Protecting Structural Steel from Texas Weather

Texas weather is hard on steel. The combination of heat, humidity, UV exposure, and occasional severe weather creates a challenging environment for any metal finish. Here’s what fabricators and contractors need to know about protecting structural steel in the DFW area.

The Texas Weather Challenge

Heat and UV

Summer temperatures regularly exceed 100°F, and the intense Texas sun delivers punishing UV radiation. Inferior coatings will:

• Fade and chalk within months
• Become brittle and crack
• Lose their protective properties

Quality powder coating formulations are designed to withstand UV exposure, maintaining color and protection for years.

Humidity and Moisture

Despite the heat, Texas is surprisingly humid - especially in the spring and fall. Morning dew, afternoon thunderstorms, and high humidity create constant moisture exposure. For steel, this means:

• Corrosion at any unprotected spot
• Rust creeping under coatings with poor adhesion
• Accelerated degradation at seams and joints

Temperature Swings

Texas temperatures can swing 40-50 degrees in a single day. Ice storms occasionally follow 70-degree days. This thermal cycling stresses coatings, causing:

• Expansion and contraction
• Cracking at stress points
• Adhesion failure if the coating isn’t flexible enough

What Makes a Coating System Work

Protecting steel from these conditions requires attention to three things:

1. Surface Preparation

The most important factor in coating longevity is surface preparation. Mill scale, rust, and contamination must be completely removed. Proper sandblasting creates the anchor pattern that gives coatings their grip. Cut corners here, and no coating will save you.

2. Coating Selection

Not all powder coatings are equal. For outdoor structural steel in Texas, look for:

• Polyester or super-durable polyester: UV-stable formulations that resist fading
• Appropriate thickness: 2-4 mils for most applications
• Color choice: Lighter colors absorb less heat and last longer

Your powder coater should help you select the right formulation for your application.

3. Complete Coverage

Pay special attention to:

• Edges and corners: Where coatings tend to be thinner
• Welds: Which need extra coverage
• Inside corners: Where corrosion often starts
• Hardware: Bolts and fasteners need protection too

Common Failures and How to Avoid Them

Rust Bleeding Through

If rust appears through the coating within months, surface prep was inadequate. The steel wasn’t blasted to white metal, or contamination remained.

Solution: Proper sandblasting before coating.

Coating Peeling

Large areas of coating lifting off indicate adhesion failure - usually from poor prep or contamination between blasting and coating.

Solution: In-house sandblasting with immediate coating.

Edge Corrosion

Rust starting at edges and working inward suggests the coating was too thin in these areas.

Solution: Proper application technique and quality control.

Real-World Durability

Properly prepared and coated structural steel can last 15-20+ years in Texas conditions. We’ve seen powder-coated steel that’s been in service for over a decade still looking good - because it was done right the first time.

The key is treating surface preparation as seriously as the coating itself. A $50,000 coating job on a $10 prep job is a waste of money.

Working with Your Powder Coater

When you’re specifying coatings for structural steel, have a conversation with your powder coater about:

• Expected service conditions (indoor/outdoor, coastal, industrial)
• Required longevity
• Aesthetic requirements
• Budget constraints

An experienced coater can recommend the right system for your application.

At Performance Powder Works, we’ve been coating structural steel for DFW fabricators and contractors for over 15 years. We know what works in Texas weather, and we’ll help you choose the right approach for your project.

Questions about your next structural steel project? Give us a call.