11/6/2018 Shop Versus Field Painting | An Exemplum | KTA UniversityKTA University

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COATINGS MAINTENANCE PAINTING Posted by Bill Corbett - October 26, 2018
Common Causes o
Shop Versus Field Painting: An Exemplum Bubbling in Indus
Posted by Jim M
2016
Introduction
Measuring Dry Fil
According to Wikipedia, an exemplum (Latin for “example”) is a moral anecdote, brief or extended, real or ctitious, used to illustrate a According to SSPC

point. While I wouldn’t consider deciding whether to perform painting work in a shop or in the eld a “moral issue,” this story-telling Posted by Bill Co
2013
approach is intended to provide a more interesting way to learn about the variety of considerations for three di erent approaches an
owner can consider when needing to protect new steel from corrosion using protective coating systems. I hope you enjoy the story, Tools and Techniq
Coating Quality- P
but more importantly that it helps you weigh your options more knowledgably when faced with similar circumstances. Painting
Posted by Ken T
Facility Owner Options for Preparing & Coating New Steel 2015

Before beginning the story, it is important to understand an owner’s options for preparing and coating new steel. The three options Painting Wet on W
[Exploring the My
described below are based on a traditional 3-coat system; with minor modi cations the same approaches can be applied to 2-coat and
Posted by Carly
4-coat systems that are less common but can be chosen based on the prevailing service environment and the generic coating system 2016
selected. While a fourth option is total eld painting, it is very unusual to fabricate new steel and transport it to the eld to be abrasive
The Importance o
blast cleaned and coated. Abrasive Cleanlin
Posted by John T
Option A – Shop/Field/Field: Apply the primer in the shop, transport the steel to the project site, erect the steel, then apply the mid- 2017
coat and topcoat in the eld.

Option B – Shop/Shop/Field: Apply the primer & mid-coat in the shop, transport the steel to the project site, erect the steel, then apply
the topcoat in the eld.

Option C – Total Shop Painting: Apply all coats in the shop, transport the steel to the project site, erect the steel, then touch-up
erection damage and connections.

Shop Types and Certi cation Considerations

The new steel may be fabricated and coated in the steel fabrication shop, or it may be fabricated then transported to a “blast & paint”
shop, that prepares and coats the fabricated steel and transports it to the project site. There are also di erent types of shops, including
enclosed shops, covered shops and open shops; the latter two o er much less control over prevailing ambient conditions and airborne
dust.

Since preparing and coating steel with high performance coating systems is not a simple task and can produce serious consequences if
done incorrectly, the owner may consider specifying the type of shop (from the list above) and requiring certi cation as a prerequisite
to submitting a bid. If certi cation is invoked by the owner, the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Sophisticated Painting
Endorsement (SPE) primarily applies to steel fabrication shops that paint, and the SSPC: Society for Protective Coatings Quali cation
Procedure 3 (SSPC-QP3) primarily applies to shops that blast and paint, but do not fabricate. There is reciprocity between the two
certi cation programs and they have developed a joint certi cation standard, AISC-420-10/SSPC-QP 3.  The joint standard also
describes the three types of shops mentioned above.

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11/6/2018 Shop Versus Field Painting | An Exemplum | KTA UniversityKTA University
Setting the Stage

With that as background, let’s begin our story. A state

turnpike toll agency (Owner) located in the northeastern
US is replacing a very old overpass bridge structure carrying a two-lane state route over six turnpike tra c lanes (3 east-bound 3 west-
bound). The state route and turnpike are both heavily traveled, and the overpass structure is located near a prestigious neighborhood
with a country club and PGA-quality golf course nearby. Additionally, the turnpike is modernizing a service plaza approximately 1 mile
east of where the new bridge will be erected. The turnpike anticipates letting a single contract for the fabrication and painting of the
steel for both the bridge and service plaza. Since the Turnpike agency is located in a NEPCOAT (Northeast Protective Coatings
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Committee) state, they anticipate choosing a coating system from List A (inorganic zinc-rich primer/polyamide epoxy mid-coat/acrylic Shares

polyurethane nish coat) for all fabricated steel, for both the bridge and service plaza. This system will require SSPC-SP 10, Near-White
Abrasive Blast Cleaning and a 2-3 mil surface pro le. The nish coat color selected by the local community is a deep forest green with a
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high-gloss sheen.

