How to care for an Everbrite™ coated surface
Learn how to care for an Everbrite coated surface
You have now protected your metal/fibreglass/hard painted surface with an Everbrite™ Coating, ProtectaClear® or CrobialCoat®.
It is now time to learn how to care for an Everbrite coated surface.
The coated surface can be maintained easily with periodic treatments and these can be kept up indefinitely.
Cure time for the coating
After application the coating dries quite quickly - but the coating needs to cure
The coatings are delicate for the first few days after application while the coating cures.
The coating will cure on its own but the environmental conditions and number of coats applied determines how long the coating will take to fully cure.
As an example a coated surface in the outdoors in a warm breeze and full sunshine will cure quickly over 4 to 5 days. Whereas a vessel inside like a kitchen sink or shower wall where there is no breeze or sunshine will take longer to cure; maybe up to 10 days after the last coat has been applied.
Before allowing water to sit on the coated surface you must ensure that the coating is completely dry. In most cases, dew or rain does not hurt the coating once it is has dried.
However the coating MUST be cured before allowing water to dwell on the coated surface, immersing in water or filling fountains and fish tanks etc.
If time is of the essence the cure time can be shortened.
How to speed up the curing process
You can speed up the curing process with heat and good ventilation and air circulation; to allow the solvent in the coating to dissipate.
Shorten cure time by gently heating the coating AFTER it is dry to the touch.The coating must have dried completely first before hastening the curing process. This is because during the drying period is when the coating self-levels.
Heat lamps, low-temperature ovens, and even blow-dryers can help speed up the curing AFTER the coating is dry to the touch.
Small Items: If the coated item(s) are small put the dried coated item(s) in a low temperature oven – 80°C. for 1 hour.
Larger Items: Once the coating has fully drieduse a heat lamp or blow dryer indoors. If outdoors direct sunshine and a warm breeze hastens the curing process.
Cleaning a coated surface
What to use to clean a coated surface
- To clean a surface protected with Everbrite™, ProtectaClear®, or CrobialCoat®, just rinse with water.
- A solution of mild soap and water can be used if the surface is noticeably dirty. Be sure to rinse the soap off with plenty of clean water. Windex, 409 or similar cleaners can be used as long as they do not contain petroleum distillates or solvents.
- Graffiti can be removed with graffiti remover. Everbrite™ will protect the paint/colour under the coating but the coating may be dulled by the remover. The clear finish can be touched up with Everbrite™ to restore the shine and the protection.
What to avoid
The coated surface should be protected from solvents and abrasives.
- Avoid cleaners that contain solvents, or petroleum distillates There are cleaners which contain solvents or petroleum distillates that should not be used on the protected surface. Watch out for “orange” cleaners that usually contain d’limonene which is a solvent. d-Limonene is a natural oil that is extracted from the peels of oranges when orange juice is made, and is unique in the chemical world because it is a solvent.
- You will also want to avoid abrasion. There is no reason to scrub the coated surface with scratchy cleansers like Jif or with scratch pads. If the coating does get scratched, it can easily be touched up by recoating the affected area.
- Power-washing a coated surface is definitely NOT recommended for coated surfaces and should never be necessary. As with standard paint power washing can affect the coating’s adherence to the metal or hard surface.
Copper, Brass and other metal items can simply be washed with mild soap and water and dried with a soft cloth.
Sinks – Avoid pouring boiling water on the ProtectaClear® or CrobialCoat® coated sink. Avoid solvent or abrasive cleaners.
Jewellery – Treat your jewelry as you would fine jewellery and the coating will last much longer. Remove jewellery when showering, swimming or applying hand sanitizers or sunscreen.
Metal doors, cladding: are protected from corrosion and oxidation and with minimal care will remain beautiful for years.
Dirt and dust may settle on the protected surface but will not penetrate the clear finish and can easily be removed.
The protected metal will repel water and should bead up when wet. Simply rinse off the dust or dirt with a garden hose.
Do NOT rinse off in the direct sun, especially if you have hard water, or you may get water spots.
When cleaning Storage Roll up doors – be careful not to aim a stream of water into the unit either through the top of the door or by aiming a stream into the edges. The top of the door has never-ending dirt on it. It is better to use a hose without a trigger nozzle and let the water run down the door. If you do spray it, try to aim straight on the door and do not aim on the space above the door. You will have greasy dirt run down on your clean door. If dirt does run down, make sure that you clean it off. Wiping it off with clean, damp rags is easier than getting more water above the door.
Do not rinse off the doors or cladding in direct sunlight or you may get water-spots on the surface; especially if you have hard water. It is best to rinse off in the shade. If you have extremely hard water, an inexpensive filter will help to avoid water spots.
