Why there's more than meets the eye with painting

The many roles of paint

Reasons for painting can include enhancing the appearance of materials (i.e. aesthetic appearance), protecting materials to extend their service life, or for hygiene reasons. 

Painting is a crucial part of buildings, and architects, trades people, building owners and building managers alike should be aware of the importance of a building or material being well painted. Adding a layer or two of paint to a building's exterior not only protects it from the elements (water/rain, wind, UV rays, stains, dirt, mould) but also protects against the degradation of bricks and plaster.

The level of protection is only as good as the quality of the execution and the paint itself. It is crucial for all those in the building and construction industry to take care when painting in order to protect the surface of buildings for as long as possible.

AS/NZS 2311:2017 - Guide to the painting of buildings

AS/NZS 2311:2017 is a recognised industry Standard and licensed & qualified painters should follow recommendations stated in this Standard. It provides guidance and recommended good practice for the design, application, and maintenance of decorative paint systems for use by the paint industry in the development of painting specifications. This Standard provides a guide to products and procedures for the painting of buildings for general domestic, commercial and industrial use. 

This Standard highlights one of the most important steps in painting: preparation. Surface preparation and assessment are extremely important, as the painter may be held liable for any future failure. This is because the act of painting a surface can be taken as accepting that the surface is suitable for painting. This means that painters are responsible if the coating fails due to poor surface preparation.

AS/NZS 2311:2017 provides details on what to look for in preparing to paint, including assessing the substrate conditions, assessing the existing coat of paint (possible states could include peeling, bubbling, or flaking of the original paint), assessing current contaminants (including dirt, mould, mildew, rust, salt, or chalk), and what coating systems are being used (presence and compatibility of primers and sealers).

ISO 12944 Series - Paints and varnishes

Not all paint is decorative however, and many paints play a crucial role in the maintenance and endurance of buildings and the materials with which they are built. ISO 12944:2019 Paints And Varnishes - Corrosion Protection Of Steel Structures By Protective Paint Systems. This is a comprehensive Standard that describes the types of paint and paint systems commonly used for corrosion protection of steel structures. These paints are crucial for steel structures' integrity and significantly extends the steel's lifetime. 

This series of Standards comes in 9 parts and are recommended for all painters in the building and constructions industry. 

• Part 1: General Introduction
• Part 2: Classification Of Environments
• Part 3: Design Considerations
• Part 4: Types Of Surface And Surface Preparation
• Part 5: Protective Paint Systems
• Part 6: Laboratory Performance Test Methods
• Part 7: Execution And Supervision Of Paint Work
• Part 8: Development Of Specifications For New Work And Maintenance
• Part 9: Protective Paint Systems And Laboratory Performance Test Methods For Offshore And Related Structures

Different materials require different treatments however. While common steel structures are covered in the ISO 12944 series, painters are encouraged to make sure they are using the correct Standard for the material at hand. For example AS/NZS 3750.7:2009 Paints for steel structures Aluminium paint is a standalone Standard that specifies the requirements for a single pack bright aluminium finish paint intended to protect iron and steel against corrosion (by application of brush, roller or spray). This type of painting provides heat reflectance and medium-terms protection from corrosion to suitably primed steelwork in industrial environments. 

Hazards of paint

Just like anything else in the building and construction industry, painting comes with its own hazards that must be minimised or mitigated. AS/NZS 4361.1:2017 is a guide to hazardous paint management, lead, and other hazardous metallic pigments in industrial applications. 

The Standard provides guidance on the management of lead-based paints and other hazardous paints (e.g. paints containing zinc chromate and other chromate-based material, arsenic compounds or cadmium compounds). Risk management is also covered as a tool for developing controls for the identified hazards. This Standard applies to the management of hazardous paints on industrial structures, making it a crucial addition to most job sites and/or buildings.