Galvanizing and painting balconies

Q: We have a large balcony project and the Architect has requested that it be painted after Hot Dip Galvanizing. We have heard that most paint will not adhere directly to freshly galvanized steel. Is this true and how should we overcome this problem?

A: In general most paints will not adhere to freshly galvanized steelwork. The traditional method was to etch the surface with etch primers, T-wash or by a light sweep blast. All of these are expensive and in the case of some primers can be unpleasant to work with and cause environmental issues.

Thankfully this is no longer necessary. Ongoing research and development has led to the introduction of Galvacoat, a top quality paint that will adhere directly to freshly galvanized steel. This two pack polyurethane paint is readily available in all RAL and BS colours and is simple to apply by spray or brush. Galvacoat has been approved by Dublin Corporation and specified by many top practices. There are several high profile applications where Galvacoat has been used details of which can be found by clicking on the “Paint Application“ section of this website. Painting galvanized steel is easy with Galvacoat.