Hot-dip Galvanizing vs Primer Only

It is Austin Mohawk’s common practice to provide the industry standard of red oxide primer on all structural steel & columns for canopies purchased. However, Austin Mohawk offers as a standard option the Hot Dip Galvanizing process for the structural steel & column components and can also offer a primer/top coat paint system for a finished appearance upon arrival to the site. For many government/state-funded projects, it is common practice to put the steel of the canopy through a process called Hot-dip galvanizing.

Hot-Dip Galvanizing is the “process of immersing iron or steel in a bath of molten zinc to produce a corrosion resistant, multi-layered coating of zinc-iron alloy and zinc metal” (“Galvanizing process”). The point of using a Hot-dip galvanized “bath” is to decrease the chances of corrosion and rust that would result in the deterioration of structural steel. Since canopies are a long-term investment, the end customer should want to consider the maintenance cost & lifespan of their product. Hot-dip galvanizing protects steel for decades with a minimum of 75-year protection. However, just to be on the safe side company’s offer warranties on the hot-dip galvanizing process such as a 20 year to 5% rust warranty which is far better than a standard primer/paint coating.

When making the decision to hot-dip galvanize the steel of a canopy, one thing to be aware of is the initial appearance of the steel. Many buyers expect that there will be a uniform look to the steel once the galvanizing is complete, due to the metal chemistry, this is not typically the case. Since there are many factors to consider when galvanizing the steel, such as the fabrication processes and the steel chemistry (among others) the “initial appearance of the hot-dip galvanized steel can vary from bright and shiny to matte gray, or a mixture of both” (“Galvanizing process”). As the structure ages, the early appearance of the steel will start to fade, leaving an unvarying matte gray coating.

The initial appearance of galvanized steel is the only “drawback” of making the decision to proceed with the process. Yet the overall outcome of eliminating costs associated with maintenance, corrosion, and rust, supersedes the fact that it takes some time for the steel to “settle” into an undeviating coating of matte gray.

For customers that prefer a “finished” appearance Austin Mohawk also offers a prime/finish paint system that can be done prior to shipment using a Brush Blast process, this is typically applied to the columns only since the structural steel on a bottom deck canopy is not visible to customers. If the galvanized only option is selected the steel/columns can be painted after the galvanized materials have aged (typically 1-2 years)

Austin Mohawk has many options when it comes to meeting your design specification preferences and look forward to answering any questions you may have to make the right decision for your site. Please contact us today to discuss further details & pricing.