Industrial Coating Inspection

Whether planning an industrial coating application project or concerned about coating conditions on aging equipment, West Coast Coating Consultants assist proprietors to address water quality control issues, concrete corrosion, presence of lead, and other industrial coating concerns through surface testing, maintenance surveys, coating application consultation and failure analyses. Contact our office to speak with expert coating consultants.

West Coast Coating Consultants has extensive experience conducting coating inspections across multiple industries. Field work includes the Golden Gate Bridge, Oakland’s Cathedral of Light, jet fuel storage tanks for the Air Force, municipal power plants, wastewater treatment plants and other public works. WCCC provides vital third-party oversight of the painting contractor on behalf of the structure or facility proprietor, resulting in safer, cost-efficient and highly effective coating projects.

WCCC Coating Inspectors are rigorously vetted, highly communicative people with demonstrated experience in the industrial coatings industry. All Coating Inspectors are certified by the ASTM D4537 “Inspection Personnel for Coating Work in Nuclear Facilities, Establishing Procedures to Qualify and Certify”. In addition, almost all of WCCC’s Coating Inspectors have trained and qualified for certification by NACE International, a coatings industry professional association with a standard of excellence for coatings inspection qualification. Owner Greg A. Whiting has over thirty years of experience in the industrial coating industry and more than ten years of experience conducting industrial coating inspections as a NACE-certified Coating Inspector and Quality Assurance/Quality Control Supervisor.

Our Coating Inspectors certify that each step of the coating application process is correct and in accordance with site specifications. By establishing an open line of communication with the contractor’s Project Manager and with the site’s proprietor, WCCC ensures a clear channel of information and a project that goes according to plan and stays cost-effective.

The following is a general checklist of tasks associated with a standard coating inspection.

Coating Inspection General Procedure

1. Pre-Surface Preparation: Surfaces to be prepared are inspected to assure that grease and oil, sharp edges, and weld spatter are removed.
2. Protective Coverings: Any protective coverings are examined to assure placement that will prevent contamination of surfaces not to be subjected to overblast or overspray.
3. Ambient Conditions: Air and surface temperatures, relative humidity, and the dew point are monitored to assure that the work is done under proper weather conditions.
4. Compressed Air Cleanliness: Operations requiring such as blast cleaning, conventional spray application, and air for blow down are checked to assure that the air is free of moisture and oil contamination.
5. Surface Preparation: Abrasive equipment used for surface preparation is examined for adequacy to do the work. Proper storage and size of abrasives is verified, recycled abrasives are tested for contamination, proper degree of cleaning and surface profile is confirmed, and magnetic base readings are obtained. Areas of insufficient or inadequate surface preparation are marked for repair and rework prior to the application of coatings.
6. Coating Mixing: Mixing of coatings is observed to document that the specified material is used, and that multiple components are used within the allowable pot and shelf lives. All batch and lot numbers are documented for tracking purposes.
7. Coating Application: Application equipment is examined for cleanliness and adequacy to perform the work. Application techniques are observed and documented to ensure that coverage is obtained without detrimental runs, sags, pinholes or other deficiencies. Spot wet film thickness readings are taken to ensure that the correct amount of material is used.
8. Dry Film Thickness: Dry film thickness of individual coats is measured and documented to ensure that it complies with the specification requirements and
manufacturer’s instructions. All dry film thickness surveys are measured according to SSPC-P A2 Standard.
9. Intercoat Cleanliness: The integrity and cleanliness of each coat is examined prior to application of the next. This includes determination that the surfaces are free from oil/grease, dry spray, overspray, or other detrimental contamination.
10. Recoat Times: The time between coats can be critical for certain materials. The minimum and maximum recoat times are observed and recorded, and required conditioning agents or roughening between coats are verified to have been accomplished.
11. Final Inspection: The entire coating system is examined until a quality product has been achieved. Final inspection operations include visual appearance, cure assessment and holiday detection.
12. Holiday Testing: Following adequate cure of the lining system, holiday testing is performed to assure that a void and pinhole free, continuous lining has been achieved.
13. Documentation: Detailed Daily Reports will be included in a PDF file with digital photographs and mailed electronically to the Project Engineer and client on a daily basis to keep them apprised of daily progress. The general progress of the initial field work will be thoroughly documented in Daily Inspection Reports that, among other things, will contain a record of the quality control items listed above. Upon completion of the Project, a formal report will accompany the bound package of reports. This final report will summarize the work performed on the Project.
14. Additional Services: Any additional services that are deemed necessary will be provided.