General Paint Application
Information
SELECT A PRODUCT
There are so many brand names, types of paint and such a wide
variety of application
possibilities we understand it
may be difficult to choose so we
welcome your calls and emails.
We are here to help you make the
right product choice. Please
feel free to call us at
800-594-0445 or email
info@topsecretcoatings.com.
Top Secret Coatings carries a
complete line of Architectural,
Industrial, Marine, Floor, Roof,
Kitchen & Bath, Pool & Deck,
Automotive, Air craft and gov/mil
spec paints and coatings.
Much of your decision will be based on what type of material (or
"substrate") you plan to coat.
After taking into account what
type of substrate you plan to
coat and what it will be used
for the next consideration would
be - what is its environment
and how is it going to be used.
Whether you are a home-owner and
want to paint your home, garage
floor or are re-doing your boat
there is a Top Secret Coatings
product designed to meet your
needs. UV exposure, high traffic
areas, high impact areas,
floors, roofs, areas subject to
chemical abuse, extreme
temperature applications, acid
or other chemical resistance
properties or simply desired
color and finish texture should
be taken into account before you
make your product selection.
Most Top Secret Products are government spec equivalents meaning it
is very likely the Top Secret
product you choose has been
formulated to meet or exceed
tough government specifications
so you know you are getting the
very best product available
anywhere. The U.S government
typically over specs and over
builds so Top Secret Coatings
products are often the latest in
coatings technology utilizing
the finest raw materials
available. Our products are
usually higher in solid content
and are typically higher quality
than what is usually available
to the consumer. Top Secret
products are used in marine,
commercial, industrial and at
home settings, and although they
provide the highest level of
durability they are often more
costly than home center brands,
however, you are assured the
highest quality every time so
“you never have to paint again!”
There are special formulations for extreme temperatures, such as
high heat or refrigeration.
Coatings for high-impact floors
such as industrial or
manufacturing environments,
special formulations for food
handling areas, automotive
service areas, and acid /
chemical handling areas. Top
Secret Coatings offers a
complete line of residential,
commercial and industrial
epoxy and urethane coating
products.
While researching our product line, please be sure to choose the
proper primer,
accelerator/hardener (if
offered) and compatible top
coat. Making the wrong selection
may create an incompatibility
issue causing failure of the
coating.
SAFETY SUPPLIES
Safety should always come first
and safety supplies are an
important part of many paint
jobs. Paint safety supplies
include various types of
respirators and dust masks. The
best protection from the fumes
of paint is a respirator with a
charcoal cartridge. The charcoal
absorbs the harmful vapors and
allows clean air to be inhaled.
The same type of respirator is
effective in the use of
pesticides and other harmful
vapors.
There are many styles of
respirators. Comfort is
important in enhancing
compliance for wearing any mask
or respirator. The face piece
should be soft enough to mold
comfortably to the face and yet
provide a non-slip total seal
around the mouth and nose. The
valves should respond quickly
making it easy to breathe.
Painting safety supplies may
include disposable dust masks.
These are very lightweight and
comfortable. They are designed
to filter out sanding dust. It
is often necessary to do some
light sanding when preparing the
surface for painting or doing a
sanding between applications. If
the surface emits any toxin, it
is best to use the respirator.
Disposable cartridges are some
of the painting safety supplies
offering the protection against
inhaling toxins from the paint.
The type of cartridge will be
determined by the type of paint.
It is necessary to know if the
paint is water-based paint or
oil-based paint. The filtering
systems differ according to oil
and non-oil particulates. The
ratings are determined by NIOSH
(National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health).
Following these guidelines and
the instructions from the
manufacturer is the best way to
protect yourself or your
employees from harm.
CAUTION: Solvent based paints
can be
flammable. Always be aware of
your surroundings. Extinguish
all sources of ignition, pilot
lights, open flame, etc.
Ventilate the area where paint
is being used by allowing fresh
air to circulate. Open windows
or use an exhaust fan with a
motor designed to be operated in
a hazardous atmosphere to avoid
any explosions. For personal
protection, we recommend using a
NIOSH/MSHA approved respirator
for use with paint solvents or
organic vapors.
CALCULATE HOW MUCH TO BUY
In order for you to calculate
how much to order, you will need
to measure the length and width
of the area. Multiplying the
length times the width will give
you the size of the area in
square feet.
For example, a traditional 2-car
garage floor is approximately
24' x 24', or 576 square feet.
When calculating how much paint
you will need for your garage
floor you will always want to
round your figures up because it
is better to have a small amount
left over than to run short
while applying the product.
Once you have calculated the
surface area, you will need to
calculate how many coats of
paint need to be applied to
achieve the desired thickness,
(which is measured in
"millimeters" and usually
referred to as "mils").
Typically this is two coats.
