The Short Answer

Dry fall is a specialty type of paint/coating that is intended for spray application. The overspray from dry fall coatings is designed to dry very quickly in order to avoid overspray damage.

An introduction into Dry Fall Coatings

Before we talk about dry-fall, we must explain overspray. What is overspray? Overspray is the name given to the small droplets of paint that do not stick to a surface being painted. During any spray application, overspray floats through the air away from the application site. Overspray can drift for  yards or even miles. While wet, overspray will stick to anything in its path. Once the overspray sticks, it can be extremely difficult, and costly to remove. The damage is permanent in many cases. Dry fall coatings, also referred to as dry fog coatings, or drop dry coatings eliminate these overspray concerns. Overspray from a dry fall coating is dry to a powder within a short distance of the application site. 10-20 feet is typical. Powdered overspray is easily brushed or blown off leaving behind no residue. In this way, dry fall coatings eliminate the need for containment or masking.

Interior Dry Fall Coatings

Interior dry fall coatings are commonly used on exposed overhead steel structures. Think roofs of factories and storage facilities. Appearance is the only real purpose for these coatings. They do not provide corrosion protection. Most interior dry fall coatings are water based, and are suitable for indoor use only. This is great when you have a light service, but what if you need something more heavy duty? Read on in the next section to find out about exterior and industrial dry fall coatings.

Exterior & Industrial Dry Fall Coatings

There are many factors to consider when selecting a coating for industrial environments. For starters, water based, or solvent (oil) based coatings? The common choice for industrial applications is solvent based. Solvent based coatings consistently out perform water based coatings. That is where we come in. Highland is the only manufacturer of solvent based dry fall coatings. We call it Spray-Safe, and it is truly unique. Our Spray-Safe line features dry fall epoxy/urethane systems. How about a zinc-rich-epoxy/epoxy/urethane system? Yep, we have it. Maybe your industrial environment isn’t as aggressive. Check out our industrial alkyd/acrylic system.

Our Spray-Safe line doesn’t stop there. In addition, we offer dry fall direct to metal (DTM) coating options. Looking for a dry fall DTM epoxy? Check out our 485R Series. Do you want a one coat option with rust inhibitors and a high-gloss finish? Check out our QuickDry45! From extremely harsh to light industrial, Highland’s spray safe line has a coating for it all. These coatings offer fantastic corrosion protection, and long lasting color and gloss. They are commonly used on metal siding, structural steel, and other large equipment. Check out our Spray-Safe Dry-Fall page for more info!

High Temperature Dry Fall Coatings

This is another product category that is completely unique to Highland. High temperature dry fall coatings combine the top-tier performance required by a high temperature services with the specialty application characteristics of a dry fall coating. These coatings provide durable corrosion protection and color retention to surfaces up to 1200°F! Check out our HiTemp Dry-Fall page for more info.