High-Performance Coatings for Commercial Applications  

Every job is unique. Each has specialized requirements, client demands, and environmental compliance issues that must be considered. Of the many challenges facing the design community, one of the most demanding is specifying the right coating for commercial spaces. Just as all jobs are not created equal, all paints are not created equal. Standard latex architectural wall paints typically found in MasterFormat section 099123 for Interior Paint are fine for some light-duty commercial applications but are inadequate for areas that experience higher traffic or frequent cleaning. And heavy-duty industrial coatings such as the epoxies and urethanes typically found in section 099600 for High-Performance Coatings are usually reserved for harsh industrial environments such as manufacturing and processing plants.

What about all those busy, high-demand spaces that fall between light commercial and heavy industrial? Often referred to as Light Industrial or Heavy-Duty Commercial, these “in-between” spaces could include commercial kitchens, locker rooms, school classrooms, fitness centers, healthcare facilities, animal hospitals, natatoriums, school cafeterias, transit terminals along with many other high-traffic, high-profile commercial spaces that are all around us.

Specify standard latex wall paint for these areas and it could result in premature failure of the coating, excessive maintenance cost for the owner, and a greater consumption of resources as a consequence of frequent repainting. Yet, if you specify a heavy-duty industrial-grade epoxy for these areas, you are limited in colors and sheens, the application requires a specialized painting contractor, and the finish quality can be substandard for a commercial space that will be seen by customers, employees, or the public.

A stippled, glossy finish might be acceptable for a concrete block wall in a beverage plant, but would not pass inspection for a school hallway. So, what is the solution to this dilemma? Fortunately, there's a new breed of high-performance wall paints designed to address the need for durable coatings in these types of environments. These technologically advanced coatings are available in virtually any color and all of the popular sheens, provide a smooth, elegant finish, comply with stringent environmental standards, and can be applied by a standard painting contractor. Additionally, high-performance commercial coatings deliver the hard-wearing durability a commercial space demands, without compromising the client's expectation for a beautiful finish that's easy to apply and inexpensive to maintain.

Because they represent a wide range of advanced formulations to satisfy specific needs, knowing how to choose the right high-performance commercial coating for the job will not only ensure the long-term success of your project, it can save money over the life cycle of the coating.

The Role of a High-Performance Coating

Generally speaking, a high-performance commercial coating must fulfill two basic functions. The first is to protect the substrate from whatever ambient conditions threaten its integrity. Abrasion, impact, stains, moisture, and frequent washings are some of the extreme environmental conditions often found in active commercial spaces.

In addition to protecting the substrate, the coating's second fundamental purpose is to meet the customer's aesthetic demands. There was a time when “industrial-strength” coatings were reminiscent of Henry Ford's famous line, “you can have any color, as long as it's black.” In other words, they were only available in very limited package colors and a single sheen.

Those days are long gone. Today, advanced coating technology offers customers a full range of colors, multiple sheen options, and an attractive finish that equals the appearance of any premium architectural coating—without compromising high-performance standards. It is this blend of beauty and durability that is the essence of a high-performance commercial coating. And unlike most “industrial-grade” coatings, often characterized by strong odor and high VOC content, advanced high-performance formulas have a lower odor in comparison and comply with the most stringent environmental regulations. But with so many options available, how do you choose a high-performance coating that fulfills your client's expectations?

Space Considerations

Start by considering how the space will be used. Invariably, coatings for commercial projects must be strong enough to withstand a higher degree of abuse. For example, commercial kitchens and natatoriums need protection from moisture and chemicals, whereas abrasion is a constant problem in school hallways and hotel service corridors. Nursing homes and hospitals use powerful disinfectants and harsh cleansers that degrade the paint film and lead to frequent repaints. High-traffic public spaces such as universities, restaurants, car dealerships, and airport terminals, will have higher aesthetic considerations than a warehouse or manufacturing facility. These are just a few of the conditions that must be considered when selecting a high-performance coating.

Whether the substrate is wood, ferrous metal, aluminum, concrete, or CMU will also influence your specification, as will the condition of the surface being painted. For any paint job to be successful, the surface must be sound, clean, dry, and dull. In fact, it has been estimated that 80 percent of coating failures result from improperly prepared surfaces. This applies to both new construction as well as renovation projects. If the surface is stained, spalled, previously coated, or compromised by cracks, moisture seepage, or other voids, the condition must be remediated before applying paint. Even when the surface is clean and dry, it's important to follow the manufacturer's recommendations for achieving a “dull” surface—that is, one that has a profile sufficient to ensure a good bond with the primer and topcoat.

