| ‘How To’ |
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| Vinylast Paints : Frequently Asked Questions |
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| How is Vinylast better than regular paint? |
| Vinylast is high quality and does not require a primer, it does not drip and it dries fast unlike most other paints. It also offers better surface protection against rust. It has excellent adhesion even to hot dipped galvanized surfaces. And it gives a beautiful, chip resistant satin sheen finish. |
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| Can I spray this paint? |
| Yes, the paint can be used in any conventional sprayer. It can also be used for Electrostatic and airless spray. |
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| The paint is very thick. What thinner should I use? |
| Although any industrial grade thinner will work, we recommend using Xylene. Up to 15% thinner may be added in a conventional sprayer. For best results use the minimum amount of thinner to suit your equipment. |
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How many coats do I need to apply?
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| Generally 2 to 3 coats are required, depending on the equipment used and amount of thinner used. However, it is more important to achieve a minimum film thickness for adequate protection. For best results and a long life expectancy we recommend a minimum dry film thickness of 75 microns for exterior applications and 125 microns for marine and coastal environments. Film thickness gauges are available upon request. |
| Top Tips - We suggest using a slightly different color for the first coat to ensure everywhere is covered twice. This also eliminates any waste as any spare left over Vinylast paint from a previous job can be used as the first coat when spraying new work. |
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Do I need to apply a primer?
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| Vinylast does not need a primer in order to adhere to the steel. However, there should be no rust, dirt, damp, oil or grease on the work. If a primer is preferred, we recommend Rourke’s Fast Primer Zinc Phosphate. |
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| Can I use Vinylast over galvanizing? |
| Absolutely. Although a top quality paint for using directly onto mild steel, Vinylast was specially developed to adhere to galvanized steelwork. Vinylast bonds extremely well to galvanizing without any kind of primer or surface abrasion required |
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| What if I have a non-galvanized surface for an exterior job? |
| Although we always recommend galvanizing for exterior work, we realize it may not be always possible. Vinylast still offers a superior finish and more durability than most paints. We recommend that all joints are fillet welded (fully welded all the way around). Mill scale should be removed for best results. There should be no rust, dirt, damp oil or grease on the work. Again, a primer is not required but if preferred, we recommend Rourke’s Fast Primer Zinc Phosphate. Apply 2 to 3 coats of Vinylast in order to achieve the required film thickness. |
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| Can I use Vinylast over Aluminum? |
| Yes, Vinylast works very well over aluminum also. However, you may need an etch primer or a T-wash primer, or abrade the surface, especially for very smooth surfaces. |
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What kind of maintenance is required?
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| Vinylast is virtually a maintenance free finish for many years, especially when applied over a galvanized surface. You can repaint over Vinylast painted work after cleaning it, without undercoats or primers. (NOTE: Vinylast may not work over surfaces painted with other paints).Touching up is easy with our spray cans. Rusted surfaces can be easily repaired with Rourke’s Anti Rust. Many customers even say that the older it gets, the better it looks. |
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| How does Vinylast compare to powder coating? |
| There are many types of powder coating options, so it is difficult to generalize. It is very important to use expert power coating companies to get the best results. However, Vinylast looks better on good quality decorative ironwork than most powder finishes. Powder coating is also difficult to repair or touch up. It does not adhere well to galvanized products without surface preparation. Most places need to outsource powder coating, but they can paint themselves and thereby also control the quality. Powder coating is also difficult to get into small difficult areas such as joints between scrolls, etc. Unless external steelwork is galvanized before powder coating it can be very difficult to repair any damage and moisture may get under the coating forming rust. |
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| Can I get exotic finishes using Vinylast? |
| Vinylast can be easily highlighted with Rourke’s patinas to give antique and modern finishes at low cost. See examples of some possible beautiful finishes in this brochure – most of these would be impossible to achieve in a powder finish. |
| Rourkes Staygold can be used to paint features such as railheads (finials) or collars, again this is difficult to achieve with powder. |
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