Tnemec coating systems gained instant credibility in natatoriums across the country following the use of Series 66 Hi-Build Epoxoline within the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Natatorium in 1982. One of the first designs to use a steel structure to house a competitive pool, the City of Indiana came to Tnemec coating consultant Jerry Petro and asked if a structure such as this could be a reality, and if so, how the steel could be protected from the ever-present chlorine vapors that could penetrate through conventional paints and eventually cause the steel to corrode. Series 66 was the answer.
The interior overhead in the natatorium area was specified to receive a coat of Series 90E-92 Tneme-Zinc, a corrosion-resistant primer, followed by two coats of Series 66, a polyamide epoxy, spray-applied in white. Series 66 also coated the galvanized perforated deck area of the interior.
“We had to ensure the steel and galvanized steel would be protected,” noted Petro. “If not, the chlorine vapors would eventually corrode the metal. At the time, few manufacturers had a coating like Series 66 that could perform within this environment.”
The interior concrete block surfaces of the multi-purpose facility were filled with Series 54-660 Masonry Filler, followed by two coats of Series 83 Ceramlon II, a ceramic-like modified amine epoxy.
Series 15 Uni-Bond, a one-coat rust-inhibitive primer/finish, coated the gymnasium overhead. The facility’s hallways, storage rooms and offices were coated with Series 51-792 PVA Sealer, a waterborne primer-sealer for drywall providing a uniform seal, followed by one coat of Series 113 H.B. Tneme-Tufcoat, a high-build waterborne acrylic epoxy.
“The success of this project led to us doing more than two hundred additional natatoriums in high schools and colleges throughout the state,” said Petro. “IUPUI Natatorium remains a very beautiful complex, and it is used continually, year-round.”