The Toll Agency hired an architect-engineering (AE) rm to help them prepare the speci cations for the two projects. The AE rm,
represented by James is comfortable with a traditional approach of fabricating, preparing and priming the steel in the shop, then
applying the mid-coat and nish coat post-erection. The Owner (Steve) wants to have all coats applied in the shop to eliminate the need
for any eld painting beyond touch-up. The Owner requested a face-to-face meeting with the AE rm to explore the pros and cons of
both approaches so that the contract documents can be prepared and sent to pre-quali ed bidders. Let’s listen in on their meeting to
learn about the perspectives of each party.

Meeting of the Owner and AE Firm

Steve: “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me on this James. We really need to be on the same page before moving forward with designing this
project. Let’s discuss the bridge steel rst, then we can discuss the steel for the service plaza remodel since circumstances are a bit di erent.
You said that you were questioning our preference to have all coats applied in the shop.  There are several reasons for wanting all coats
applied in the shop:

First, the conditions of temperature and humidity are much better controlled in an enclosed shop and the schedule will not be adversely
impacted by rain events, which are frequent during the spring and summer months when the bridge steel will be erected. Also, we frequently
experience high humidity at the bridge site during those months and the epoxy mid-coat is sensitive to moisture during curing.  We had a
problem in the past when high humidity caused an amine exudate to form on the mid-coat leading to peeling of the nish coat. While we
recognize that the exudate can be removed by washing prior to applying the topcoat, it’s another step in the process and a risk that we don’t
want to take.

Second, access to all surfaces for preparation, application of all coats and inspection is much better in the shop than in the eld, and crews are
accustomed to protecting the coated surfaces during loading, transportation and erection of the coated steel. Don’t get me wrong, I fully
anticipate that there will be touch-up required in the eld, post-erection, to repair damaged areas and coat connections after bolting, but those
touch-up areas will blend-in nicely over time. I have no doubt that that localized touch-up will be a lot less disruptive than applying one or two
coats in the eld.

And since tra c will continue to pass beneath the structure on one or two lanes during construction, if we have to apply full coats in the eld,
rigging will be complicated, and we’ll need containment to collect wash water and prevent overspray claims during application and prevent
contamination of the wet coating. This will add signi cant costs to the project.

I also have concerns that if the eld contractor doesn’t get the nish coat applied to all surfaces before the painting season ends, we’ll have to
mobilize again next year.  If so, and the last coat applied in the shop is epoxy, it will be exposed to sunlight over the winter causing it to chalk,
and will be subjected to dirt, debris, and deicing salts that will accumulate on the surface. This will require washing the surfaces in the spring,
and maybe even scarifying prior to topcoating; otherwise we could experience intercoat delamination problems down the road. And if the shop
coat is just the inorganic zinc, any signi cant project delays will result in oxidation of the inorganic zinc-rich primer, which could also interfere
with mid-coat adhesion if not adequately removed. There are just too many unknowns to risk applying one or two coats in the eld post-
erection.”

James: “Wow Steve, you’ve done your homework on this. But let me explain why you should consider applying the mid-coat and nish coat in
the eld, or perhaps just the nish coat after the steel is erected. And I agree, let’s focus on the bridge steel rst

The inorganic zinc-rich primer that you want to use is a good choice, but
recognize that it will need moisture to cure, and the primed steel could sit in the
shop’s paint bay for days while the zinc cures long enough to apply the epoxy intermediate. If many days of curing between coats are required,
some shops won’t have the oor space to handle this, and I can almost guarantee this won’t be the only job in the shop. I’m concerned that the
paint crews might rush through the paint operation or move the steel to another area before adequate drying time to free-up valuable oor
space.”

Steve: “I have no problem switching to NEPCOAT List B and using an organic (epoxy) zinc-rich primer to eliminate your concerns over
inadequate moisture in the shop and potential delays with overcoating the primer. I don’t think temperature will be an issue in the shop, and
the recoat times are substantially less. And I hear the organic zinc-rich primers are easier to apply and don’t mud crack.”

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