FTIR Analysis Proves Faulty Methods of Painting

Envista was retained by an insurer of an apartment complex whose doors had recently been painted and soon after started to peel.

Sections of damaged doors were sent to Envista’s Materials Lab for forensic analysis. The Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis revealed that the hollow core doors were primed with oil-based paint and then finished with acrylic/latex paint. Latex paint will not adhere to oil-based paint unless certain preparatory work is completed, which had not been done in this case.

The FTIR analysis helped Envista prove that the contractors did not properly apply the paint, which led to the failures.