Each product description as seen
on our website at
www.topsecretcoatings.com
specifies the coverage (how much
area the paint covers) on a per
gallon basis.
So if the product you have
chosen covers 300 square feet on
a per gallon basis and you will
be applying two coats you will
require 4 gallons to cover 600
square feet.
SURFACE PREPARATION
At Top Secret Coatings we always
say “preparation is everything”.
It’s true, proper preparation is
often the difference between a
good job, one that has problems,
a happy customer and an unhappy
one. We want happy, repeat
customers, so we really want to
stress the importance of good
surface preparation.
Most
coating failures are attributed
to inadequate surface
preparation.
When preparing surfaces to
receive any primer, paint or
coatings all normal surface
preparation practices should be
observed. The surface to be
painted should be free of loose
scale, rust, oil, grease, dirt,
contaminates and moisture.
Typically, substrates may be
sanded, media blasted, power
washed, cleaned with a detergent
or similar product to prepare
the surface for paint.
When painting over highly
polished surfaces like aluminum,
fiberglass, nickel, chrome or
silver, the surface must be
etched. All galvanized surfaces
should be etched. We recommend
TS 695 Rynolite Etching Cleaner
in most applications used
according to label directions.
An alternative would be a
solution of 10% Nitric Acid and
rinse with warm water.
Rust may be removed with the use
of TS 5679 Phos-Pro. Phos-Pro is
more than a cleaner, it is a
pre-treatment metal etch
solution that cleans, etches and
stops rust on steel surfaces by
chemically changing iron oxide
(rust) to iron phosphate (black
iron), a substance that turns
the metal black leaving a
temporary protective coating on
the surface. Primer should be
applied to the newly converted
surface without delay to prevent
rust from reemerging.
The burn off method may be used
on metal substrates to burn-off
unwanted oils. This is usually
done by heating the metal to
400C (750F) or higher. Burn off
still leaves a residue that must
be removed, generally by
mechanical means (blasting or
mechanical cleaning.)
Concrete should be bead blasted,
power washed or sanded to remove
loose scale, contaminates or old
paint. Once cleaned use an
etching cleaner to open the
pores and remove leaching lime.
We recommend using a 50% TS 695
Rynolite Etching Cleaner and
water solution according to
label directions.
With the application of solvent
based paint and coatings it is
critical that the sub-straight
has been allowed to dry
thoroughly before moving
forward. While water-based paint
and coatings should also be
applied to thoroughly dry
substrates it is somewhat less
important with them. All wood
sub-straights should be 19% or
less moisture content when
receiving paint.
WHEN TO APPLY
It is best when paint products
are applied between 60-80
degrees F. For best results you
will want to work when there is
low atmospheric humidity or in a
work area with low humidity.
Many coatings are dew point
sensitive, meaning they may
cloud up when applied on high
humidity, so you want to apply
when humidity is low.
Never paint in direct sunlight.
Paint shaded sides of your
sub-straight moving with the sun
when possible. Avoid painting in
the hottest part of the day or
when dew may settle on freshly
applied paint.
THINNING:
Many paints will appear thick
when cold. THIN WITH CAUTION!
First warm paint to room
temperature by placing container
in a warm water bath. Next, stir
paint thoroughly with a wooden
stir stick, being careful not to
damage can lining. If paint
still appears heavy, thin
sparingly with recommended
thinner. lf paint is thinned too
much it will lose its ability to
cover. Typically, paints may be
thinned 10-25% for spraying.
Coverage will be affected by
thinning.
APPLYING THE PAINT
A. BRUSHING
1. Re-suspend the paint before
use by stirring or shaking. Most
formulations re-suspend easily
by hand shaking. Some may
require rolling overnight or
extended mixing, especially
after long term storage.
2. Apply a thin, uniform layer
of paint just like you would
with any typical paint.
Generally, a natural bristle
brush is will give you the best
results, especially with more
viscous paints.
Avoid applying thick layers of
paint because this can cause
cracking as it dries. Paint
applied too thick is very likely
to spall during the curing
process or when cooling from
elevated temperatures.
3. Allow to thoroughly dry at
room temperature. Heating of
"wet" coating may cause the
coating to spill.
B. ROLLING:
Typically paint is applied to
interior and exterior walls and
seldom used elsewhere so this
information has been directed
toward to wall paint
applications. Please consider
the following facts, and decide
for yourself how you want the
paint applied.
The average life of paint job is
greatly increased when it is
rolled or brushed. The average
lifespan of a spray application
is 3-6 Years while the average
lifespan for a brush and roll
job is 8 11 years. The
difference is due to the
thickness of the film. The
average thickness of a sprayed
application is 1.12 mils while a
brush and roll application is on
average 2.04 mils thick. The
extra thickness that comes from
brush and roll applications
takes longer to wear away and is
more effective in protecting
your home from the elements.
