Paint inside Self Serve Bays

[CW_GUS]

Hello,

Can some one advise what kind of paint we should be using for the inside walls of self serve bays. We have painted using regular paint last time, which started peeling of for the high pressure water with in just a week.

Is there any special kind of paint that we should be using ?

Thanks.

 

[HeyVern]

You need two part epoxy paint, and you'll have to get all of that old paint off before you put the epoxy on.

 

[edredtop]

Hello,

Can some one advise what kind of paint we should be using for the inside walls of self serve bays. We have painted using regular paint last time, which started peeling of for the high pressure water with in just a week.

Is there any special kind of paint that we should be using ?

Thanks.

If you're painting block.....
Use semi-gloss "exterior paint" vs. "interior paint," (it has to be said)
Next, wash the walls and let them dry, then let the paint dry for a day.
After all of this hard work it'll look good for less than a year if you're lucky, depending on how busy you are.
The paint can be fragile for a week or so if somebody nails it with the high pressure, such as mat clamp areas and the wand holder area.
This was an option for me in a high graffiti area. The minute they tagged we knocked it down and it finally stopped after about 3 years.

 

[Randy]

Hello,

Can some one advise what kind of paint we should be using for the inside walls of self serve bays. We have painted using regular paint last time, which started peeling of for the high pressure water with in just a week.

Is there any special kind of paint that we should be using ?

Thanks.

You never want to paint the inside walls of a car wash. The paint will not hold up for any length of time. The only way to go is with plastic paneling.

 

[edredtop]

You never want to paint the inside walls of a car wash. The paint will not hold up for any length of time. The only way to go is with plastic paneling.

yeeeeeaaahh, I totally agree with you but in some locations the "juveniles" can be pretty destructive with butane torches (for their crack pipes) and knives to scratch their names in. Then they spray paint tag again over the scratched in tag and the paint gets stuck in the low spots.

 

[Randy]

I know exactly what you mean. It’s almost impossible to keep anything nice anymore. The last time we installed Extrutech paneling it wasn't installed a week before some “A” hole took the foam brush handle and beat it on the wall, punching holes into it. When the police asked him why he smashed the foam brush into the wall he said that he was pissed off because he’d run out of time. He paid to replace the damaged paneling, but we never fixed it, it’s got more holes in it now. It’s almost like why try to keep something nice, they’ll just mess it up.

 

[Mchas]

My solution was to tile the bottom 4’ or so, and paint the rest. When the whole thing was painted the bottom was always the worst because that’s where the pressure hits most often. The paint above the tile seems to stay pretty nice for a few years before needing a fresh coat. Tiling the entire wall would be better but very expensive.

 

[Earl Weiss]

. The last time we installed Extrutech paneling it wasn't installed a week before some “A” hole took the foam brush handle and beat it on the wall, punching holes into it.

Exactly why I prefer FRP (Pebble Finish) for SS Bays. (No Hollow Core) Pebble finish makes it hard for Graffiti scratchers to carve the graffiti.

 

[OurTown]

Hello,

Can some one advise what kind of paint we should be using for the inside walls of self serve bays. We have painted using regular paint last time, which started peeling of for the high pressure water with in just a week.

Is there any special kind of paint that we should be using ?

Thanks.

Why paint in the first place? To make it brighter? Seems like really high maintenance. If the wash is in a decent area then PVC wall panels are probably more cost effective long term.

 

[Greg Pack]

Big fan of PVC but if you have shitheads in your area FRP is much more durable as earl said. Extrutech is also brittle in cold weather, which I really don't have to deal with. I've got a wash with 15 Year old extrutech panels and they still look pretty good. In 15 years I've accumulated a few holes that were small enough to just be filled with white silicone. Decent neighborhood though.

The longest lasting paint jobs I've had in a car wash have actually been water based paint and the process is done in a way to allow the walls to thoroughly dry out before being done. For example, shut down the bay and let it dry 48 hours in the Summer before painting. But if you are painting on top of another paint all bets are off.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

You have several options when painting SS bay walls...none of them work.

 

[Greg Pack]

You have several options when painting SS bay walls...none of them work.

I will say I know one guy who has just committed to painting annually. It cost him a couple K and the place looks like new again. But that's not really a solution for me IMO.

 

[AnalyticWash]

This thread has been covered before....Search function people. https://www.carwashforum.com/threads/car-wash-paint.19046/#post-150536

Again, macropoxy 646 is the answer if you want to "paint".

Do not use latex based anything. Do not use paint...

 

[AnalyticWash]

O/T

I feel like the car wash world is a carousel of Q & A...with multiple subjective answers

 

[MEP001]

Do not use latex based anything. Do not use paint...

I feel like the car wash world is a carousel of Q & A...with multiple subjective answers

Except in this case, IMO there is only one answer. Don't paint if you don't have to. Don't build with anything you have to paint. Tile is the answer if the walls are cinder block.

 

[STXCW]

You can buy the most expensive paint on the market, and it won't hold up if repainting. We have tried them all.
We used 2 part epoxy and it didn't hold up, Sherwin Williams rep told us that we didn't prep correctly and needed to sand blast. Next job we sand blasted all the walls, primed and painted exactly how he recommended and still didn't hold up. Then he stopped answering his phone.

 

[AnalyticWash]

Except in this case, IMO there is only one answer. Don't paint if you don't have to. Don't build with anything you have to paint. Tile is the answer if the walls are cinder block.

I have seen tile on self serve walls after 20 years in areas with freezing winters and they did not look great...perhaps they hold up better in different climates.

 

[AnalyticWash]

You can buy the most expensive paint on the market, and it won't hold up if repainting. We have tried them all.
We used 2 part epoxy and it didn't hold up, Sherwin Williams rep told us that we didn't prep correctly and needed to sand blast. Next job we sand blasted all the walls, primed and painted exactly how he recommended and still didn't hold up. Then he stopped answering his phone.

I generally find reps to not be all that knowledgeable on epoxy. Industrial coatings have very specific procedures in how they are to be mixed, handled, and applied to work properly. Its not like working with paint.

Not sure what epoxy coating you used but I have seen properly prepped and coated walls hold up 10-15 years no problem.

 

[Blanco]

Not sure what epoxy coating you used but I have seen properly prepped and coated walls hold up 10-15 years no problem.

Send me the number for the guy who paints walls and they last 10-15 years in a car wash bay. I WILL FLY HIM TO MICHIGAN!!!!! FLIGHT, ROOM, DINNER, AND STRIP CLUBS ON ME I am sick of painting every year.

 

[MEP001]

I know a guy who uses floor epoxy, and it holds up well. He pays

I have seen tile on self serve walls after 20 years in areas with freezing winters and they did not look great...perhaps they hold up better in different climates.

That's not something I'm familiar with. I have seen glazed block get pushed right out of the wall because water got inside and froze. There's a closed wash I've been looking at buying where half of the 10-foot tall brick wall has somehow been cleanly separated and pushed over about 3". Happened during the Texas Snowpocalypse.