Care and Maintenance
PART 11
At Preferred, Inc. – Fort Wayne, we get asked a lot about painted surface care, life expectancy, and general maintenance. To serve you better, we developed a complete guide filled with documentation on how to extend the functional life of your flooring.
All of our clients receive this information and can ask questions directly to our paint experts.
The biggest factor in ensuring your paint job weathers well is the quality of the workmanship and materials. Still, you can add years to the work by implementing some basic maintenance practices.
1. Maintain a Clean Environment
Basic cleanliness goes a long way in protecting your painted surface. The sooner workplace leaks and spills get removed, the better. No matter who is responsible for cleaning up messes, everyone should be alert to them and participate in keeping things shipshape.
2. Stay Acid Neutral Where Possible
Acid is one of the biggest long-term threats to both your paint job and your equipment. An acidic environment will slowly wear away your steel – and that’s the fastest route to needing another major paint project. Monitor and neutralize acid where possible.
3. Regulate Working Temperature
Working tolerances of paint vary depending on the paints used. For the most part, you won’t have to make major changes to temperature management to protect your paint job, but it’s a good idea to be aware of specifications and avoid temperature extremes.
4. Keep Equipment in Good Order
The most acute danger to flooring is your equipment. Leaking oil, coolant, and other chemicals could mar the floor in seconds. Key equipment should get regular inspections and operators should know when it’s time to escalate issues for priority attention.
5. Have Documented Maintenance Standards
In an industrial environment, documented standards perform better than the best intentions. Having clear timelines and division of responsibility when it comes to maintenance is essential. In the long run, this will be your best gift to your floor and your maintenance budget.
Care And Maintenance: Right Way, Wrong Way
It’s months late and thousands of dollars over budget, but Jim is relieved to have his painting project done with. And that’s the end of it … without any new maintenance standards, it’s only a matter of time before all that hard work comes unraveled.
Rob discusses flooring care with his contractor. Based on their expertise, he develops some new maintenance standards that help protect the floor and ensure it’s a long way to the next project. His project is done months early and he’s saved thousands – now and in the future.
Remember:
- Documented maintenance standards are more valuable than the best of intentions.
- Temperature, cleanliness, and chemical exposure all impact the lifespan of paint.
- Inspecting and maintaining your equipment will also help to protect your floor.
