It’s big news anytime Cabela’s announces plans to build a new store. For a small town such as Buda, Texas, with a population of just under 4,000, Cabela’s coming to town means big tourism business and a chance to mark itself as a destination spot. In 2005, the company opened a 185,000-square-foot store on 126 acres in Buda, which sits just off Interstate 35 between Austin and San Antonio. The store features a 40-foot-high mountain replica; a 60,000-gallon walk-through, freshwater aquarium stocked with fish native to Texas; museum-quality representations of many wild-game species; a deli-style restaurant; a gun library; full-service flyfishing shop; shooting gallery; and an indoor archery range.
Because the store is a community landmark and located along the interstate, a water tower built 50 feet from the parking lot was painted with the company’s logo to mark the location and attract more attention. When choosing coatings to protect the water tank, the owner and project engineers desired a system that would stand up to central Texas’ strong weather pattern of high heat and humidity, as well as retain the color and gloss on the water tower, especially with the company’s logo consisting of dark colors.
The tank’s exterior steel was prepared in accordance with SSPC-SP6/NACE No. 3, followed by a coat of Series 91-H2O Hydro-Zinc, a moisture-cured, aromatic zinc-rich urethane primer. Series 91-H2O was the first organic zinc-rich primer to be ANSI/NSF Std. 61 certified for use in potable water. An intermediate coat of Series 1075U Endura Shield II, an acrylic polyurethane, was then applied along with a topcoat of Series 700 HydroFlon, a fluoropolymer polyurethane. Chosen for its excellent color and gloss retention, Series 700 offers a life expectancy that surpasses traditional urethane topcoats.
After the interior of the tank was prepared in accordance with SSPC-SP10/NACE No. 2 and primed with Hydro-Zinc, Series 141 Pota-Pox 80, a high-solids polyamine epoxy, was applied to complete the interior coating system. A potable water coating that offers high-build edge protection and excellent corrosion resistance, Series 141 can be used on both steel and concrete tanks.
Nearly two years after the tower was painted and the store opened, the color and gloss remain unchanged and the tower continues to be a landmark for the store and the town, says Tnemec coating consultant Pat Barry