“Never paint a dirty surface” is something of a mantra in industrial painting circles. Without proper surface preparation, a coating will not adhere properly to the substrate and the system will fail. Existing standards, published and continuously revised by independent industry oversight agencies, do a good job of standardizing surface prep outcomes, but naming conventions between agencies can make the standards confusing.

Below is the most comprehensive visual guide available to simplify the understanding of surface preparation standards. Simply click on the infographic to expand it.