Ken Laser, R.A. of Ken Laser Architect in New York City, states, “In my experience, wall preparation is as important as what goes on the wall, not just because of the potential for paint failure, but because gloss paints or even eggshells tend to show imperfections. In all of my projects, I'm very specific about how I want the walls prepped.”

Fortunately, there are high-performance primers available to address most problem situations. Some of the new-generation primers are formulated to promote adhesion and help the topcoat maintain its desired sheen. Others are engineered to resist corrosion and enhance the longevity of the topcoat. High-build, heavy-duty block fillers have properties that can help fill concrete block or smooth uneven masonry surfaces so the finished system is more uniform and level. Ultimately, the primer you choose will become the foundation of a stable, long-lasting, and attractive coating system.

Environmental Impact

Apart from taking into account the physical properties of the space being painted, increasingly stringent state and federal environmental regulations must also be considered. While it's mandatory to comply with legislative guidelines that dictate materials used in your region, many of your clients are also eager to earn LEED certification in order to satisfy public demand for healthier indoor environments. Fortunately, modern high-performance coatings have advanced dramatically from the days when “industrial-type” paints failed to meet the highest environmental standards and often incurred costly disposal procedures.

Today, the best-quality high-performance coatings are lower in odor than previous coatings, low or no VOCs, and many are GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified for low chemical emissions into indoor air during product usage. GREENGUARD Certification is awarded to products that meet the Institute's strict standards for low emissions of VOCs into indoor air, and form the basis of earning LEED credit for low-emitting products. The GREENGUARD Gold standard sets even more rigorous standards to ensure that the paint specified is favorable for especially sensitive environments like schools, healthcare facilities, and nursing homes. On product labels and on Material Safety Data Sheets, you'll find the VOC level of the coating prior to colorants being added, although zero-VOC colorants, which add no VOCs to the paint during tinting, are now available in the marketplace.

VOC content, however, is far from the only criteria for judging the environmental impact of a specific coating. Many other features play a role in whether a product can be deemed truly sustainable. A coating with high hiding properties, for example, requires fewer coats, and therefore less consumption of resources, to achieve the desired finish. Benefits like scrub resistance and washability allow walls to withstand repeated cleaning while maintaining a fresh appearance, thereby reducing the need for re-paints. Overall resistance to abrasion and chemical assault also contributes to the longevity of the coating and lowers long-term labor costs and material usage. Ultimately, the durability of high-performance commercial coatings enables them to outlast standard paints, generating less waste in terms of gallons of paint used and minimizing the burden on natural resources and local landfills.

This has become increasingly important in recent years as worldwide “green” building trends are growing rapidly. A recent study by McGraw Hill Construction reports that, of the construction firms surveyed, over half projected that more than 60% of their work would be “green” by 2015. While there was a time when sustainable coatings were specified because it was “the right thing to do,” more and more often, the decision to “go green” is also motivated by the bottom line.

For Clete Miller, associate AIA with Weber, Murphy, Fox in Cleveland, Ohio, “sustainable design is just good professional practice. Whether the client is looking for sustainability or trying to achieve LEED, we do our best to specify sustainable products.”

While there was a time when sustainable coatings were specified because it was “the right thing to do,” more and more often, the decision to “go green” is also motivated by the bottom line.

Sustainability is also a primary consideration for Michael Rantilla, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, associate principal at Perkins + Will in North Carolina. When confronted with differing levels of humidity between two adjoining areas in a national art gallery, he specified a high-performance coating to create a vapor barrier that would help protect sensitive artifacts. “It's a very sustainable technique,” he explains, “because if humidity goes through a wall, you could spend a lot of money dehumidifying the space, or you could use a high-performance coating that pays for itself in energy savings.”

With a thorough understanding of the facility's purpose, the condition of the substrate, and the problems posed by the environment, you're better equipped to specify the high-performance commercial coating that represents the best value for your customer.

Types of High-Performance Commercial Coatings

In a survey conducted by Emerging Trends in Real Estate®, real estate professionals predict a growing demand for commercial real estate across all property types in 2014. That's not just good news for realtors, it's good news for architects and designers whose job is to help their clients protect and beautify their new properties. The new breed of high-performance coatings gives you and your clients more options than ever when it comes to satisfying the demands of diverse applications.

Typically, high-performance commercial coatings fall into five categories, which include acrylics, epoxies, urethanes, alkyds, and hybrids. Each type is formulated to deliver dependable performance for different applications, so it's important to consider their distinct benefits.

Acrylic Coatings

The many advantages of acrylic coatings make them a popular choice for many commercial projects.

