Technical guideline

Surface preparation
Maintenance and repair

Cleanliness requirements
Introduction • Low salt level. High salt contamination can result in paint
blisters and promote corrosion.
This guideline presents a survey of key elements relevant for • No oil and grease. Oil and grease can cause delamination/
surface preparation during repair and maintenance. The flaking of the paint layer applied.
guideline is not intended to give a complete description of all • Free of dust. Dust can result in loss of adhesion.
surface preparation methods used in the industry. For more • Free of rust or other corrosion products. Rust gives poor
detailed information, consult the actual standards behind the adhesion and can result in blistering.
described methods whenever these are available. • Free of mill scale: Mill scale can cause galvanic corrosion
and poor adhesion.
Maintenance and repair work is characterised by the following:
• The substrate has previously been painted and old paint must
be removed partly or in full. Roughness profile
• Often access is hampered by other on-going site activities, The purpose of the roughness profile is to secure an anchor
environmental restrictions as well as restraints in relation to profile for optimal adhesion of the new paint. This requires that
time and climate. the surface has an adequate roughness where previous paint
has been removed and that any remaining paint has the
adequate adhesion.

Content The roughness profile is rated according to the Grit comparator

or the Shot comparator as defined in the requirements of the
The guideline covers these topics: paint specification. Please find more information on roughness in
ISO 8503-2:2000. Overview of the primary roughness grades is
• Purpose of surface preparation shown in Table 1.
• Surface preparation process
• Cleaning with liquids
• Mechanical cleaning Roughness profile Rz (µm) Rz (µm)
• Hand and power tool cleaning Grit comparator Shot comparator
• Abrasive blasting
•
Finer than fine < 20 < 20
Water jetting
• Feathering Fine 20 - < 50 20 - < 40
• Flash rust Medium 50 - < 90 40 - < 80
• Surface preparation for most common substrates
• Carbon steel Coarse 90 - < 130 80 - < 110
• Stainless steel Coarser than coarse > 130 > 110
• Aluminium Table 1. Roughness grades according to ISO 8503-2:2000.
• Concrete
• Fiberglass (GRP)
• Hot dipped Galvanised steel (HDG)
• Painted surfaces
• Thermally sprayed zinc and aluminium Surface preparation process
The overall surface preparation process can be divided in three
steps as shown below:
Purpose of surface preparation
Cleaning Mechanical Cleaning Ready for
A proper surface preparation is essential for ensuring that applied with liquids cleaning and dusting painting
paint achieves its optimal performance regarding adhesion and
anticorrosive properties.

Typically, the surface preparation requirements are divided in two The purpose of each step is to, respectively:
• Remove oil, grease, soluble salts, loose paint and debris.
major categories. Requirements to the cleanliness of the surface
• Remove rust, loose and intact paint - and create roughness.
and requirements to the roughness profile of the surface.
• Remove debris, dust and other remains from the mechanical
treatment.

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Technical guideline

Hand tool cleaning

Cleaning with liquids The hand tools cover a wide range of wire brushes, scrapers,
spatulas, synthetic abrasive pads and manual chipping hammers.
Water cleaning The tools are very easy to use and ideal for smaller areas and
Water cleaning is utilising the cleaning effect of pressurised hot irregular constructions.
or cold water. The pressure should be minimum 7-10 bar. The
cleaning process will become faster and more efficient with
increasing pressure. Power tool cleaning
The power tools can be pneumatic or electrical. They cover a
Depending on pressure, the method can both be used for wide variety of rotating wire brushes, grinders and needle guns.
cleaning of already coated surfaces and for removal of loose As for the simpler manual tools, they are very easy to use and
adhering paint. According to ISO 8501-4:2006, water cleaning ideal for smaller areas and irregular constructions. Productivity is
above 700 bar is called High Pressure Water Jetting (HPWJ). At a bit higher than for the hand tools, but still in the low end.
these pressures, paint with good adhesion (sound intact paint) is
also removed.
Cleaning grades
The cleaning effect of pressurised water can be enhanced by The cleaning grades possible to obtain are (ISO 8501:2007):
adding suitable detergents to the water and by heating. If using • St 1: Not relevant - unsuitable for painting
detergent, the surface must be rinsed with clean, fresh water. • St 2: Thorough hand and power tool cleaning
The method will remove oil and grease, soluble salts, dust and • St 3. Very thorough hand and power tool cleaning.
loose paint.

