All About VCI Coatings

What is VCI Coating?

VCI stands for “vapor phase corrosion inhibitor”. This revolutionary solution makes corrosion protection as easy as painting on this solution to protect structural metals, equipment materials, and more. VCI coatings work by the slow release of a corrosion preventing particle that prevents the rust of the surface that the coating is applied to, such as a metal surface.

What Are VCI Coatings Applied To?

VCI Coatings can be applied to most any surface that is susceptible to rust. This could be large scale metal structures, such as infrastructure, bridges, or overpasses. They also can be used on smaller structures.

Should Existing Rust Be Removed Before VCI Application?

Steel structures do not uniformly corrode. Rust spots appear at critical joints and load bearing points. Ninety percent (90%) of cost for maintenance painting of rust spots is in the surface preparation. VCI Primer coat avoids need to remove all rust in order to protect against continued corrosion at corrosion hotspots. VCI Agent migrates through the rust layer to the whited steel surface and inhibits further corrosion. Surface adhesion is limited to the tensile yield strength of the rust layer. The surface only needs mild abrasion or pressure water wash to remove loose surface rust. Primer can be used as finish coating or by any other selected paints.

How do vapor corrosion inhibitors work?

VCI coatings work by applying a solution that bond to the metal surface, then actively release corrosion inhibiting compounds to maintain the rust free surface, or prevent additional rust from occurring. The VCI layer that appears on the metal does not affect the physical properties of the metal underneath.