Not only do acrylics feature easy application and fast dry times, they have relatively little odor in comparison to solvent-based coatings. This is important in an industry where time is money, and staying on schedule can make or break a construction budget. Laser, R.A. in New York City, agrees, “In the past, I've specified alkyds for their durability, but my commercial clients want the job finished yesterday, so the long dry times required for multiple coats of alkyd paint is always a drawback. If a high-performance acrylic has the durability of an alkyd, with faster dry time, that's definitely an asset.”

Flexible paint film and lasting color and gloss retention also make high-performance acrylics suitable for exterior applications. Because acrylics are water based, they typically have lower VOC levels and have less environmental impact than solvent-borne alkyds. If there's a limitation to acrylics, they require a thoroughly clean substrate to achieve good adhesion, so they're not recommended for renovating workshops, storage areas, or manufacturing facilities where it's not cost-effective, or even possible, to clean the surface properly.

Acrylics may be further divided into three subsets:

Acrylic metal primers, which often have advanced formulas to inhibit the formation of rust on prepared steel, are compatible with water-based and solvent-based topcoats.

Acrylic topcoats. With a smooth, attractive finish that rivals many premium architectural coatings, acrylic topcoats are popular for high-aesthetic areas such as hotel lobbies, restaurants, retail stores, office buildings, or community centers. Their low-odor formulations compared to solvent-based coatings and fast drying time cause minimal disruption to occupants, and facilities return to service fast. Because high-performance acrylics also have excellent gloss and color retention, they are well suited for exterior surfaces that are subject to UV exposure. Structural steel and piping are also common applications for acrylic topcoats. For projects that must meet the strictest environmental regulations, many high-quality acrylics are also available in low-VOC formulas.

Epoxy Coatings

Advanced-formula epoxies make up the second category of coatings suitable for busy commercial settings. With a hard, durable finish that provides excellent resistance to moisture, chemicals, abrasion, and corrosion, modern epoxy coatings are often the “go-to” solution for some of the most challenging high-demand commercial environments. Strong odor during application and some epoxies requiring mixing of two parts may be drawbacks in some situations, but should not rule out the many benefits of an epoxy coating.

To ensure the best possible choice for the job, there are several types of epoxies available.

Pre-catalyzed water-based epoxies are revolutionary acrylic epoxies that offer adhesion, durability, and chemical resistance comparable to traditional two-part epoxies in a fool-proof, single-component formula. For busy in-house maintenance crews, pre-catalyzed water-based epoxies offer significant convenience by eliminating the need for measuring, mixing, and applying a two-part formula with a limited pot life. Because they're water based, they are typically lower odor compared to solvent-based coatings and much lower in VOCs than solvent-based epoxies. With features similar to those of a traditional two-part water-based epoxy, these pre-catalyzed epoxies are equally suited to areas that get a lot of foot traffic or require frequent cleaning, such as hospital rooms, cafeterias, school classrooms, auditoriums, and dining halls.

Two-part water-based epoxies offer enhanced performance in facilities that require higher levels of defense from abrasion, chemicals, or moisture. Laboratories and clean rooms, operating rooms, public lavatories, school locker rooms, indoor pools, plus animal clinics and fitness centers are among the many areas where the constant use of water, cleaning chemicals, and scrubbing can require frequent repaints. In these situations, a high-performance water-based epoxy is formulated to retain its attractive, burnish-free finish far longer than standard architectural coatings.

High-performance water-based epoxies are also recommended for heavy-duty protection in high-traffic interiors. Schools, commercial hallways, airport terminals, and transit stations, as well as locker rooms, gymnasiums, laboratories, and light manufacturing facilities can benefit from the advantages of this very resilient coating.

Some water-based epoxies contain less than 50g/L VOC for the ultimate combination of high performance with low environmental impact. Sensitive interior environments, such as hospitals, operating rooms, or senior care centers, are among the recommended applications for a low-VOC water-based epoxy.

Solvent-based epoxy is the third type of epoxy. Highest in VOCs and typically requiring more labor than water-based epoxies, solvent-based epoxies are nevertheless hardworking, hard-wearing coatings that are ideal for sites that require maximum protection from harsh conditions. These extreme settings include commercial kitchens, chemical storage areas, fabrication shops, as well as chemical and water processing plants. Solvent-based epoxies are also tough enough for high-exposure exteriors, including offshore platforms, refineries, tanks, power plants, and structural steel. They can even withstand the demands of secondary containment applications and are acceptable for floors that are subject to light vehicle and forklift traffic.

Urethanes

For UV and chemical resistance, with a hard, flexible film that has excellent color and gloss retention, urethanes are hard to beat, especially for exterior applications.

