What Are the Benefits of Painting a Metal Building?

UV radiation, temperature fluctuation and humidity can all cause a metal building's factory coating to deteriorate.

Manufacturers usually coat prefabricated metal buildings with one of many different protective finishes. These coatings do not last forever, however, and must either be refinished or painted over to prevent the surface from rusting. Rust can cause enough damage to merit piece replacement, which is costly and renders the building unusable for a time. Painting a metal building can greatly extend its lifespan.

Preservation

Factory coatings degrade over time even if a building experiences no extraordinary events that compromise the coating's integrity. To extend the life of a metal building, you must replace the factory coating by either painting it or refinishing it before it completely degrades and leaves the building vulnerable. By finishing degradation early on, you can avoid extensive damage. Paint offers an effective solution to the issue of factory coat deterioration if carefully selected and properly applied. Paint a metal building to prevent rusting or to reclaim the structural integrity of a rusted building.

Price

Refinishing a metal building's factory coating or replacing damaged panels is expensive. Induspray, a metal building painting service, estimates that metal building owners spend billions of dollars annually replacing metal buildings or parts. Depending on a metal building's original coating type, the price of painting a metal building varies. Varying metals and factory coatings require different types of paint and primers. For example, ferrous metal buildings require oil-based paint and primer, which are more expensive than the latex paint that bonds to aluminum buildings.

Climate Factors

Account for the local climate when deciding what preservation method to use. Humidity levels, UV exposure and temperature fluctuation all affect the lifespan and effectiveness of metal finishes and paints. Since some locations experience a temperature difference of up to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, select a paint that can stretch enough to match the expansion of the building itself. UV exposure has an effect on color consideration since high exposure fades paint and worsens degradation.

DIY vs. Professional

Consider the size of your building when determining whether you can paint it yourself. Painting a large metal building requires vast amounts of paint, and the area could take you far too long to cover. The fact that different factory coatings require different paints further complicates the matter. You can likely paint a small metal building yourself, but consider contracting with a professional service for painting larger buildings. A professional will have the correct equipment and expertise to maximize the paint job's effectiveness. Restoring an original coating will almost always require a professional, regardless of building size.

References

• Induspray; Metal/Steel Building Refinishing & Painting Services
• Indsupray; Siding Refinishing, Metal Clad Siding Painting
• Induspray; Quick-Facts > Metal/Steel Building Refinishing
• Graham Paint; Refinishing Metal Buildings
• Diamond Vogel; Repainting Metal Siding and Metal Building
• Paintingyourhouse.info; Exterior Paint