Coatings

Coatings are a layer of various types of substances (enamel paint, silicate paint, powder coatings, etc...) which are spread onto the surface of material for many reasons, some of which include: to enhance the aesthetic value, to improve the material's durability and to simply protect an object from external elements. Coatings can be applied after an object is made or while it is being made. For example, with certain enamel paints, the enamel is mixed into the paint - as part of the chemical compound. But with powder coatings they are applied to objects, such as metal constructions, after they are made.

One of the most common types of coatings is enamel. Enamel is mostly used with paint. Paint enamel acts just as a person's tooth enamel acts or clear nail polish. It is applied over paint and dries opaque so that it is clear and often gives paint a glossy, shiny look. However, today, most of the time, enamel paint comes as one compound - paint and enamel in one. This kind of paint with enamel can be oil or water based and dries much harder than normal paint, which can be good for high traffic areas and stays protected longer than other types of paint.

Powder coating is used to protect metals - like those used to make automobiles. Unlike enamel that is applied as a liquid, a powder coating is applied as a solid. An object can be dipped into the powder coating or the powder coating can be sprayed onto an object. After the coating is applied, then the object must be heated so that the coating hardens and can protect the object. Powder coating is the "newest" and fastest growing coating technology and was first used in Australia in the late 1960s.

There are also industrial coatings that are typically "industrial strength" coatings. These are very strong and made to protect steel or concrete from corrosion. Industrial coatings must be strong to keep buildings, roads, bridges and other structures from failing due to elements such as rain, wind, sunlight and dirt. Industrial coating is so important that two different organizations have formed to take part in assuring its success - National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) and the Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC).

Silicate mineral paint is a coating that is inorganic, and besides its great beautifying qualities, protects objects from corrosive microbes, acid rain and carbonization. The mineral-based paint is combined with potassium silicate or sodium silicate to make a chemical compound that is strong enough to be able to protect materials like concrete and limestone. These paints are made from the simple minerals of the earth, like quartz and potash, and as such, are considered one of the safest natural paints to use, which will not give off any of the unhealthy volatile organic compounds found in regular paints.

Somewhat related to a powder coating is a fusion-bonded epoxy coating. That's because a fusion-bonded epoxy coating starts out as a powder. The powder coating is typically used to protect piping and other metal bars from corrosion. The "fusion-bonded" part comes from the process of heating the powder to a liquid where irreversible chemical cross linking takes place - this liquid is "painted" on the metal to form a solid protectant.

Coatings are essential to many areas - especially in construction. These protective coatings help prevent the deterioration of concrete, metals and paints and protect buildings, structures and walls.