Roughness
Steam cleaning In general, it is not possible to achieve a roughness profile that is
Steam may be used instead of water. This is particularly suited higher than finer than fine with hand tools, see Table 1. Only for
for very greasy surfaces. certain power tools, such as a “bristle blaster”, a fine roughness
profile of about Rz 25-40 µm can be achieved.

Emulsion cleaning Note, that after cleaning to grade St 3, it is of outmost importance

The emulsion is sprayed directly on the surface. After a certain that polished areas are roughened with coarse sand paper, grain
reaction time, the emulsion/dirt is rinsed off with clean fresh size about 40, before painting.
water. The method will remove oil, grease and soluble salts.

Finishing treatment
Alkaline cleaning For small areas, use clean solvent-wetted rags to remove dust
The alkaline cleaner is sprayed directly on the surface. After a and other remaining loose contaminants. For larger areas, use
certain reaction time, the cleaner is rinsed off with clean fresh brushes or vacuum cleaners.
water. The method will remove oil, grease and soluble salts.

Solvent cleaning Abrasive blasting

Only suited for small areas due to solvent evaporation. The
solvent is applied manually to the surface with a rag soaked in Abrasive blasting is the process of forcibly propelling a stream of
solvent. The method will remove oil and grease, but there is a hard, abrasive particles at high velocity against the surface to be
risk of hydrocarbon contaminants being relocated instead of cleaned.
being completely removed. The method will not remove soluble
salts. The cleanliness achieved by blast cleaning is evaluated
according to ISO 8501-1:2007, which is a photographic standard
with pictures showing the result of different degrees of cleaning
for different rust grades of steel.
Mechanical cleaning The preparation grades for blast cleaning are:
• Sa 1: Light blast cleaning
The purpose of mechanical cleaning is to remove rust, loose and • Sa 2: Thorough blast cleaning
intact paint as well as weld spatter. Depending on method, • Sa 2½: Very thorough blast cleaning
various cleaning grades and roughness profiles are generated. • Sa 3: Blasting to visual clean metal

Abrasive blasting can be divided in two main groups depending

Hand and power tool cleaning on how the blast media is propelled. By air as in dry abrasive
blasting or by air/water as in wet abrasive blasting. The
Tools for manual cleaning are typically used for removal of rust processes are described in more details in ISO 8504-2:2000.
and old loosely adhering paint. In general, both productivity and
achieved roughness are low.

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Technical guideline

Dry abrasive blasting For all wet abrasive cleaning procedures, the slurry left on the
The primary methods are: surface after blasting should not be allowed to dry, but should be
• Centrifugal abrasive blasting - abrasives are propelled by immediately rinsed off with fresh water.
large rotating wheels or impellers and compressed air.
• Compressed air abrasive blasting- abrasives are propelled by The dry slurry will form a very hard layer that can only be
compressed air. removed with some difficulty using high pressure water jetting
• Vacuum abrasive blasting - abrasives are propelled by and large amounts of water. The characteristics of the four
compressed air, but the blast nozzle is enclosed in a suction methods are described in Table 3.
head that ensures that blast media and contaminants are
removed from the surface during operation. Method Suited for Disadvantages Achievable
cleaning grade
The characteristics of the three methods in a repair and
Compressed All kind of Will result in flash Sa 3, steel of all
maintenance process are described in Table 2 below.
air structures and rust and cover rust grades.
for applications the cleaned
Method Suited for Disadvantage Achievable with different surface by a
cleaning grade rust grades. slurry.
Centrifugal Repair, if Normally not Sa 3, steel of all Compressed All kind of Does not remove Sa 3, steel of all
portable suited if large rust grades. air moisture structures and salt. Will give rust grades.
equipment is stationary injection for applications flash rust.
used. equipment is used with different
(laborious set up). rust grades.
Compressed Large work May create high Sa 3, steel of all Small consumption
air pieces/large amounts of dust rust grades. of water, limited
structures of depending on amount of flash
various type of blast rust formation.
geometry. media.
Slurry Smaller items. Will result in Sa 3, steel of all
Vacuum Small areas and Lower productivity Sa 2½. Removes flash rust and rust grades.
when dust is not as compared to Sa 3 is achievable. soluble salts. cover the Only a fine
acceptable. methods above. cleaned surface roughness profile
by a slurry. is achievable.
Table 2. Characteristics of methods for dry abrasive blasting.
Not possible to
achieve medium
and coarse
Sweep blasting
roughness profile.
The term sweep blasting is used for blasting using less abrasive
force. The aim is to create roughness and hereby improve Pressurized- All kind of Will result in Sa 3 is achievable
adhesion. The blasting process should lightly roughen the liquid structures and flash rust and for all rust grades.
surface without removing a significant amount of paint. for applications cover the
with different cleaned surface
Sweep blasting is not covered by any standard. The assessment rust grades. by a slurry.
is based on a visual evaluation of the surface, that should appear Table 3. Characteristics of methods for wet abrasive blasting.
uniform and matt.