The three most familiar categories of urethanes are water-based urethanes, acrylic urethanes, and moisture-cured urethanes. Determining which is best for the job is based on several factors.

Water-based urethanes are a good choice for general industrial applications, providing durable protection for exterior sites such as bridges, storage tanks, and exterior architectural steelwork. Thanks to excellent color and gloss retention, urethanes are also ideal for exteriors with high aesthetic requirements, such as amusement parks, high-visibility decorative structures, and corporate logos.

Acrylic urethanes are the answer for even longer lasting color and gloss retention. Clients with storage tanks, sports complexes, or stadiums that endure high exposure to UV and have a high profile with the public will appreciate the protection and enduring beauty of an acrylic urethane coating.

Moisture-cured urethanes, the third type of urethane, are high-tech coatings that deliver all the benefits of regular urethanes, with the significant advantage of tolerating application to damp surfaces. Moisture-cured urethanes are formulated with components that cure when they come into contact with humidity in the air, forming a fast bond with the substrate being painted. If you're specifying a urethane coating, but damp weather is threatening to derail your production schedule, a moisture-cured urethane can help keep your project on track.

Moisture-cured urethanes have the added advantage of being able to be applied during periods of high humidity, and with a fast cure time, they can be recoated in as few as four hours. Some of these coatings can be applied in temperatures as low as 20º Fahrenheit without compromising adhesion. This broad tolerance for low temperature, high humidity, and ambient moisture is especially important when production schedules are jeopardized by weather extremes.

It is worth noting that urethane formulas are also classified as aromatic or aliphatic. On the most basic level, aromatic urethanes are the less expensive of the two, but they do not have the UV resistance of aliphatic urethanes, and because they tend to yellow or chalk, they are not recommended for exterior topcoating. However, they may be reliably used as a primer or intermediate coat for a comprehensive urethane system.

On the other hand, aliphatic urethanes have excellent color and gloss retention and make an excellent choice as a topcoat for exterior applications. Although they are more expensive than aromatic urethanes, the initial cost of aliphatic urethanes can be more than offset by the longevity of their aesthetic appeal.

Fluorourethanes have also gained a strong following in recent years. They have the highest initial cost of the high-performance urethanes, but they provide gloss and color retention that lasts five times longer than aliphatic formulas. These ambient-cured, graffiti-resistant fluorourethanes are available in a wide range of beautiful colors and will appeal to clients who want the highest level of aesthetics, combined with the longest-lasting performance. Fluorourethanes are ideal for exterior detail and accent painting on high-rise buildings and other high-exposure iconic structures where repainting is impractical or prohibitively expensive due to limited accessibility.

High-Performance Alkyds

A high-performance alkyd coating is characterized by good flow and leveling, and dries to a hard, uniform finish that's smooth and attractive.

These alkyds have excellent adhesion on properly prepared surfaces and offer good touch up, so scuffs or minor marks are easily repaired. Being oil-based, however, alkyds have a tendency to become brittle and yellow with age, and the odor during application is stronger than a water-based paint. Because they may fade and chalk when exposed to sunlight, they're not recommended for exterior applications. Suggested uses include moderate commercial applications such metal doors and frames, as well as columns, crown molding, and trim. For these applications, an alkyd coating offers a strong, sleek finish that's attractive and durable.

Hybrids

Last but not least, there are high-performance hybrids. These products combine the best features of two or more types of coatings to help you fine-tune your specifications and satisfy the unique demands of any project. Common examples include acrylic alkyds, which apply with the ease of a water-based acrylic and have reduced VOC levels, yet deliver the smooth, uniform sheen of an alkyd.

Acrylic epoxies have the durability of an epoxy, with excellent resistance to chemicals, moisture, and corrosion. As an added benefit, however, they have lower odor than solvent-based coatings, better application characteristics, and are available in low, and sometimes zero, VOC formulas.

Another advantage of acrylic alkyds and acrylic epoxies is that they can be cleaned up with soap and water during the painting process, eliminating the need for hydrocarbon solvents and paint thinners.

Finally, there are urethane alkyds. Engineered to deliver the excellent color and gloss retention of a urethane, this hybrid also offers the sleek, uniform look of an alkyd, making it a popular choice for areas where aesthetics are a primary consideration.

Despite their unique performance attributes, it's important to note that these coatings require no advanced skills or specialized application gear, so labor costs are readily controlled. That also makes labor costs more economical for facility managers with in-house maintenance crews using standard equipment. And because today's high-performance coatings are available in a wide range of colors and sheens, it's easy to accommodate existing color schemes.

