Structural steel, from bare metal to finish coat
Columns, beams, trusses, deck and bridge girders in plants, warehouses and on crossings.
Steel lasts as long as its prep. We clean to the grade your spec names, prime before flash rust forms and build the film coat by coat, with readings between each. Where the building stays in use, containment and ground cover keep abrasive and overspray inside the work zone.
What a steel job includes
Abrasive blast or power-tool clean to the spec's grade
Prime the same shift the steel is cleaned
Intermediate and finish coats inside the recoat window
Film readings logged at every coat
Choosing the prep
Blast, power tool or hand tool
The spec usually decides, and the building decides what's possible. This is how the three differ on a plant floor.
| What changes | Power-tool clean | Hand tool | Abrasive blast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface profile | Power-tool cleanCleaner surface, little profile | Hand toolLoose rust and scale only | Abrasive blastAnchor profile the coating bonds to |
| Dust and containment | Power-tool cleanShrouded tools, lighter containment | Hand toolGround cover only | Abrasive blastFull containment and dust collection |
| Speed on large steel | Power-tool cleanSlower, steady | Hand toolSlowest | Abrasive blastFastest per square foot |
| Where it fits | Power-tool cleanTight spots, running plants, spot repair | Hand toolTouch-up and small areas | Abrasive blastOpen steel with room for containment |
Bridges and crossings
Girders and trusses over traffic and water
Work under a deck or on a truss follows rules a plant doesn't.
Containment has to catch everything below the deck, access has to clear the roadway or the channel, and the hours often come from the owner's traffic or river schedule. We plan the rigging, the containment and the closures with the owner before the scope is written.
Planned first
Containment under the deck
Rigging and access planned with the owner
Closure and traffic hours in the schedule
Questions about steel work
Who picks the coating system?
You or your engineer, from the spec. We follow the manufacturer's data sheet for temperature limits and recoat times. If there is no spec, we propose a system in writing and you approve it.
What about old coatings that may contain lead?
Older coatings on steel can contain lead, chromium and other metals. We sample before we disturb anything. The result decides containment, air monitoring and waste handling, and all three are written into the scope.
How is the work checked?
Dry-film thickness readings are logged each shift, with wet-film checks while spraying, and the log goes in the handback binder. Your inspector can attend any hold point we mark in the schedule.
How do you keep abrasive and overspray where they belong?
Containment, ground cover and a wind limit set in the plan. Spent abrasive is swept and bagged at the end of each shift, and the area is walked with you at handback.
What does the warranty cover?
Workmanship on the coating system we applied, to the written terms. Terms, limits and exclusions are in your written warranty, and how long a coating lasts also depends on the surface, the system and service conditions.
Send the drawings, or the date you can walk it.
A scope and schedule follow the walk-down.