the structure. Despite such a wide choice, there are better and worse options among the paints available on the market. The most popular are definitely acrylic paints, which are great at preventing rust. Acrylic paints will also work well in protecting steel against external factors. Most often they are used to paint bridges and national roads. Slightly less popular alkyd paints will also work very well, but before buying them, it is worth paying attention to whether they have additional organic ingredients. Among the available paints for painting steel structures, you can also find polyurethane and epoxy paint. The first of them, similarly to acrylic paint, has a very good anti-corrosion effect. What’s more, the manufacturers promise that the polyurethane paint will also pass the exam in difficult weather conditions. Epoxy paint, on the other hand, is the most basic paint to protect steel. It is highly resistant to both chemical and mechanical factors.
As you can see, each of these paints is suitable for painting a steel structure. When buying one of them, you should take into account the conditions in which the given structure will stay.

What should the painting process look like?

Of course, safety is the most important thing, so if you know that painting the structure will require work at heights, it is worth taking care of appropriate protection in advance and asking someone for possible insurance. The painting itself is no different from the classic painting of walls, but if you feel that you may not be able to cope with this task, do not risk it and hire professionals who will do the work for you. Thanks to this, you will be able to enjoy a well-painted structure without risking your life or health.