Abrasives
Wet abrasive blasting Abrasives are divided in two groups, metallic and non-metallic
The advantage of wet abrasive blasting is that dust is controlled (mineral/synthetic) abrasives.
and soluble salt are removed. Non-metallic, disposable abrasives
are recommended. The preferred abrasives for repair and maintenance are the non-
metallic, synthetic abrasives that are either recycled or only used
The primary methods are: one time. The Grit comparator is used to rate the roughened
• Compressed air wet abrasive blasting - water is added up- or surface. Find more information in ISO 11126-3 to -7, see Table 4
downstream of the nozzle. and 5.
• Compressed air moisture injection abrasive blasting -
propelled by compressed air, water is added upstream of the Synthetic abrasives Standard ISO
nozzle. Comparator
• Slurry abrasive blasting - the abrasive is dispersed in the
Copper refinery slag ISO 11126-3:2018 grit
water.
• Pressurized-liquid abrasive blasting - the abrasive is Coal furnace slag ISO 11126-4:2018 grit
dispersed in the water under pressure. Nickel refinery slag ISO 11126-5:2018 grit

The water for wet abrasive blasting needs to be fresh water with Iron furnace slag ISO 11126-6:2018 grit
a low salt content to avoid corrosion. If corrosion inhibitors are Fused aluminium oxide ISO 11126-7:2018 grit
added to the water, the surface should be carefully rinsed with Table 4. Typical abrasives used for maintenance and repair.
fresh water after blasting.

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Technical guideline

Size Abrasive size Recommended for 1700 bar also linings as well as mill scale may be removed,
category although the process will be slow.
Small > 0.2 mm – 0.5 mm Cleaning of irregularities
NACE standard for water jetting
Medium > 0.5 mm – 1.0 mm General roughness and cleanliness Water jetting is also described in SSPC-SP 12/NACE No. 5
Large > 1 mm Roughness
stating four different preparation grades: WJ1, WJ2, WJ3, WJ4.
Note, that in the NACE standard, cleaning grade decreases from
Table 5. Roughening effect of different abrasive sizes. WJ1 to WJ4.

Finishing treatment
After dry abrasive blasting, remove all loosely adhering debris,
blast cleaning material and dust by vacuum cleaning, brush or Feathering
compressed oil free air.
An important concept in relation to repair is the concept of
After wet abrasive blasting, wash all surfaces from the top in a feathering. The aim of feathering is to avoid sharp edges
downwards movement with fresh water to remove any remaining between intact paint and the original surface in order to ensure
residues of blasting material and other residues. This action can good contact between new and old paint. See illustration 1.
be speeded up by blowing with compressed air or vacuum
cleaning. It is important that the washing-drying-painting process Feathering is typically done by hand and power tools.
is done in one continuous process without any delay to minimise
the build-up of flash rust.

