Exterior Surfaces, And The Products To Clean Them

Keeping external surfaces clean and tidy not only improves the image of your business to customers on the high street or industrial estate, but will also help prevent corrosion, rot, and contamination that could prove costly if left untreated for too long. Rust and rot spots will eventually erode through surfaces leading to leaks in winter and possible access for pests and wildlife, or intruders. Dirt and grime can prevent coatings from protecting surfaces properly, such as solar reflection, anti-intruder paints, and waterproofing.

General maintenance and repairs don’t have to be back-breaking; at Rawlins Paints we stock a wide range of cleaning products for routine maintenance or spot cleaning, such as graffiti removal, to keep your properties and buildings clean and clear.

For Metal:

• Roller shutter doors
• Garage doors
• Gates
• Railings
• Handrails
• Roofs
• Cladding
• Window frames
• Door frames

Exposed metal surfaces should be cleaned periodically to remove any buildups of grease, oil and bird droppings to help prevent stains to painted or treated surfaces.

Remove rust and corrosion, such as rust scale, loose mill scale, loose rust and loose coatings, by scraping, wire brushing or sanding, treating with an anti-corrosion coating. This ensures a stable surface ready for coating without the risk of further corrosion.

Bare metal surfaces should be clean of oil, grease and other surface contaminants before using an appropriate primer.

For Cladding:

• Metal
• Plastic
• Wooden (barns)

Debris and dirt can be easily cleaned from cladding but growth of moss and plants may require fungicidal washes to fully remove and prevent regrowth.

Rust-Oleum Mathys ND14 Cleaner Degreaser requires low concentration (3-5% for most cleaning projects) for removing oil, grease and dirt from cladding, leaving a clean surface ready for repainting.

For Roofs:

• Pitched roofs
• Flat roofs
• Industrial roofs:
  • Factories
  • Warehouses
  • Workshops

Roofs are left open to relentless onslaught from the weather, from high winds and heavy rain to hot sunshine stretching topcoats and protective coatings to the limit. Keeping roofs on industrial, commercial and agricultural buildings clear of moss, algae, lichen and mould, as well as pollen and dirt, will help prolong the life of flat and pitched roofs and prevent expensive repairs.

For Roofing Tiles:

Using a high-pressure jet washer with pure water can help clean roofing tiles of dirt and grime and prepare them for repair or recoating, with anti-fungicidal solutions like Rust-Oleum Mathys AMW Fungicidal Wash removing moss, mould, algae, etc, helping remove discolouration and fading.

For Tarmac:

• Car Parks
• Garage Forecourts
• Paths
• Walkways
• Roads
• Line Marking

Tarmac surfaces are prone to oil, petrol and diesel spills that require special cleaning agents such as Hydron Mona-Clean Oil Dispersant to remove successfully, leaving behind an aesthetically-pleasing surface that isn’t a health and safety hazard.

For recoating faded or repaired tarmac surfaces, such as bikes paths, painting or marking lines and symbols, the surface must be clean, sound and dry, with glossy surfaces sanded down and poorly bonded materials removed.

For Brick:

• Walls
• Cladding
• Drives
• Pathways

Remove loose and peeling paints and chalky residues from exterior walls and cladding before recoating with masonry paint, sanding the edges of any remaining patches of paint and removing buildups of mould and mildew using anti-fungicide treatments.

Zinsser AllCoat Exterior Satin offers a long-lasting performance on brick and masonry surfaces with excellent colour retention and anti-fungal properties.

For Decking:

• Wooden decking
• Walkways

Decking can be ripe for mould and moss growth, leaving a slippery surface that can be a hazard. Clean, degrease and sand decking areas before treatment and coating to make them clear of contaminants prior to coating, removing all loose and flaking material. We recommend Blackfriar Anti-Slip Deck Coating for a slip-resistant surface in wet conditions.

For Guttering:

• PVC
• Metal
• Asbestos

Having read our previous blog post on Gutter Repairs (of course you have!) you’ll already know of the importance of routine maintenance clearing your guttering and spotting cracks and stains. Remove dust, mud, grease, moss and leaves with a hard-bristled brush or broom, sponging clean before applying gutter repair coatings and materials, such as Rust-Oleum Mathys Fillcoat Fibres.

For Concrete Floors:

• Garage Forecourts
• Steps
• Walls
• Walkways
• Paths

Clean concrete surfaces with degreasing agents or high-pressure steam cleaning with appropriate detergents to remove oil, grease and other contaminants.

For Timber:

• Facias
• Cladding
• Handrails
• Door Frames
• Window Frames

Untreated, weathered and new woods usually require an application of a thinned coating before fully covering, using a stain blocker such as Zinsser Cover Stain on treated woods, some plywoods, red cedar and very resinous timbers. Timbers that have previously been painted should be rubbed over with abrasive paper to remove loose and flaking paint.

For uPVC:

Exterior uPVC surfaces can be covered with 2 coats of Zinsser AllCoat Exterior Satin (Water Based) or Zinsser AllCoat Exterior Gloss (Water Based) but must be washed down using warm water and diluted detergent, rinsing off with clean water, especially on weathered surfaces.

Zinsser AllCoat Exterior coatings (solvent based) such as Satin and Gloss can be applied directly to UPVC with no primer required, abrading the surfaces with a fine grade of sandpaper followed by a solvent wipe using methylated spirits.

Graffiti Removal:

Unsolicited artwork, tags and profanity can be easily removed from surfaces using our range of graffiti removers, such as Hydron AG4 Graffiti Remover.Prevent graffiti in the future by coating problem areas (loading bays, rear of buildings, walkways, underpasses,…) with anti-graffiti paints like our recommended Hydron Nu-Guard AG.

If you require more information on which products to use in your project, give our sales and technical teams a call on 0113 2455450 or send our team an email.