Regardless of what type of high-performance coating is specified, an anti-graffiti coating can protect your client's investment against unsightly graffiti. This product forms a clear barrier over the topcoat, so graffiti simply washes away with soap and water, thereby avoiding a costly repaint when vandals strike. For facilities prone to this type of vandalism, a high-performance anti-graffiti coating is money well spent.

The Value Proposition

While it's true that high-performance commercial coatings are more expensive, on average, than conventional architectural paints, there's far more to the cost of a coating than the price on the can. A more accurate way to analyze cost is to consider the expense incurred over the life cycle of the coating. For example, how durable is the coating? Can it withstand frequent cleaning with harsh chemicals? Will it retain its glossy sheen and fresh color despite intense UV exposure? Is the paint film hard enough to resist abrasion and tough enough to protect the substrate from corrosive environments? Does moisture threaten to cause poor adhesion or blistering? How well a coating stands up to these kinds of challenging conditions has a direct bearing on the long-term cost of keeping substrates protected and facilities looking clean and attractive.

Of equal consideration is the labor factor. While every project is different, depending on the scope of the work, the contract price for a commercial paint project is typically comprised of 15 percent for the paint material and 85 percent for the painter's labor. The labor cost usually remains the same whether the painter is applying standard architectural paint or a high-performance commercial coating. Therefore, if the paint material cost is increased by 50 percent to upgrade the paint to a high-performance commercial coating, that only increases the total paint project cost by 7-½ percent.

The right high-performance coating will take a lot of abuse and still look great, year after year. That reduces the need for frequent retouching or repaints, minimizes labor expenses, decreases the burden on local landfills, and helps to limit costly downtime. This has obvious appeal on projects where long-term value outweighs initial cost considerations.

Gary Peterson, AIA, agrees that for clients who plan to continue to own and operate a facility, life-cycle cost is an important consideration. “These clients want to know, 'what am I getting, and what is it going to cost me?' If they can see a return value, they'll consider the higher cost product if they think it's going to pay off in the long run. Everything comes back to cost.”

To gain a better understanding of the likely cost of a coating over its life cycle, add the cost of the labor to the initial cost of the paint and materials, and divide that number by the expected service life of the coating. To illustrate this point, let's compare the cost of painting a commercial interior space with a standard coating versus a high-performance coating. Assume that the initial cost of the standard coating plus the painter's labor is $100,000. The expected service life of the standard coating is five years, resulting in a cost of $20,000 per year over the life cycle of the paint job. By comparison, the high-performance coating has a higher cost initially of $115,000. However, the expected service life of the high-performance coating is more than twice that of the standard coating. For this job, that reduces the per-year cost of the high-performance coating to just $11,500. Based on this example, that's nearly 43 percent less than the cost of a standard paint over the life of the coating.

Nick Schumann, of Schumann Consult, Ltd., believes this long-term view is essential. Your specification, he writes, “is the guardian of quality.” Once the project is handed over to a contractor, pressures like staying on schedule or controlling costs may drive the process. But in the long run, it's the quality of the materials you specify that will determine the success of the project—long after temporary cost and time factors are forgotten.

The Days of “Coating Compromise” are Over

In the past, limited choices made it difficult to specify a coating that was ideally suited for a commercial project. Standard architectural paints may have been the only choice for areas with strict environmental regulations or high aesthetic standards. But all too often, those coatings weren't durable enough to withstand the abuse of a commercial environment, and therefore failed to perform reliably over the long run. Conversely, coatings formulated for heavy industry applications could handle the rigors of the commercial environment, but they often required a contractor with advanced skills operating specialized equipment. Almost inevitably, these coatings couldn't meet LEED criteria or satisfy expectations for an attractive finish.

High-performance commercial coatings bridge the gap, with options engineered to eliminate “coating compromise” and allow you to meet the most exacting requirements for light industry or commercial applications. That, says Michael Rantilla, AIA, is a major advantage. “As an architect, you're counting on these coatings to perform well over time. You're buying peace of mind.”

Of course, to ensure that you have all the information necessary to specify the most successful coating system for any application, it's advisable to consult your paint manufacturer's commercial coatings representative. These professionals will be knowledgeable about the specific benefits of individual coatings and provide the guidance necessary to meet all your project parameters.

Cathy Brugett is a freelance writer and producer with over 20 years' experience producing technical and instructional materials for the construction industry, architecture and design community, and professional trades. As co-founder of the Cleveland-based, multimedia production company, Gateway Communications Group, Ms. Brugett developed and scripted training programs for the healthcare, hospitality, construction, financial, and educational markets. Prior to her freelance career, Ms. Brugett was a broadcast journalist for WJW-TV in Cleveland, Ohio. She has a B.A. from Victoria College, University of Toronto.

 

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