With a brick exterior originally painted in the early 1800s, the Geneseo Historical Museum was looking for a coating system with historic performance when it contacted Tnemec coating consultant Keith Kennett. “They had a big problem with paint adhesion and delamination and it had become unacceptable aesthetically,” Kennett recalled. “It was a case where the exterior coating was in really rough shape and we were able to provide them with a cost-effective, long-term solution.”
The building was originally a home constructed in the 1800s, which the historical association had recently purchased and was in the process of converting to a museum. The elastomeric coating system Kennett recommended provided the aesthetics the museum required, along with protection against driving rain, alternating freeze-thaw cycles and ultraviolet light.
Surface preparation consisted of low-pressure power washing to remove loose paint from the brick substrate. “The building was constructed with a soft, locally made brick, so a more aggressive preparation would have damaged the soft brick,” Kennett explained.
Next, the applicator applied a coat of Series 151-1051 Elasto-Grip FC, a penetrating, flexible polyamine epoxy primer used as a tie-coat over existing coatings. ElastoGrip was brush- and roller-applied, followed by two coats of Series 156 EnviroCrete, a premium acrylate coating that can bridge minor hairline cracks in concrete and masonry substrates. Applied using a brush and roller, Enviro-Crete is a durable coating for exterior masonry substrates due to its ability to withstand thermal cycling, its resistance to moisture intrusion and its breathability.
“The coating system has exceeded the historical association’s expectations and the museum staff is thrilled with its performance,” Kennett noted. “Almost a decade after the application, the coating system is still intact and performing well. People have been very impressed with Enviro-Crete’s performance and the museum is still many years away from having to do anything with it. It really helped maximize their limited budget for building maintenance.”
Established in 1972, the Geneseo Historical Association purchased its current museum building in 1996 and opened it to the public in 1998. Bricks for the building were laid in 1855, just 20 years after the arrival of the town’s first settlers. The museum houses permanent museum exhibits as well as changing displays featuring thousands of local artifacts. An application is in progress to place the mansion on the National Registry of Historic Places.