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42 MARCH 2017 COATINGSPROMAG.COM "We did have some unusual things on the job, but this crew — some of them have been with me for more than 35 years — they're very safety conscious," Watson said. "We've had a 40-year history with no workers' compensation claims, and it's because everyone knows everyone and works as a team. ey look out for each other." e actual coating process began with surface preparation. Surfaces were cleaned using Mi-T-M's 4,000 psi (27.6 MPa) pressure washers, while Mosmatic's rotary vacuum-assisted cleaning heads were attached to Crusader's wet vacuums to clean flat surfaces. Reclaimed water used in preparation was pumped to a custom-designed filter system for reuse, since the project was located on an environmentally sensitive bay. "ere were a lot of special considerations on this job because of where it was located: right on the water," Watson said. "Runoff was a very serious consideration." Once preparations were completed, it was finally time for the crew to begin coating! e StrucSureCoat elastomeric wall coating from SureCoat Systems was selected, and Watson said its strong adhesion properties and ability to withstand exposure to harsh environments — such as that experienced at a Gulf Coast waterfront hotel — made it an easy choice. "We've been using the StrucSureCoat for a long time," Watson noted. "e projects that we did with it 12 years ago, they still look brand new today. It's that good. We try to use the highest quality of what's made, because materials are the cheap- est part of a job." "We try to change [our products] over to StrucSureCoat as much as we can, because it's a coating that's a hybrid acrylic elastomer," Watson explained. "e colors stay really solid, and the waterproofing ability is great. It just does not wear or fade. It's very durable. I'm very happy with it, and cost-wise, it's very competitive with anything else on the market." e crew applied two coats of the StrucSureCoat to all of the exteriors. Each coat was applied at approximately 10 mils (254.0 microns) wet film thickness (WFT), which dried to between 7 and 8 mils (177.8‒203.2 microns). Each coat needed to be left alone overnight to properly cure. Due to high winds at the waterfront site, the crew members weren't comfortable spraying the coating, citing potential overspray hazards. Instead, they rolled each coat, using 18-inch (45.7 cm) rollers on the solid walls. In the smaller nooks and crannies, they used 9-inch (22.9 cm) rollers and 4-inch (10.2 cm) brushes. On all rollers, they placed aluminum shields over the covers to catch any splatter. "e wind was the devil on this job," Watson recalled. "We easily had 30 to 35 mile per hour [48.3‒56.3 km/h] winds at times. We had to roll at a certain speed because if we didn't, it could get picked up by the wind and go all over the place." Using rollers and brushes and allowing the requisite cure time for each section, it took just under two months to coat all sides. At that point, it was time for the finishing touches. Landing the Project With occupancy rates dropping as fall approached, the crew received its first green light for w indow work in mid-Sep- tember, beginning w ith the less desirable rooms w ithout waterfront views on lower levels. In some cases, there was overlap between work on the w indows and coating the walls. But in both instances, preparation remained critical. e crew had to remove calcium from the window frames before they could caulk. And even then, prep involved speaking directly with hotel management, since the work on the room windows was so intrusive. " T hey gave us a list of about 10 rooms or so that we could work on ever y day," Watson said. " T hen we'd have to wait until they gave us another list. It took extreme coordination between one of my superintendents, who dealt w ith the hotel, and another superintendent who dealt w ith the workforce. It was a ver y delicate job." In total, over 500 w indows in the 242-room hotel were wet glazed using Dow Corning's 795 silicone building sealant, Hotel Building Envelope The crew overcame challenges with weather, sound, and coordination over the three months of the project. And after completing thermal imaging tests it was clear that there were no leaks left. Access was a huge aspect on this job. Using scaffolds, harnesses, lifts, and radios, the crew was able to work safely at heights. Crew members also depended on gloves, glasses, and suits.