When the Mollenkopf Athletic Center at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, started to show its age, a major makeover was initiated requiring more than 92,000 square feet of new artificial turf and an all-star lineup of interior and exterior coatings from Tnemec. “When the building was constructed in 1990, Tnemec’s rust inhibitive Series 10 alkyd primer was the only coating applied to the interior overhead steel,” Tnemec coating consultant Jeff Parish recalled. “After more than 15 years, the primer was still in excellent condition. There was very little, if any, rusting and no delamination.”
After adhesion testing found the original Series 10 primer to be sound, Parish recommended an overcoat of Series 115 Uni-Bond DF, a hydrophobic acrylic coating with flash-rust and corrosion resistance. “Series 115 is an acrylic, which means it has very good color and gloss retention,” Parish noted. “It offers excellent adhesion and its dry-fall characteristics reduced the chance of overspray problems inside the building.” Nearly 1,500 gallons of the coating in white were used for the project.
On the structure’s exterior, Tnemec coatings were specified for the building’s black and gold lettering and horizontal banding, and on its guttering. “They were having trouble keeping the color, gloss and sheen of those colors over the years,” Parish explained. “A key consideration was resistance to ultraviolet (UV) light.”
Series 27 F.C. Typoxy, a polyamide epoxy that is widely used as a field tie-coat, was roller-applied over the existing coating, followed by a color coat of Series 1075 Endura-Shield II, an aliphatic acrylic polyurethane. A clear finish coat of Series 76 Endura-Clear, also an aliphatic acrylic polyurethane, was roller-applied to extend the long-term weathering qualities of the pigmented Endura-Shield. The building’s black gutters received a roller-applied coat of Series 1070 Fluoronar, an advanced thermoset solution fluoropolymer, which offers outstanding color and gloss retention in the most severe exposures.
After more than four years, both the interior and exterior coatings were still receiving high scores from contractors and university officials. “They’re all very positive about the aesthetics of the coatings and the way they’ve performed,” Parish added.
Built in 1990, the $10.3 million Mollenkopf Athletic Center contains an indoor practice field covered with 92,400 square feet of artificial surface, a weight training room, meeting rooms, and coaches’ offices. The mammoth structure has a full football field plus spacious sidelines - 420 feet long and 220 feet wide - and reaches 86 feet high at its peak.