Pyramid Alehouse and Brewery

You don’t need to be an archaeologist to experience the Pyramid Alehouse in Berkeley, California, where Tnemec protective coatings helped turn an abandoned warehouse into a fashionable eatery and working brewery. “This was a dilapidated, 157,000 square foot former truck factory,” recalled Tnemec coating consultant Glen Amos. “It was a blight on the community that was converted into an upscale brewery pub restaurant in 1997.”

Among the renovations was an entire wall of the brewery, where the specification required a coating system that resists thermal shock from high-pressure steam and detergent cleaning. “A glass window allows people in the dining area to view the brewery, plus there are frequent public tours, so it was also important for the wall to look attractive,” Amos noted.

Applicators lightly sanded the wall’s 5/8” plywood substrate before using Series 280 Tneme-Glaze, a modified polyamine epoxy mixed with fumed silica for the seams, followed by a prime coat of Series 201 Epoxoprime, a polyamine epoxy at 6.0 to 8.0 mils DFT. A coat of Series 270 Stranlok, a fiberglass-reinforced polyamine epoxy wall coating, was applied at 25.0 to 30.0 mils DFT using a 45:1 King Pump with an 847 tip. A 100 percent solids epoxy, Stranlok contains two types of reinforcing fibers that allow it to withstand the daily high-pressure steam and detergent cleaning. A finish coat of Series 114 H.B. Tneme-Tufcoat, an acrylic epoxy, was spray-applied at 3.0 to 4.0 mils DFT. “The architect wanted a white finish coat, which is why we chose an acrylic epoxy; a straight epoxy in white tends to yellow over time,” Amos noted.

More than 300 linear feet of steel columns and trusses were also power-washed to remove surface contaminants and decades old, oil-based primer, and spot-cleaned in accordance with SSPC-SP3 Power Tool Cleaning. A prime coat of Series 135 Chembuild, a polyamidoamine epoxy, was followed by a finish coat of Series 30 Spra-Saf EN, an acrylic polymer spray-applied at 2.0 to 4.0 mils DFT. In addition to providing corrosion protection and weathering properties, the acrylic polymer finish is formulated to provide long term color retention in direct UV light.

Nearly a decade after the Pyramid Alehouse opened, the coatings continue to endure, according to Amos. “The Stranlok coating system has been subjected to daily washdowns for 10 years and still looks great,” he added.

    Project Information

    Location
    Berkeley, CA

    Completion
    January 1997

    Owner
    Hart Brewery

    Engineer
    PepsiCo

    Applicator
    Jerry Thompson & Sons, San Rafael, CA

    Architect
    Kava Massih Architects, Berkeley, CA

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