Smooth out imperfections by
applying drywall compound to any
dings and dents. feather in
patches by sanding them starting
at the outside and sanding
toward the center of the patch.
Setup your paint by pouring a
couple of gallons of paint into
a five gallon bucket. Hang a
roller grid (available at most
hardware and paint stores) on
the rim of the five gallon
bucket. Paint trays are unhandy
and have a way of finding your
feet. Attach the roller frame to
an extension pole, a two or
three foot roller pole will save
time and your back.
Apply paint to the roller. Do
not dunk or plunge it into the
paint. Daub it into the paint,
roll it up the grid in order to
rotate the cover then daub it
back into the paint until the
entire cover is loaded with
paint. Paint over all the
patched areas with a light
roller coat of the paint. This
will lessen the likelihood of
dull spots in the finished wall.
With a brush, paint ( "cut in")
a three inch line into the
inside corners, above the
baseboard, and the top of the
wall (at the ceiling).
Now it is time to load the
Roller. Starting in a corner
apply the paint (with a loaded
roller) In a large "N" pattern,
about three feet wide and a foot
or so from the top and bottom of
the wall. In order to keep a
"wet edge" in your work area you
will want to limit the work area
size to 2 1/2 ft. - 3 ft. This
is particularly important with
paints with higher sheen levels.
Priming the wall with a
primer/sealer before you finish
paint will also help keep the
paint from setting up to quickly
as you roll the wall.
Load the roller lightly.
Starting in the middle of the
wall and at the outside edge of
the pattern roll down to within
an inch of the baseboard and
back up to within an inch of the
ceiling and back down, ending at
the bottom of the wall. Keep
light pressure on the roller as
you roll into the brushed paint
at the top and bottom of the
wall. Lay off this first section
by working back to the wall
corner.
Starting at about 3/4 the width
of the roller, moving toward the
corner, repeat the process as
you go. Be sure to keep paint in
the roller so you do not
dry-roll the wall. Repeat this
process until you reach the
corner. Roll on the next section
in the same way but lay off the
paint, working from the wet edge
of the previously painted
section and into the N pattern
of the dry section. Be sure to
roll a few inches into the
previously painted section.
Always end the finish roll on
the down stroke.
SPRAYING:
Always strain your paint
carefully to avoid lumps that
may clog your tip. For
compatibility concerns, always
be careful to use only
recommended thinners. Avoid
heavy spray coats.
A 4 to 8 mil wet film layer is
ideal with most products with
TS-100 1 Part Epoxy and TS-2
Hard-Shell Urethane being
exceptions which go on at 1 – 2
mils max on a per coat basis.
Typically, you will want to
build up the thickness slowly to
avoid running. Use short bursts
rather than a continuous spray.
This allows maximum control
during spraying. Maintain a
distance of at least 6 to 12
inches from the substrate to
permit uniform coating. Too
close of a position with the
spray gun causes too heavy of a
coating. Maintain proper gun and
tank air pressure. Too high or
too low pressure causes spotting
of the coating. When these are
not correct, the paint sprays as
small blobs rather than a mist.
Use a sweeping motion for the
gun and change the spray angle
often in order to cover all
pores, crevices, etc. Do not
hold in one spot while spraying.
Start the spray while not
directed at the substrate when
possible. Air guns often shoot
out a heavy stream in the
beginning until the correct
air/coating mix is achieved.
Adjust the spray cone angle for
the best coverage using the gun
adjustments. Always clean spray
equipment carefully after use.
For the most efficient use of
the gun, always make a careful
check that all parts are the
proper size and type, and are in
perfect working order before
operating. The following items
can serve as a checklist:
Manifolds and Regulators:
The CFM capacity should be at
least one and one half (1.5)
times the total capacity
required by the equipment. A
separate regulator should
control the atomizing air and
all gauges should be readable
and in good working condition.
Moisture and Oil Traps:
In order to assure the least
amount of contamination moisture
and oil traps should be
installed and drained daily
(minimum) on all air lines at
the spray booth. Traps must be
installed on the lines at least
25 feet away from the air
compressor.
Quick Disconnects:
Quick disconnects are not
recommended for airless or high
pressure systems, and may reduce
the volume of air and fluids
passing through them. If they
are used, they should be the
largest size available.
Hoses:
Hoses are used only for
delivering air from a regulator
on a main air line and fluids
from the fluid pump to the gun.
The standard hose length is 25
feet and should never exceed 50
feet. Hose capacity should match
the volume delivery and pressure
demanded by the gun when the
trigger is pulled. Hoses must be
capable of delivering the
material at the volume and
pressure rates dictated by the
gun. There will always be a
pressure drop from one end of
the hose to the other.
CAUTION:
Construction materials for
airless hoses and catalysts must
be compatible. Always consult
manufacturer's recommendations
for proper hose.
