How to Paint a FRP Product like Pultruded Gratings?

You may think what is the need to paint FRP pultruded gratings or any other FRP based product.

Fiberglass is often susceptible to water incursion and UV damage. It’s all depend on the type of the resin used for manufacturing the product. Epoxy resin gets weaker with time when exposed to sun. Polyesters are subject to water infiltration and vinyl esters are less strong than epoxy.

Water incursion causes blistering or bubbling, but this damage doesn’t develop instantly, it takes years. When you notice blistering for the first time, you should take serious step to fix it and especially when you are having FRP boat.

Sunlight, with epoxy resins will cause the composite to crumble and this is really bad.

What is industrial coating?

Paints are used by manufacturers of FRP products to add extra protection against UV rays and water. In the business terms, such coatings are known as industrial coatings. Premium industrial coating offers a protective layer against these things. Apart from the protection, this coat also makes the product look good.

Manufacturers use two types of coatings for fiberglass products. They are both polymer based.

One coating uses exposure to air for curing and other a temperature, catalyst, and air. Air cured paints are usually polyesters that need the one-part that comes in a single container. Catalystcured paints are epoxies that need a catalyst and right temperature range.

Any resin based paint can be used for FRP products, however, experts recommend using epoxybased paints on epoxy based FRP products and polyester based paints on polyester based FRP products. In simple words, epoxy paint bonds best on epoxy FRP and polyester paints on polyester FRP. If your product is a FRP boat, you should use epoxy based coating as it is more robust and can withstand water damage. As long as epoxy is protected from sunlight, it will remain strong and flexible. The pigments n epoxy based paint will offer UV protection to the FRP product. If you are using epoxy based objects outside, you must cover it with fabric or tarp for additional protection against UV rays.

You can avail these coatings from the paint and hardware shops. If you need expert assistance to coat your FRP pultruded gratings, you can get in touch with the service providers. Experienced professionals know how to perform painting and make the product life longer. Connect with experienced professionals to avail best maintenance services.

This Article is Originally Published on: http://eppcomposites-blog.logdown.com/posts/1224374-how-to-paint-a-frp-product-like-pultruded-gratings