Coating Stainless Steel

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Stainless steel is a durable iron alloy that was developed to be resilient to corrosion while remaining very strong. Although it is a steel surface, and the guidelines for Steel Substrates in “Substrate Preparation & Priming” should be followed, most stainless steel applications are applied to smooth “ready to paint” surfaces such as manufactured extrusion, polished parts or screw heads. These surfaces do not require any fairing and you can apply Protective Primer 161 and overcoat directly with Topcoat 501 or M series Metallic. If fairing or surfacing is required, ALEXSEAL Finish Primer 442 may be applied over the Protective Primer 161. If more surfacing or fairing is required a more aggressive abrasion is necessary to ensure adhesion of a multi layer system.

There are two suggested systems below, one for smooth stainless and one for a stainless surface which must be surfaced and/or faired.

Important
Stainless Steel components must be primed with ALEXSEAL Protective Primer 161 before finishing in order to achieve a proper surface bond.

Overview of steps to prepare and paint stainless steel which is smooth “ready to paint” and clean for topcoat with no additional need for surfacing and or fairing:

  1. Thoroughly clean the surface using ALEXSEAL Surface Degreaser (A9091) using the “Two Rag Cleaning Method”.
  2. To achieve optimum adhesion and performance, the surface should be prepared by scuffing with 280 - 320 grit dry sand paper.
  3. Clean the surface to be painted using clean dry compressed air and clean rags to remove all dust before product applications. An additional solvent wipe down with ALEXSEAL Wipe Down Solvent (A4049) using the two rag method is recommended to ensure the removal of surface contamination. A final dust removal with a tack rag is recommended before topcoating.
  4. Apply ALEXSEAL Protective Primer 161 per the TDS recommendations.
  5. Apply ALEXSEAL Topcoat per TDS recommendations.

Overview Of Steps To Prepare And Paint Stainless Steel Which Needs Additional Surfacing And Or Fairing:

  1. Thoroughly clean the surface using ALEXSEAL Surface Degreaser (A9091) using the “Two Rag Cleaning Method”.
  2. To achieve optimum adhesion and performance, the surface should be prepared by sand blasting and/or ground with 36 - 80 grit to a 2 - 4 mil (50 - 100 microns) profile. The higher the thickness of Surfacing and Fairing, the more aggressive surface profile is needed.
  3. Clean the surface to be painted using clean dry compressed air and a brush to remove all dust before product applications. DO NOT use rags, as the coarse profiled surface can snag the rag fibers.
  4. Apply ALEXSEAL Protective Primer 161 per the TDS recommendations and see additional instructions for Protective Primer 161 in “Substrate Preparation & Priming”. Make sure to let dry a minimum of 16 hours before over coating with another product such as ALEXSEAL Fairing Compound, ALEXSEAL Super Build 302 or ALEXSEAL Finish Primer 442.
  5. Optional Fairing: Fairing Compound may be applied over ALEXSEAL Protective Primer 161, ALEXSEAL Super Build 302 or ALEXSEAL Finish Primer 442. Apply ALEXSEAL Fairing Compound 202 as needed to achieve the desired  fairing quality level. Fair the surface per TDS recommendations or refer to Fairing Compound instructions in “Fairing”.
  6. Optional High Build Surfacing: Apply ALEXSEAL Super Build 302 or Fine Filler 303 as needed. Apply surfacing products per TDS recommendations or refer to instructions for Super Build 302 and Fine Filler 303 in “Surfacing”.
  7. Optional Final Priming and Sealing: If fairing and surfacing was done, apply ALEXSEAL Finish Primer 442 per TDS recommendations or refer to Finish Primer 442 instructions in “Final Priming & Sealing”.
  8. Apply ALEXSEAL Premium Topcoat 501 or M series per TDS recommendations or refer to Premium Topcoat instructions in “Finishing”.