some people way overthink these projects.
just because it is a "shipping container" they think it needs special treatments of some kind.
I think of it as a big metal storage shed: remove loose paint, power wash, prime, paint and call it a day.

 

I think of it as a big metal storage shed: remove loose paint, power wash, prime, paint and call it a day.

And then it becomes part of annual maintenance, just like paint on a house. KISS.

 

Based on the previous posts, you’re really gonna have to do more homework before proceeding. Intuition tells me that an oil-based product would work well, but if there is a special coating used on shipping containers, that may not be true.

A special primer may be required and maybe a specialized top coat depending on the chemical make-up of what’s currently on it.

 

My buddy work for a shipping container renovation company (In Austin). They used Pitthane. PPG, three part industrial paint. Basically, car paint. Definitely NOT elastomeric.

But, you could just use any oil based Industrial paint, like DTM, to save a ton of money, cuz catalyzed urethanes are pricey. Every paint store has their own DTM, but PPG has the industrial market, so I'd go with them.

 

Elastomeric is only used for roofs here in the desert of Arizona. I have it on my storage trailer on the roof. Also on the travel trailer. You all get a lot more water from the sky than we do. The biggest reason to use elastomeric is to drop the temp a bit. Or was that you intention?
When I was converting containers into motor control cabinets for the mines we cleaned them with pressure washer and soap then painted them using something from the automotive paint store. All of the insulation was on the inside.

 

Apparently I was mistaken. It's not the coating that is specific to the marine environment, it is the steel; shipping containers are made from Cor-Ten steel and it appears prep and painting are similar to most other steels.

 

No specific help but I recall reading - perhaps on this forum -a couple of years ago that seacans have a special paint or coating because of the high salt environment they live in, and that it is difficult to paint over without special preparation.

 

No doubt, you know that container manufacturers are gonna use some pretty tough stuff for paint.

 

Elastomeric paints are latex and won't give any rust protection over steel. It also won't adhere or be as tough as oil. Latex paints are less likely to fade than oil base.

 

I don't know about Texas but in fla rustoleum oil base enamels where bad to fade when exposed to the sun.