Public art- where performance meets perfection

We are all enriched by the art projects that are in our communities. If you look around, art is not just in museums or galleries, it is on street corners, highway overpasses, parks and the like. Art pieces are dotted throughout our communities and, in a sense, are owned by us all.

So, why is it important to select high performance coating systems for public art? Paint from the local hardware store isn’t enough to maintain the beauty of these creations. The following performance characteristics are critical to maintaining the aesthetic the artist intended.

• Color and Gloss Retention- High performance coatings offer the ability to maintain color and gloss levels for the long haul. It would be terrible to have works of art that look faded and chalky after a few years. Selection of the right coating system is dependent on climate, substrate and UV exposure. Do you know how different types of coatings perform with UV exposure?
• Graffiti Resistance- Vandalism mars the aesthetic the artist created can be costly to repair. Often times the only solution is the re-paint over graffiti and there is no certainty that it won’t bleed through a new coat of paint. The solution is to select coating systems that are inherently resistant to graffiti and easily cleanable. How can you be certain the coating system you select is resistant to graffiti? There are test methods that demonstrate the cleanability of coating systems.
• Corrosion Resistance- The right coating system will always corrosion first and foremost. Protecting public art from corrosion ensures the pieces will last for generations. Selection of coating systems that are corrosion resistant is simple, but is a choice that must be made in the planning stages of any project.