MD @Minshall Buildings
Member
- Location
- Shropshire
Paint is simply not comparable with Galvanizing if you want maintenance free, long life protection.
The real difference is that the process of dipping steel( after pickling in hydrochloric acid to clean) in zinc causes a chemical reaction that alloys the zinc to the steel so it will not peal off in later years, unlike paint which is porous and therefore is undermined from underneath, pushing the paint from the steel!
Galvanizing prices are higher currently as zinc is a traded commodity and therefore the price is driven by the traded prices for that metal.
If it helps, as a guide structural steel prices( ex works) are around £260 per tonne all in.
If you are specifying paint, remember its all about the preparation of the steel prior to painting. Blast cleaning to SA2.5 "after fabrication" ensures the best adhesion for the primer coat, which should be minimum 75 microns DFT
The real difference is that the process of dipping steel( after pickling in hydrochloric acid to clean) in zinc causes a chemical reaction that alloys the zinc to the steel so it will not peal off in later years, unlike paint which is porous and therefore is undermined from underneath, pushing the paint from the steel!
Galvanizing prices are higher currently as zinc is a traded commodity and therefore the price is driven by the traded prices for that metal.
If it helps, as a guide structural steel prices( ex works) are around £260 per tonne all in.
If you are specifying paint, remember its all about the preparation of the steel prior to painting. Blast cleaning to SA2.5 "after fabrication" ensures the best adhesion for the primer coat, which should be minimum 75 microns DFT