HOME FAQs BOOKS JOBS: Help Wanted Suggestions you are here: Hotline/Forum => Letter 42007
Can I paint a walk-in cooler?
++++++
I own a couple of pizza restaurants called Papa Joe's Pizza and would like to paint the aluminum walk-in cooler the colors of the high school next door. I actually messed up the walls of the cooler by thinking they were stainless steel and used oven cleaner--ouch--black mess! The school colors idea is just a cover up (no pun intended)! So I really need some help. No bad weather conditions to worry about.
Mama JoePapa Joe's Pizza - Dripping Springs, Texas
++++++
Can you? None of us can answer that. May you, you do not need our permission. Should you, probably. How to-Go to a real paint store and get a primer made for aluminum. Wash the cooler with an abrasive pad (not steel wool) with a little TSP [trisodium phosphate [linked by editor to product info at Amazon]] from a wallpaper store. Rinse, dry, prime and paint. Make sure that the primer and the paint are compatible. Spray is optimal. If you roll, use a short nap roller.
James Watts- Navarre, Florida
June 7, 2011
you can paint the inside of your cooler. first you need to check with your local health codes and make a decision from there. To paint it you would use a moisture cured urethane and a similar product for another finish coat. On the other hand if health codes will not permit that, they do change from location to location, you can go in and lightly sand all corners and walls install and install rfp covering. rfp will pass just about all health codes nationally.
James Finley- Austin, Texas, United States
November 26, 2011
How does one tell if the construction is galvanized steel or aluminum and is there a difference in what kind of paint to use for a walk in cooler according to what construction material used.
Bob Burns- Trucksville, Pennsylvania, USA
November 28, 2011
Hi, Bob.
A magnet will quickly reveal whether the metal is aluminum or steel. While the ideal treatment for aluminum involves chromates, these are not suitable for a food location anyway, and a galvanized primer should be fine for aluminum. Good luck.
Regards,
|
 Ted Mooney, P.E. finishing.com Brick, New Jersey |