Ask the Expert Question-and-Answer Archive

by Ron Joseph

April, 2008

Paint for an Operating Room

Q: Could you inform us what kind of paint we should use for an operating room?

A: You need to purchase a paint that can be washed down frequently with a detergent solution. I have not checked to see what hospitals do, but you might find information in technical journals and magazines that focus on hospital maintenance. Alternatively, you might call the maintenance managers of hospitals in your area and ask them what they use.

In the absence of information from other hospitals I would apply a two component epoxy primer followed by a white two-component polyurethane topcoat. In the 1970s I worked on numerous newly constructed slaughterhouses (abattoirs) in which this was the preferred coating choice. The walls are hosed down daily with hot water detergent solution and the paint must be hard, abrasion resistant and behave much like a ceramic tile.

Regards,

Ron Joseph