PAINT FOR PROTECTION—4: The role of chlorinated rubber in anti‐corrosive paint systems

Introduction The primary function of paint in an industrial or marine environment is to ensure that structures are protected against costly corrosive damage during the expected life span. It is also fundamental that the system chosen should have optimum cost effectiveness. Maintenance engineers will often be faced with the alternative of using a cheap low grade material and repainting frequently or using a high quality system at higher initial cost, but with low cost maintenance. Labour costs in most industrial countries have risen to a level where systems offering low maintenance cost should be the automatic choice. In Great Britain it is normally considered that on average labour accounts for 80% of the cost of any paint job. It is clear therefore that within reasonable limits the cost of the paint is not of great importance if substantial savings in labour costs can be achieved.