Cortec^® MCI^® has released a new coatings guide designed specifically for the building maintenance and construction industries. The two-page handout gives a quick intro to Cortec Micro-Corrosion Inhibiting Coatings™ Technology before explaining the basics on how and where to apply which coatings. The guide is here to help engineers, contractors and maintenance crews easily protect structural steel and metal equipment around their facility or construction site.

Construction sites and facilities have many metal structures and equipment components that need protection — from structural steel to steel plates, from metal platforms to stairs and banisters, from metal HVAC components to decorative architecture. Depending on the surrounding environment (e.g., outdoors vs. indoors), some will be at higher risk of corrosion and require heavy-duty protection. Others may need a simple layer of paint to improve appearance and delay gradual oxidation. This quick guide helps simplify coatings selection so workers can protect their assets with a good coating combo for each specific application.

The new guide briefly outlines a critical part of coatings success — how to properly apply a system. For best results, this includes good surface prep, optional rinsing, and the final application of a primer plus one or more topcoats. The actual number of coatings chosen can depend on the durability and aesthetics required on a case-by-case basis. The brochure includes a full coating system application example to show how this might be done.

Another important part of the new construction coatings guide is the listing of specific features for each primer and topcoat. These characteristics can mean the difference between which coating will be used inside versus outside, in a strong chemical processing environment versus a dry warehouse, and so on. Some workers will place the most importance on low-VOC or water-based coatings. The one- or two-part nature of the system can also factor into the equation, as some users want the speed of 1K coatings, while others need the benefit from the cross-linking advantages of a 2K coating.

The coatings guide brings all the coatings together with a comprehensive chart of recommended system combinations for different applications. This is a great reference when workers know what kind of equipment or structural steel they need to coat but feel at a loss navigating through all the different coatings characteristics to choose the right coating on their own. View “Cortec’s Coatings Guide for Construction Applications” at https://www.cortecmci.com/mci-coatings-guide-for-construction-applications/.