Painting

Optimize Illumination

Dark and gloomy factory environments can be significantly brightened by making sure the factory walls and ceilings are clean and painted with the correct type and colour of paint. Illumination can be increased as much as five fold by simply painting factory interiors with the correct paint. Some manufacturers have introduced reflective paint that absorbs less natural or artificial light, using 20% less light energy.

The idea is to make less use of energy sapping artificial light in interior spaces. The painted areas effectively become reflectors of light. Dirty, dark, and unpainted ceilings areas, walls and seldom used factory spaces are a health and safety risk. These areas can easily become contaminated which can cause spontaneous combustion due to oil residue, fibre dust and solvents from production processes. Similarly, air quality in these areas may be compromised.

Traditionally, paints have contained high quantities of VOC’S (Volatile Organic Compounds). These compounds are toxic, harmful to the environment and can cause building sickness. In addition, the strong smell of high quantities of VOC’S found in paint on our walls can make the factory working environment challenging. At this point in time there is no legislation governing VOCs in South Africa but, progressive paint manufacturers do offer eco-friendly paints with low VOC’S.

What You Need To Know:

Paint surfaces must be regularly cleaned to ensure their light enhancing performance

Low VOC paints come in the usual variety of colours and a manufacturer’s guarantee. Quality is not compromised – usually only two coats required on interior walls

A clean and bright factory ceiling is safer for workers, landlords, and service personnel. An unclean ceiling surface can contaminate products during the manufacturing process by allowing dirt or contamination to fall down onto the production line

The condition of the surface to be painted must always be checked for oil, dust & other materials. These must be removed prior to painting

Colour can also affect overall factory temperature

There are zero VOC paints available from some leading paint manufacturers in South Africa

Paint colour coding in the factory environment plays a vital role in directing traffic, fire signing, differentiating service piping and regulating procedure

Care must be taken when planning to paint a specific surface. Metal ceilings & walls must be spray painted (not rolled/brushed) & usually require a non- alkyd paint finish since the alkyd resin will react with the zinc in the galvanizing causing the paint to flake off

Where possible specify low VOC, water-based, lead-free paint

Paints used in factories may require extreme heat or other tolerances