Located in the heart of downtown Denver, the second stage of the Colorado Convention Center opened in 1990 with a “mile high” selection of Tnemec protective coatings applied to everything from structural steel to handrails. “That was a huge project,” recalled Tnemec coating consultant Tom Quammen. “All of the interior overhead steel was coated with Series 10 Tnemec Primers, followed by a finish coat of Series 15 Uni-Bond.”
Surface preparation of the metal was in accordance with SSPC-SP3 Power Tool Cleaning to remove all loose mill scale and other detrimental foreign matter. Among the coatings used on the structure were:
- Series 10 Tnemec Primers, a chemically active rust-inhibitive modified alkyd, applied to overhead structural steel.
- Series 15 Uni-Bond, an alkyd coating, applied as a finish coat on exposed steel in the ceiling.
- Series 530 Omnithane, a moisture-cured, aromatic polyurethane primer/finish, spray-applied on miscellaneous metal such as stairs and handrails.
- Series 52 Tneme-Crete, an epoxy ester coating, was used on concrete masonry unit (CMU) surfaces. Tneme-Crete is used to resist deterioration caused by mildew. • Series 54-660 Masonry Filler and Series 66 Hi-Build Epoxoline were used in kitchen areas. These polyamide epoxy coatings, which were roller- and brush-applied, are used where wet conditions, corrosive fumes and chemical contact exist.
- Series 73 Endura-Shield, a two-component aliphatic acrylic polyurethane, was rollerand brush-applied to CMU walls in concession areas.
A $310 million expansion completed in 2004 doubled the size of the Colorado Convention Center to 2.2 million square feet, including an exhibit floor the size of 12 football fields, a 5,000-fixed-seat theatre, a 1,000-car garage, a new 50,000-squarefoot carpeted ballroom, and 63 meeting rooms offering 100,000 square feet of space all on one level.