Industrial Painting

What we paint

We paint steel, aluminum and equipment on industrial sites, in place or in a shop. Industrial painting is protection first: the film keeps moisture, salts and process products away from the metal. Colour, pipe identification and appearance come second. Painting is part of our industrial and protective coatings, our core business.

• Steel structures and frames: beams, columns, walkways, stairs, pipe supports and process buildings (corrosion protection).
• Tanks and silos, exterior side: shells, roofs, handrails and appurtenances. Interiors fall under tank lining.
• Piping: overhead lines, pipe racks, valves and flanges, painted to the site colour code (pipe coating).
• Conveyors and overhead cranes: frames, galleries, runway beams and trolleys.
• Machinery and production equipment: bases, guards, hoppers, crushers, and equipment refurbished before it goes back into service.
• Aluminum: structures, panels and equipment, with preparation and a primer specific to that metal.

The service is for industrial sites only. Work is carried out by our crews and qualified subcontractors, under one quote and one inspection file.

Paint systems and when to choose each

The system is chosen from the site's ISO 12944 corrosivity category (from C2 for a mild atmosphere to C5 and CX for severe industrial and marine environments) and from the durability you are aiming for. The higher the category, the more coats the system has and the more thorough the surface preparation must be (ISO 12944 explained).

• Zinc-rich primer: galvanic protection for blast-cleaned steel. It is the base of C4, C5 and CX systems and limits rust creep under the film when the paint is scratched.
• Epoxy industrial paint: the barrier coat, used as primer or intermediate. Good adhesion and good resistance to chemicals and moisture. It chalks in sunlight, so it is topcoated outdoors.
• Polyurethane topcoat: colour and gloss retention under ultraviolet light. The usual finish coat on exterior structures.
• Novolac epoxy: chemical splash and spill zones, where a standard epoxy does not hold up.
• Polyurea: very fast cure, thick and flexible film. Useful when return to service is urgent or the substrate takes impact.
• High-temperature paint: stacks, ducts and hot piping, where ordinary organic paints break down.

For steel exposed to weather, the common system remains a zinc primer, an epoxy intermediate and a polyurethane finish. In a dry interior (C2), a simpler system is enough. The thickness of each coat comes from the manufacturer's data sheet and is stated in the quote.

Surface preparation

Surface preparation decides how long the paint lasts, more than the paint itself. Paint applied over rust, mill scale or grease lets go, whatever the product. The preparation grade is set in the quote, based on the system and the condition of the substrate.

• SSPC-SP 10 (near-white blast cleaning): the grade most zinc primers and severe environments call for (NACE No. 2 surface preparation guide).
• SSPC-SP 6 (commercial blast cleaning): common for epoxy systems in moderate atmospheric exposure.
• SSPC-SP 3 and SSPC-SP 11 (power tool cleaning): where abrasive blasting is not possible, near sensitive equipment or for spot repairs. The range of compatible paints is narrower.

We degrease before blasting. Afterward, we measure the surface profile and remove dust. Blasted steel flash-rusts quickly, so the primer goes on within the time the day's conditions allow. Abrasive blasting is a service of its own, offered alone or with painting.

How a painting project runs

An industrial painting project follows six steps, from the survey to the file handed over at the end.

• Survey: surfaces to paint, condition of the existing paint, access and operating constraints. Photos and dimensions are enough for a first price; a site visit confirms the scope.
• Technical quote: proposed system coat by coat, preparation grade, planned inspections, schedule and exclusions.
• Preparation: protection of adjacent equipment, degreasing, blasting to the specified grade, dust removal.
• Application: by spray, roller or brush depending on the part, with dew point, relative humidity and substrate temperature monitored. Edges, welds and bolting get a stripe coat.
• Thickness checks: wet film during application, dry film after cure, measured to SSPC-PA 2. Thin areas are recoated.
• Records: condition and thickness readings, product data sheets, batch numbers, before and after photos.

Site conditions

We fit the method to the site, not the other way around. The conditions below change how the work is done, how long it takes and what it costs; they are settled in the quote.

• Operating plant: work by zones, outside critical shifts, with adjacent equipment and product protected.
• Planned shutdown: painting is slotted into the shutdown schedule, alongside other trades and cure time.
• Work at height: scaffolding, lifts or rope access, depending on the structure.
• Temporary containment: tarps and enclosures to hold abrasive and overspray, or to heat the work area.
• Winter: air and substrate must stay within the product's application range, which calls for a heated enclosure (cold-weather epoxy application).
• Old lead-based paint: older structures often carry it. Removing it requires specific containment and protection measures, which must be assessed before quoting. Tell us, or have the paint tested before work starts.

Pricing: by quote

Industrial painting is priced by quote, because the cost depends on the job far more than on the paint. Five factors drive it:

• The area to paint and the shape of the parts: a lattice frame takes longer than a flat wall of the same area.
• Access: at grade, at height, in tight spaces.
• The preparation grade: near-white blasting costs more than power tool cleaning, and the condition of the existing paint weighs heavily.
• The system: number of coats and type of products.
• The work window: days, nights, shutdown, winter.

Send photos, approximate dimensions and the location with your quote request: we reply within 24 business hours.

Where we work

Induscoat provides industrial painting services in Montreal, across Quebec and in Ontario, working from LaSalle. Each regional page sets out the sectors and exposure conditions specific to that territory:

• Montreal and Montérégie
• Quebec, for the province as a whole
• Abitibi-Témiscamingue
• Côte-Nord
• Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
• Mauricie–Centre-du-Québec
• Ontario

When repainting is no longer enough

Repainting is no longer enough once the metal has lost thickness or the part is worn: paint protects what is left, it does not restore lost strength. If blasting reveals deep pitting, thinned plate or attacked welds, we stop and show you the condition before going further.

Depending on the case, the next step is a structural assessment by a specialist, a mechanical repair or rebuilding the part, which fall under our maintenance and rehabilitation service. Painting follows, on a sound substrate.

Conversely, paint that is still well bonded with localized rust does not always need full removal: spot repairs and a full overcoat can extend its life. The survey is what settles which way to go.

Typical Problems We Solve

• Rust bleeding through at edges, welds and bolted connections
• Paint peeling or blistering after application over a poorly prepared surface
• Chalked, faded topcoats on exterior steel exposed to sunlight
• Old paint in unknown condition, possibly lead-based, on older structures

What You Receive

• Technical quote stating the paint system coat by coat, the preparation grade and the planned inspections
• Surface prepared to the specified grade and paint applied to the product data sheet
• Records of ambient conditions and dry film thickness readings per SSPC-PA 2
• Close-out file with product data sheets, batch numbers and before and after photos

Timeline

Standards & Certifications

• ISO 12944: corrosivity categories and paint system selection
• SSPC-SP 10 / NACE No. 2: near-white metal blast cleaning
• SSPC-SP 6 / NACE No. 3: commercial blast cleaning
• SSPC-PA 2: dry film thickness measurement

Industries We Serve

• Mining: concentrator structures, conveyors, crushers, tanks
• Energy: steel structures, piping, tanks, overhead cranes
• Steel and metallurgy: process buildings, crane runways, ducts and stacks
• Manufacturing and processing: machinery, production equipment, pipe racks

Service FAQ

Technical guides

• ISO 12944: corrosivity categories and system selection
• NACE No. 2 / SSPC-SP 10 surface preparation
• Maintenance painting of steel structures
• Cold-weather epoxy application and winter shutdowns
• Epoxy coating service life
• Coating total cost of ownership

Related applications

Concrete industrial use cases where this service is applied.