Water Jetting
Water jetting is the process of directing a pressurised jet stream
of water against the surface to be cleaned to remove paint and Illustration 1. Feathering reduces sharp edges.
rust from previously coated areas.

Since there are no solid abrasives added to the water, the

surface will not obtain a new roughness profile; the original profile Flash rust
will be maintained.
It is important to minimise flash rust before painting and to coat
On the other hand, in comparison with wet abrasive blasting, the the surface as fast as possible after cleaning. The allowed level
method will not generate any slurry to be removed afterwards by of flash rust depends on the succeeding paint and will be stated
rinsing. Furthermore, the method has the benefits that it does not in the specification and/or specified in the product data sheet.
generate dust and is very effective for removing soluble salts.
ISO 8501-4:2006 defines three grades of flash rust, assessed
Just as with wet abrasive blasting, flash rust will be formed very according to pictorial rust examples:
fast and it is important to coat the surface as fast as possible • L: Low flash rust
after cleaning. See section on Flash rust. • M: Medium flash rust
• H: Heavy flash rust
The cleanliness achieved by water jetting is evaluated according
to ISO 8501-4:2006, which is a pictorial standard showing the In general, grade H is not recommended for overcoating,
result of three different degrees of water jetting: whereas grades L and M could be acceptable for a primer.
• Wa 1: Light water jetting
• Wa 2: Thorough water jetting
• Wa 2½: Very thorough water jetting.

According to ISO 8501-4:2006, water jetting can be divided in

two main groups depending on the pressure. Ordinary water
jetting and high pressure water jetting (HPWJ).

Water Jetting
Pressure is 700 bar and below. This pressure will remove poorly
adherent paint, but not any sound intact paint. It is recommended
to keep the minimum pressure above 300-350 bar to effectively
remove loosely adherent paint.

High Pressure Water Jetting

Pressure is above 700 bar and will remove loose and sound
intact paint as well as rust. Pressure needs to be adjusted
according to the purpose of the actual job. At pressures above

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Technical guideline

Clean to bare metal in the areas to be repaired. Feather around

Surface preparation for most the edges of the repaired areas. Roughen the painted area
common substrates around the repair with a sweep blasting and remove any
remaining dust before applying the paint.

Carbon Steel, including cast iron and Corten steel

Water Jetting
Hand and power tools Remove paint in the area to be cleaned to bare metal. Feather
Remove oil and grease by fresh water washing with a suitable around the edges and roughen the area of intact paint around the
detergent followed by fresh water rinsing to remove remaining repair. Remove any remaining dust with compressed oil free air.
salts and other contamination. Solvent cleaning may also be
applied for small areas.
Aluminium
Clean to bare steel in the selected areas according to the
cleaning grade as specified in the specification or Product Data Extruded aluminium sheets, cast aluminium and anodised
Sheet of the product to be applied. aluminium

Feather around the edges and roughen the area of intact paint Hand and power tools
around the overlap zone of the repair with a suitable hand tool. Remove oil and grease by fresh water washing with a suitable
Finally remove any remaining dust before applying the new paint. detergent followed by fresh water rinsing to remove remaining
salts and other contamination.

Abrasive blasting Clean to clean metal in the selected areas. Feather around the
Remove any oil and grease by fresh water washing with a edges and roughen the area of intact paint around the repair with
suitable detergent followed by fresh water rinsing to remove a suitable hand tool. Finally remove any remaining dust before
remaining salts and other contamination. applying the new paint.

Clean to bare steel in the areas to be repaired according to the

cleaning grade as specified in the specification or Product Data Abrasive blasting
Sheet of the primer to be applied. Remove any oil and grease by fresh water washing with a
suitable detergent followed by fresh water rinsing to remove
Feather around the edges of the repaired areas. Roughen the remaining salts and other contamination.
painted area around the overlap zone of the repair with a light
sweep blasting and remove any remaining dust before applying Clean to bare metal in the areas to be repaired. Feather around
the paint. the edges of the repaired areas. Roughen the painted area
around the repair with a sweep blasting and remove any
remaining dust before applying the paint.
Water Jetting
Remove paint in the area to be cleaned to a cleaning grade as
specified in the specification or Product Data Sheet of the primer Water Jetting
to be applied. Remove paint in the area to be cleaned to bare metal. Feather
around the edges and roughen the area of intact paint around the
Feather around the edges and roughen the area of intact paint repair. Remove any remaining dust with compressed oil free air.
around the overlap zone of the repair. Remove any remaining
dust with compressed oil free air.

