Industrial Facility Maintenance: Signs You Need a New Paint Job

Properly maintaining your industrial facility is essential to making sure you can stay up and running and making money. 

One aspect of industrial facility maintenance that often gets overlooked is paint. Since it degrades slowly over time, we often don’t realize how badly a wall, or even a floor, needs a new paint job. But neglecting a new paint job when you need it can damage your property and cost you more money in the long run.

It’s important to know when it’s the right time to put a new paint job on your industrial facility, which means keeping an eye out for any one of the following signs: 

Mold, Mildew, or Algae is Showing

Quality paint is designed to protect against moisture and humidity with the goal of keeping mold out and protecting the underlying materials. When paint starts to decay, it starts to let moisture in, and so you may start to see mold or mildew building up on the paint. 

Some mold is obvious to see, but other types look more like dirt. Pay close attention to areas where there might be water or where there is poor ventilation. Both conditions make it more likely for there to be mold.

If you do find mold, mildew, or algae, then you need to completely redo your paint job. If protection has broken down in one area, and there is already mold, it won’t be long before you start seeing it elsewhere. Solve the problem before it becomes bigger by cleaning up the mold and applying a fresh coat of paint. 

However, if you do, make sure to call a professional since some molds can be hazardous to your health if breathed in. 

Bubbling or Peeling

Another thing to look out for is bubbling or peeling paint. This can happen in areas that are exposed to the sun or another source of heat. Over time, the paint will form bubbles, which means it is breaking away from the surface and no longer protecting it. Eventually, those bubbles will pop and the pain will start to peel away, leaving whatever is underneath completely exposed. 

Peeling can also happen to paint that is very old. 

Keep an eye out for bubbling and peeling when you do your routine industrial facility maintenance and be read to paint if you find any. 

Fading or Chalky Color

Although modern paint holds its color for much longer than it ever did, all paint still fades over time, or if it’s exposed to a lot of heat, it can become chalky. When this happens, the paint starts to break down and the color pigments degrade. If your paint is chalky, then you can run your hand along the wall and when you pick it up your fingers will be the same colors. 

It’s not only a sign that your paint is wearing down and needs to be redone, but it’s also not the best thing for you and your employees to be breathing in. So, if you spot fading or chalky paint, make sure to redo it right away to protect your property and the people working there.

You Can’t Seem to Get the Walls Clean

You should be cleaning the walls and floors as part of your regular industrial facility maintenance routine, but if you notice that no matter how hard you scrub, or blast with a power washer, you can never quite get your painted surfaces clean, that’s probably because the dirt has embedded in the paint and can’t be removed. 

If you attack the dirt with a more powerful cleaner, you’ll wind up removing the paint. So, when this happens, it’s best to just skip this step and repaint your entire industrial facility. 

It’s Been a While

Even if you don’t spot any of these specific signs, ask yourself: when was the last time you painted your industrial facility?

If it’s been more than five years, then you should seriously consider repainting your industrial facility. Or, at the very least, you should start planning for it. 

The longer you wait the higher the risk one of these problems develops, and then the cost of repainting is going to be more. And it might come at an inconvenient time. It’s much better to get ahead of things and make sure you’re repainting three to five years, depending on the environmental conditions of your industrial facility. 

Reasons Why You Should Repaint Your Industrial Facility

If your industrial facility is showing some of these signs that it needs maintenance, but you’re not convinced it’s worth it. It is. Here are some of the main reasons why you should paint your industrial facility:

Maintain a Professional Look

Although it’s an industrial facility and bound to be dirtier than, say, an office or a storefront. There are still clean industrial facilities and dirty ones, and you want to have the former. 

There may be quality standards enforced by governments and/or regulatory institutions. But beyond that, it just looks more professional when your facility is updated with a fresh coat of paint every so often. 

Also, keeping up with your paint job is also useful should a customer come to visit. You want to make a good impression on them, and the quality of your facility’s paint is going to have a significant impact on this. Don’t leave anything to chance and keep up with your maintenance. 

Keep Your Property Clean and Well-Maintained

In the long run, it’s cheaper and less stressful for you if you maintain your property over time instead of waiting for problems to appear and responding in a reactive manner. If you leave your paint job for years and years and eventually get mold and mildew, redoing the paint at this point is going to be a much better job. 

Reduce stress levels and save money by redoing your facility’s paint before it becomes an issue. 

Create a Better Atmosphere for Your Employees

Lastly, updating your paint job and keeping up with your industrial facility sets the tone for employees. Not only does it convey a degree of professionalism, it can also contribute to morale and encourage better work. 

Of course, there is more to this than just a paint job. But keeping your industrial facility bright and clean with fresh paint is an important first step in creating a positive environment for your employees to work.

Freshen Up Your Industrial Facilities Paint Job

Industrial facility maintenance is not always a business owner’s favorite task. But it’s absolutely necessary for both the short- and long- term health of the company. So, keep an eye out for some of the signs that you need a new paint job, and when the time does come to repaint your industrial facility, get in touch to find out how we can help.