Paint for Wash Bays

[fastlx]

Hello everyone. I was wanting to get everyones opinion on a few questions concerning the paint in my bays. The wash is about 17 years old and the previous owner never painted the bays. While the self service bays are not as bad the Automatic bay it really needs to be painted. Moss has removed some of the paint and it is just time to give the wash a fresh look.
What prep is really needed? I know to pressure wash the bays very good and let dry, also scrape any loose paint. Do you have any recommendation on paint type and brand for this process. I imagine it should be rolled on.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Vic

 

[Randy]

You DON'T! ever want to paint a car wash bay. The paint won't last but a few years and you'll be doing it again. You want to cover the walls with FRP or Exturtech paneling https://www.epiplastics.com/index.html Every car wash bay I've seen that has been painted has failed in a short period of time and they look like crap.

 

[MEP001]

What's under the paint?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

You have a couple of options for painting walls, neither of which work. The best results I had were with latex epoxy, and they weren't good. Yeah, it will look great when you paint it. A year later you will be saying "Maybe I should have listened to those guys on the internet."

 

[fastlx]

under the paint is concrete block. The paint actually doesn't look to bad and its 16 years old, the moss has taken over in some spaces and it removes the paint and starts etching the concrete block underneath. I appreciate everyones opinion.
Thanks Vic I try to post some pictures later.

 

[soapy]

If the block was sealed properly before the first coat of paint it might be OK. You will probably have to etch the paint with muratic acid before repainting. I would go to a professional paint store like Sherwin WIlliams and have them come and look it over. They will give you recommendations and if you follow them they should stand behind it.

 

[boywonder]

Pair up with a paint store. Make sure block is completely clean and dry. Spray paint on wall and then roll with a roller for the best coverage. Give it 2 coats. Don't paint on a windy day. Will last for years if done properly.

 

[Gabriel]

I am 100% with Randy. Even if you do only one bay a year it is a win, win situation. Paint of any kind does not work well in a Car Wash environment. Both of the product that he mentioned are great. I shopped around and purchased wholesale and FRP has been up for over 20 years. We have painted the outside of our building 4 times during that period of time.

 

[soapy]

I agree with no paint. I did it for years also and am glad I installed FRP and Farmtec poly panels.

 

[Sloburban]

I was the guy that painted my tunnel once a year and it looks great for a few days!

When I bought my wash more then 20 yrs ago it had FRP panels that were painted and peeling. I didn't have the money for new wall panels but I did have a paint sprayer, beer muscles and enough money for a few 5 gallons of paint so I pressure washed and painted.

It looked great for 15 minutes.

I don't want to admit how many times I painted my tunnel or admit to the time I painted my 60' tunnel, threw a torpedo heater in to help dry over night, came in the next day and 75% of the paint dripped onto the floor from condensation.

Last year I priced out FRP panels and extrutech of course FRP was much cheaper.

So I bought the FRP and I got one side of my tunnel installed and noticed immediately I can't clean them very well so I'm not sure I want to spend the time to finish the other side.

I'm not impressed with FRP at all.

I might be dumb enough to try one wall as an experiment with floor epoxy or a pool paint if I could prep the wall correctly.

 

[MEP001]

There are grades of FRP, the cheaper of which absorbs all sorts of stuff. The high end stuff is expensive but even spray paint won't stick.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Also best not to use a tunnel cleaner on FRP which will destroy the finish and allow dirt to stick more easily, Best to use Dawn .

 

[celica]

MEP001 is right in that there are differences in FRP panels. The FRP panels that I bought are made by Kemlite. They have a surfaseal finish that makes them 10 times easier to clean than the standard FRP panels that I first installed. If anyone is considering FRP panels, then be sure to use these. Stuff doesn't stick nearly as easily. I wish I had known then what I know now.

 

[fastlx]

Thanks for all the input. Sherwin Williams has a paint called "Sherlastic". I might give it a try. The original paint lasted over 16 years, And it doesn't look awful to this day. So I have to go the paint route.

 

[mac]

Look, there are many different types of paint, and many ways to prep. I've found over the years that for every hour spent painting, I usually need 4 hours of prep. There are many more places that have harsher conditions than a wash bay. If you go to Home Depot for the paint you're in trouble already. Look for local companies that apply industrial coatings and ask them for recommendations and have them explain the process. Then simply go direct to that manufacturer and buy the paint and follow their recommendations. The wash I own is 17 years old and the current paint is about 10 years old. I plan to repaint later this year. With paint you can get creative by incorporating designs in it. And lets be frank. Most guys can not match their socks with either the pants or each other. So let someone competent choose a color and design.

 

[mikempls]

With proper surface prep and following the manufacture directions Sherwin Williams macropoxy 646 works really well. It is a two part system and is difficult to work with, but it held up really will for us. If I had a wash with no paint on the walls, I would not paint them. Once you paint, you are committed to a lot of work to keep them looking clean and having to repaint every 5-10 years.

You could try spraying x-14 professional on the block walls to kill the moss. We've used this on really bad shower walls in rental units. We just spray it on, leave it for a few minutes and then rinse it off and the mold disappears. Just a thought.

 

[mgmtoo]

Has anyone used the Cool Wall product that Kleenrite sells? Ive seen it at some washes in Colorado.
Would like to know how it holds up.
Looks fairly expensive.

 

[mjwalsh]

under the paint is concrete block. The paint actually doesn't look to bad and its 16 years old, the moss has taken over in some spaces and it removes the paint and starts etching the concrete block underneath. I appreciate everyones opinion.
Thanks Vic I try to post some pictures later.

fastlx,

We do not regret painting with water based 2 part epoxy from Sherwin Williams above 8 feet in our bays & even our hollow core concrete ceiling surfaces. We did that over 20 years ago. FRP is up the 8' & used because of the horrors of lower than 8' paint. I went with glossy white to get the maximum light reflection.

We have a semi enclosed metal canopy that a very competent painter spray painted over rust on the exposed purlins ceiling with his aerial bucket equipment. I was skeptical but like he promised ... the rust did not bleed through 2.5 years later. The point I want to make is that it appears the variety of coatings have vastly improved from over 20 years ago! The purlins do not get a lot of overspray water but they definitely get some plus sometimes weather condensation-moisture.

 

[daverdnob]

It's been a while since you posted about refreshing your wash bays, but it's never too late to tackle a home improvement project. If you haven't already, starting with a thorough pressure wash and scraping off any loose paint is still the way to go.