In Roanoke, Salem, and most of Virginia, we’re lucky to experience relatively mild winters. Our cold doesn’t compare to our Northern and Midwest neighbors! Still, winter is no joke, whether for human health or your floors. Here’s how cold weather affects industrial coatings.
How Does Cold Weather Affect Industrial Coatings Application?
A famous nanny once extolled the virtues of starting at the beginning, so not being one to argue with Julie Andrews, we’ll do the same. Let’s begin by answering how cold weather affects industrial coating applications.
We’ve already discussed within our blog the importance of temperature in concrete work. It’s equally relevant to applying concrete (and other flooring) coatings.
Cold weather makes floor coatings more viscous, making application more challenging (at best). The optimal temperature for most coating is between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. When temperature slows curing, it can also make it cure unevenly, leading to weaker durability or a less attractive finish.
Similarly, we must monitor the surface temperature of the floor we’re coating if we don’t keep it at least 5 degrees above the dew point. Why does that matter? Condensation can create a layer of moisture that prevents the coating from adhering to the surface!
How Cold Weather Affects Industrial Coatings Curing
Another subject we’ve touched on in previous blogs is curing (or drying in layperson’s terms). The idea that liquids dry faster when it’s hot will come as no surprise to anyone who’s used a hairdryer!
But when cold weather slows down floor coatings’ drying time, that means more time that a space remains out of use. In fact, cold weather affects industrial coatings curing time by slowing it up to 50%!
Choosing the Right Coating
Not every coating is the perfect fit for every environment. It’s vital to speak with an experienced flooring coating company to find the correct one for you or your company.
Flooring for industrial kitchens is built to withstand extreme heat. Likewise, some coatings are specifically formulated to protect your floors from cold and freezing temperatures.
Of course, we must balance temperature considerations with all the other factors for your flooring choice, such as aesthetics, not stick and non-slip additives, and, of course, durability.
Managing for Cold Weather
While we always prefer to apply coatings during the more temperate months of the year, sometimes, you can’t avoid working in less-than-ideal conditions. Luckily, we have contingencies on such occasions.
Firstly, when working in the winter, businesses must plan for a longer out-of-use period for the area of work. So if that’s not possible for you, and you have the option to wait, you should.
If you must apply the coating in the winter, we plan for it by managing the environment as best as possible. That means multiple industrial heaters and humidity control. We also must carefully store the chemical agents.
Conclusion
Cold weather affects industrial coatings in multiple ways that make winter not the best choice for coating applications. But with Virginia winters being relatively minor, we can use our expertise, your cooperation, and careful planning to complete any time-sensitive projects that must be completed before the weather turns.
Let us know if you have any questions!