Paint Coating Technology

• The definition of paint and its main components.
• Paint binder types and resins.
• Pigments, including white, color, metallic, extender and functional.
• Solvents.
• Additives, including Surfactants, driers and catalysts, rheology modifiers, and more.

Paint Standards

• Discussion of the MPI standards including: gloss levels, green performance, product standards, MPI repaint surface preparation standards, etc.
• Brief overview of the SSPC/NACE/AMPP surface preparation standards.

Paint Specification

• What is a painting specification and its purpose.
• What are the sections of a specification and where to find the info you may need.
• Four types of MPI Guide Specifications and how to use them.

Paint Application

• Brushes – types of brushes and the methods/techniques used.
• Rollers – types of rollers, general methods/techniques and additional equipment used.
• Spray equipment – 4 basic types of spray equipment, general methods/techniques used, and the advantages/ disadvantages for each type.

Paint Safety

• Product safety and SDS (Safety Data Sheet)
• Best practices for safe use of different types of access equipment and ladders.
• Personal protection including: head, ear, eye, body, hands, feet and respiratory.
• Best practices for storage, handling and transport of paint.
• Lead-based paint and the roles and responsibilities involved in its removal.
• Potential safety hazards including fire and electrical.

Paint Color

• General information about the source of color and how color is seen by the human eye.
• Color Theory:
  • The primary color system, etc.
  • Dimensions of color.
  • Systems developed to identify and measure color.
• How paint and coatings get their color
  • Pigments
  • Tints
• Description of the difference between gloss and light reflectance.
• Psychology of color and how it affects humans.

Paint Types & Manufacture

• Descriptions of the most common types of paint found on the market, focusing heavily on products for architectural applications.
• Discussion on how paint is actually made.
• How and why coatings are made in “batches,” what’s on batch cards, and the importance of batch numbers.
• Equipment used to mix and produce paint.
• Quality control tests and procedures used throughout the paint manufacturing process: why they’re necessary and how they’re done.

Paint and the Environment

• Terms related to the “Green” or environmental movement.
• The agencies involved with the green movement including current VOC regulations.
• LEED and its requirements regarding paint.
• Other issues relevant to paint and the environment, including recycled paints; the benefits of using lighter colors; and the importance of performance and durability to determine what is truly an environmentally-friendly coating.