Charlie McIntyre of Bullfrog Outdoor asked insider the following question:
“How often should billboard structures be painted and what’s the proper way to prepare steel for painting.”
Here’s what a three billboard fabrication experts told Insider.
Jon Odom, Productivity Fabricators
The repainting depends mostly on the quality of the original paint application. A high quality paint applied correctly should last 10 years. If the customer wants their sign to look new, every 5 years is customary. The location might dictate more often, air pollution can affect the paint. The main concern is rust. Any rust showing should be sanded and painted.
Sand blasting is the best way to prep a structure for painting. Removing any rust or contaminates on the surface is necessary for a good paint application. Pressure washing and hand sanding are two other methods.
Matt Schulze, Selective Structures
Painting is an important part of the maintenance process and needs to be addressed on a sign by sign basis. There are various factors that lead to the deterioration of the paint system on a structure. We often joke that rust is one of the most preventable problems we ignore. The truth is, detreating steel is no joke.
We recommend that you inspect your structures at least once every five years. If you do a complete inspection and document your findings you will be able to stay ahead of most problems that occur.
As far as preparation for painting, the amount of work necessary will vary based on how far gone the paint system has been allowed to get. If you stay on top of the problem usually simple scraping will work. If you let the paint go completely you will have to clean down to bare metal. This can be accomplished by different methods. One simple method is to put a wire wheel on a grinder and remove the loose paint and primer along with any rust build up. Be sure to put a coat of primer over the clean metal right away to prevent any rust build up once the bare metal is exposed. The top coat of paint can then be applied to give your sign protection and the desired finished look. This is not a cheap process. It is not a spray over everything and go deal.
By properly prepping, priming and then painting you should get a finish that will stand up to the weather better than any one coat paint that claims to have the primer built in.
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Any tips on what types of primer and paint have proven best in terms of longevity, for both wood and metal structures? I.e., latex vs enamel, water vs oil base, flat vs gloss, etc?
Also, please provide list of companies (nationwide) that specialize in painting billboard structures. I used Justice Advertising Management about five years ago.