Method for coating surfaces and use of the objects coated using said method

A method for coating a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:

• (I) providing the substrate;
• (II) optionally cleaning the substrate;
• (III) applying a first aqueous composition to form an activating coat on the substrate, the first aqueous composition comprising an activating agent comprising at least one cationic polyelectrolyte selected from the group consisting of a polyethyleneimine, a silane-modified polyethyleneimine, a polyethyleneimine modified with a silane compound, a polyvinylamine, a silane-modified polyvinylamine, a polyvinylamine modified with a silane compound, a chitosan, a silane-modified chitosan, and a chitosan modified with a silane compound;
• (IV) intermediate drying of the activating coat;
• (V) after the intermediate drying step, rinsing the activating coat, wherein when the activating coat is rinsed, at least a portion of the activating coat remains on the substrate;
• (VI) contacting and coating the remaining activating coat with a second aqueous composition to form an organic secondary coat, the second aqueous composition in at least one form selected from the group consisting of a solution, an emulsion and a suspension;
• (VII) optionally rinsing the organic secondary coat;
• and
• (VIII) drying the organic secondary coat;
• wherein the first aqueous composition is in the form selected from the group consisting of a solution, an emulsion and a suspension;
• wherein the second aqueous composition has constituents which can be precipitated, deposited, or salted out and which are stabilized in a manner selected from the group consisting of anionically, zwitterionically, sterically and cationically, where anionically stabilized and cationically stabilized constituents in the second aqueous composition do not adversely affect one another;
• wherein when a dry film is formed, the dry film comprises the organic secondary coat or the activating coat and the organic secondary coat, and the dry film has a thickness of at least 1 μm;
• and
• wherein the activating coat or/and the organic secondary coat is/are electrolessly applied to the substrate.