If some tougher dirt or bird “deposits” get on the surface, you may need to use a soft brush with water. If a grimy-handed customer gets greasy dirt on your doors, you can use a mild, neutral PH cleaner like dish soap and a soft bristled brush but NEVER use any soap mixtures that contains solvent. Some “Orange Power” soaps contain d’limonene which is a solvent and can dull the shine.
When does a coated surface need treating with a maintenance coat?
Use a lint free rag (an old white or faded T Shirt is ideal)
- Depending upon the size of the area to be worked on either soak the lint free rag partially or fully immerse in Xylene.
- Apply the Xylene lightly to the area where the coating needs to be removed.
- Apply more Xylene until the coating starts to soften and wipe off.
- Keep using Xylene on a clean part of the rag until the coating has been removed.
- Place used rags in a plastic bag and close and then discard safely. The smell will go away as soon as the used rags have been closed in a bag. Do not burn your rags – as Xylene is flammable!
- IMPORTANT – Let the Xylene dwell on the coated surface so it will melt the coating and then wipe off. Do NOT use a rubbing motion with a Xylene soaked cloth as this will not work very well.
Reapplication of coating
- There should be no requirement to reclean the area with EZPrep Cleaner/Neutraliser.
- There should be no requirement to solvent wipe bare metals and anodised aluminium – as long as the first recoat is immediately after the coating has been removed.
Apply the coating in one direction only. It is best to complete one length at a time in smooth light strokes in one direction.
Why would you need to remove an Everbrite Coating?
When the metal has been allowed to retarnish/discolour under the coating.
This is usually caused by:
- Inadequate coating applied initally, or each coat was applied to thinly.
- The coating has been damaged by deliberate scratching, high use and abuse. A remedial maintenance coat or touch up has not been applied in time.
- The wrong coating being applied for the item type and its environment.
- The metal not being cleaned and neutralised (removal of all acid traces) thoroughly before coating application.
When there are premature discolourations/imperfections starting to appear under the coating.
This is usually caused by:
- the metal/surface not being adequately cleaned and rinsed well with fresh clean water prior to coating application.
- the metal/surface not being adequately neutralised of all acid traces. Finger prints and hand marks contain acid. Many metal polishes contain acid.
- Moisture in the pores of the metal prior to coating application. This is particulary relevant to mild and corten steels.
- The environment being unsatisactory (wet or humid conditions) when the coating was applied. This is particularly relevant for the first coat.
When the coating application goes wrong.
This is usually caused by:
- the metal being too hot and the coating starts to flash off and dry too quickly to enable the coating to self level
- the metal being too cold and the coating starts to sag as it does not flash off and dry fast enough. This can also be caused by too much coating being on the applicator tool and it not being spread over the surface fast enough.
- the wrong type of applicator tool being used for the project type.
- An incompatible tool being used for the coating.
- Second and subsequent coats being applied too harshly with the applicator tool being moved in both directions, backwards and forwards causing the previous coat to be dragged off.
- The coating being overworked and not left alone to self-level.
SAFE: You can safely use Xylene on these surfaces to remove an Everbrite Coating.
The following substrate types are *safe/stable when Xylene is used to remove an Everbrite Coating
WARNING: If you are unsure about the substrate type it is important to check/test first as Xylene is a strong solvent.
Bare smooth metals
- Aluminium
- Anodised Aluminium
- Brass
- Bronze
- Chrome
- Copper
- Silver
- Stainless Steel
All steels
- Corten
- Galvanised
- Rusted Steel
- Mild Steel
- Stainless Steel
Coloured Metals
- Powdercoated aluminium *
- Powdercoated colour steel *
- Anodised Aluminium
* DO NOT RUB HARD as this may remove some of the colour from the powdercoating. The quality and age of the powdercoating determines if some colour might be removed. Let the Xylene sit on the surface to ‘melt’ the coating and wipe off gently with a lint free rag.
Fibreglass & Plastics
- Fibreglass
- Gel coats
- Some hard plastics (test first)
UNSAFE: Surface types you CANNOT use Xylene on to remove an Everbrite Coating.
You CANNOT use Xylene to remove an Everbrite Coating off the following substrate types.
Painted Surfaces – DO NOT USE XYLENE
- Painted Signage
- Painted Wood
- Painted Metals
Xylene Solvent cannot be used on painted surfaces as it will act like a paint stripper and remove the paint under the coating.
Clear Plastics – DO NOT USE XYLENE
- Clear Hard Plastics
Xylene Solvent cannot be used on clear plastics because this strong solvent will cause the plastic go milky white and crazed.
Surface Types
Brass, Bronze, Copper and Silver
A maintenance recoat should be applied as soon as metals like bronze, brass, copper and silver start to discolour and darken under the coating or if the coating has been damaged. A maintenance coat adds more antioxidants, UV filters and UV stabilizers to these precoated metals providing further protection from tarnish.
Solution: Remove the coating with Xylene, repolish/remove tarnish and then recoat with the number of recommended coats.