3 Things That Must Be Done To Make Door and Hand Rail Paint Last

Every painting contractor knows how to paint a railing or a door. However, several contractors often don’t know why the work they do fails. Knowing and understanding why some systems fail is critical to ensuring the right steps are taken so the project lasts. There are 3 main reasons doors, railing paints and stain systems fail. Commercial clients will often instruct the contractor on which systems they think should be used. They may also instruct based on what they’ve ‘heard’ they wanted. Most contractors will hear what the customer wants and do the work; without verifying these 3 main components so the work will last.

• The right product or coating system specified for the amount of traffic the area will encounter

  Humans’ hands have oils and solvents that occur naturally and leave a slight DNA trail on everything we touch. This tiny bit of DNA will act as a stripping or softening agent; slowly breaking down the coating where it has been touched. Many people think that this softness or stickiness we commonly see and feel in high traffic areas is dirt or something on the surface.  They intuitively will get a good cleaner and scrub the painted or stained surface that is failing. This will take off the top layer along with the dirt that has gotten stuck to the softened paint or urethane making it look better, but not for long.  Higher traffic areas, especially in commercial environments, need a commercial coating. A good example of this would be a solvent based or even a 2-part paint or 2-part clear urethane system. These systems are much tougher and will hold up to the constant physical contact.

  The coating must be applied at the proper mil thickness

  Many painting contractors, whether residential or commercial, will try to save time on the doors and railings by either skipping the second coat or applying a very heavy first coat.  Many contractors have the skills to do either and make the job “look” good.  While in some areas this can work out fine and no one would be the wiser, in the high traffic areas like doors and railings, it is just asking for trouble.   The problem with skipping the second coat is that the film is to thin and not as durable as it should be therefore will wear off prematurely. Apply it too heavy and the coating will remain soft to long or not bond properly to the surface. This happens because it continues to move as it cures therefore never getting a good bite.

  The surface must be prepared properly

  Failing to do this is the most obvious reason for a paint failure. What many people miss, however, is that surface prep is not only important for painting doors and railing, but also important when applying stain & urethane as well.  The coating that is being applied is only going to bond as well as what its being applied to. Surfaces that are chipping, rusting, or dirty will not allow for the coating to adhere to anything other than the chips, rust and dirt.  So a clean, scuffed up and solvent wiped surface will hold whatever coating is applied to it very well.

Our team of expert painters have run across these situations and many others over the past 30 plus years.  As a team, we continue to learn as new products and studies come out so we can apply the lessons learned. We also strive to service our clients with the latest products and coating systems, resulting the best service possible.  We share our experience on our blogs for everyone’s benefit…   even our competitors.