Search SEARCH Get connected:

HOME SERVICES REGISTER FOR TRAINING ABOUT US KTA UNIVERSITY INSPECTION EQUIPMENT CAREERS CONTACT US

Previous Post Next Post

MAINTENANCE PAINTING SPECIFICATIONS Posted by Rob Lanterman - March 17, 2017

Surface Preparation by Power Tool Cleaning… What to Specify

When
One of the key components to the success of any coatings maintenance project is the degree of surface preparation both speci ed and
performed. For the purposes of this discussion we are going to assume that due diligence has been done and that power tool cleaning
is a viable option for maintenance painting work.  Now the question becomes, “which of the three SSPC power tool cleaning standards
is best suited for a speci c project?”

SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings established three power tool cleaning standards (SSPC- SP 3, SP 15, and SP 11; see titles in the
table below). While each of the three standards invokes the use of power tools, the degree of coating removal and surface roughness
requirements vary. To start, let’s look at what each the three have in common.  First, all three standards address the preparation of
steel substrates using power tools.  The same types of power tools may be used to prepare surfaces for all three standards and may be
electric or pneumatic powered.  Some of the common types of power tools include grinders, cup wire brushes, wire wheels, pneumatic
chipping hammers, rotating aps, scalers, and needle guns.

The primary di erence between the three SSPC standards is the degree of cleanliness and roughness required.  To better understand
the di erences a quick summary of each is provided below:

Factors to consider when selecting the level of power tool cleaning:

1. Coating manufacturer product requirements – Di erent coating systems have di erent surface preparation requirements. If a
speci c coating system or systems are included in the speci cation, the degree of surface preparation performed must be
consistent with the coating requirements and the speci ed surface preparation.

2. Life expectancy of coating system – The life expectancy of a coating system will in uence the level of power tool cleaning
selected. For example, spot repairs that are expected to provide 5 years of corrosion protection as a stopgap until more
signi cant maintenance painting work can be performed may require a lesser degree of surface preparation (SSPC-SP 3) than a
coating system that is expected to last 15 years.

3. Access – Areas that are di cult to access, like small internal spaces, back-to-back angles, etc. make it more di cult to achieve
higher levels of surface preparation. Specifying SSPC-SP 11 in these locations may not be feasible.  The con guration of the work
surface may dictate the degree of power tool cleaning possible.

4. Surface pro le requirements – SSPC-SP 3 does not invoke a surface pro le requirement, while both SSPC-SP 11 and SP 15
require that the prepared surface have a minimum 1 mil pro le as measured in accordance with Method B (depth micrometer) of
ASTM D4417, Standard Test Methods for Field Measurement of Surface Pro le of Blast Cleaned Steel and SSPC-PA 17, Procedure
for Determining Conformance to Steel Pro le/Surface Roughness/Peak Count Requirements. The minimum surface pro le
 requirement in SSPC-SP 11 and SP15 should also be cross-referenced with the coating manufacturer’s requirements to verify
compatibility.

5. Schedule – Production rates to achieve the required degree of surface cleanliness vary between the three standards. If a project
has a tight schedule, like a plant shutdown or outage, there may not be enough time to achieve a SSPC-SP 15 or SP 11, so removal
of loosely adhering materials (SSPC-SP 3) may be all that is feasible.  Generic production rates for the 3 levels of surface
cleanliness are shown in the table below.  Note that several factors can a ect production rates; the rates shown are simply for
relative comparisons.

6. Costs – The associated labor costs for surface preparation will vary inversely proportionally to the production rates listed above.
An increase in the degree of surface cleanliness speci ed results in an increase in a project cost.

Power tool cleaning will not remove grease and oil contamination from the surface.  Grease and oil must be removed in accordance
with SSPC-SP 1, “Solvent Cleaning” prior to any of the three power tool cleaning standards. It is an indirect or automatic requirement of
each of the three standards.

Similarly, power tool cleaning will not remove soluble salt contamination.  Additional cleaning will need to be performed if soluble salt
contamination is present and required to be mitigated.  The speci cations should state acceptable maximum levels of salt
contamination and require testing after surface preparation has been performed and prior to painting.  In many instances, chloride
contamination can be reduced to acceptable levels by pressure water cleaning.  Chloride removal agents can also be added to the
pressure washing water.

For visual comparisons of the di erences between the three levels of surface cleanliness (and the impact of the initial surface condition
on the appearance of the surfaces after power tool cleaning) see SSPC-VIS 3, “Guide and Reference Photographs for Steel Surfaces
Prepared by Power and Hand Tool Cleaning.” For additional reference information on surface preparation, see SSPC-SP COM “Surface
Preparation Commentary for Steel Substrates.”

About Rob Lanterman

View all posts

by Rob
Lanterman
→

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

Linkedin

Pinterest

Delicious

Related Posts

Surface Preparation Speci cations Surface Preparation Surface Preparation

Brushed Off: Latest Contractor Managing Submittal Reviews Abrasive Blast Cleaning of Non- Preparation of Edges for
Tools for Performing Han... October 4, 2019 Ferrous Metals Coating Performance
December 27, 2019 August 9, 2019 May 17, 2019

1 comment

Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required elds are marked *

Comment
Name * Email *

Website

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Post Comment

Get connected: