When plans were put in motion in 2005 for the construction of the Island Health and Fitness Center in Ithaca, New York, one of the owners decided to take more of a “hands-on” approach in the development process. “The architect specified Tnemec coatings for the new facility,” explained Tnemec coating consultant Carl Bye. “And we found out shortly thereafter that the owner wanted to do a lot of the painting himself. We thought it was great, and we worked with him on surface preparation, getting the proper spray equipment, and provided him with guidance throughout the process on how to properly mix and apply the materials.”
The structural steel was sandblasted in the shop in accordance with SSPC-SP6 Commercial Blast Cleaning and primed with Series 90-97 Tneme-Zinc, a two component, moisture-cured, zinc-rich urethane primer. Once the 65,000-square-foot building was erected and enclosed, the owner took over in applying the remaining protective coating systems.
Series 115 Uni-Bond DF, a one-coat, flash-rust and corrosion-resistant finish that can be used for dry interior overheads, was applied to the facility’s exercise area. “Series 115 is a nice product,” noted Bye. “It’s a single coat and compatible with a variety of substrates. One full coat and it looks great.”
Series N69 Hi-Build Epoxoline II, a polyamidoamine epoxy with excellent resistance to abrasion and suitable for chemical contact exposure, was airless spray-applied to the natatorium area. Chosen for the finish coat was Series 1075 Endura-Shield II, an aliphatic acrylic polyurethane highly resistant to abrasion and wet conditions.
“The owner really did a nice job of applying the coatings in the natatorium and exercise area of the facility,” said Bye. “He thought it was something he could do, and it was better than him just standing around during construction. It worked out perfectly.”