Concrete
Stainless steel
Hand and power tools
Remove oil and grease by fresh water washing with a suitable
Hand and power tools
detergent followed by fresh water rinsing to remove remaining
Remove oil and grease by fresh water washing with a suitable
salts and other contamination.
detergent followed by fresh water rinsing to remove remaining
salts and other contamination.
Remove any loose concrete in the selected areas to be repaired.
Feather around the edges and roughen the area of intact paint
Clean to bare metal in the selected areas to be repaired. Feather
around the repair with a suitable hand tool. Cracks need to be
around the edges and roughen the area of intact paint around the
repaired /filled with suitable filler.
repair with a suitable hand tool. Finally remove any remaining
dust before applying the new paint.
Finally remove any remaining dust before applying the new paint,
preferably by vacuum cleaning.
Abrasive blasting
Remove any oil and grease by fresh water washing with a
suitable detergent followed by fresh water rinsing to remove
remaining salts and other contamination.

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Abrasive blasting
Remove any oil and grease by fresh water washing with a Painted surfaces
suitable detergent followed by fresh water rinsing to remove
remaining salts and other contamination. High pressure wash to remove to surface contaminants. Adjust
the pressure to a level that remove loose paint, but leave sound
Remove any loose concrete in the areas be repaired. Feather paint intact. Damaged areas are repaired according to the
around the edges of the repaired areas. Roughen the painted guidelines given for the other substrate already stated.
area around the repair with a sweep blasting. Cracks needs to be
repaired/filled with suitable filler.
Thermally sprayed zinc and aluminium
Remove remaining dust with vacuum cleaning before painting.
Hand, power tools and abrasive blasting
High pressure washing is recommended as zinc and aluminium
Water Jetting salts formed may be difficult to remove. Do not use detergents.
Remove paint in the area to be cleaned to solid concrete Use stiff brushes, alternatively sweep blasting to remove severe
removing all weak layers of concrete. Make sure the concrete is deposits of corrosion products in the selected areas to be
dry before proceeding, less than 4%. repaired.

Fill and repair cracks with a suitable filler. Remove any remaining Feather around the edges and roughen the area of intact paint
dust before painting. around the repair with a suitable hand tool.

Fiberglass (GRP) Water Jetting

Remove loose adhering paint and zinc/aluminium corrosion
The surface to be repaired should be wiped with a solvent wetted products in the area to be cleaned. Feather around the edges
rag before old paint is abraded to a well adhering layer with a and roughen the area of intact paint around the repair.
coarse sand paper or lightly sweep blasted.

Feather around the edges and roughen the area of intact paint
around the repair with sandpaper. Finally remove dust before
painting. Water jetting is not recommended for fiberglass as it
may damage the material

Hot Dip Galvanised Steel (HDG)

Hand, power tools and abrasive blasting
High pressure washing is recommended as zinc and aluminium
salts formed may be difficult to remove. Do not use detergents.
Use stiff brushes, alternatively sweep blasting to remove severe
deposits of corrosion products in the selected areas to be
repaired.

Feather around the edges and roughen the area of intact paint
around the repair with a suitable hand tool.

Water Jetting
Remove loose adhering paint and zinc/aluminium corrosion
products in the area to be cleaned. Feather around the edges
and roughen the area of intact paint around the repair.

This document is intended for professional use and provides generic advice in respect of the subject matter only. It is not intended to be used as a
comprehensive guide. The buyer/applicator should always read the relevant Product Data Sheet (“PDS”) and Safety Data Sheet (“SDS”) relating to the
Products ordered which are available for download on www.hempel.com. If in doubt, please contact your local Hempel representative for further advice. To
the extent relevant, the disclaimer set out in the relevant PDS(s) applies to this document.

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