KidMania is a family fun center in Plano, Texas, that’s known for its playground maze, arcade room, and toddler-only playroom. It’s a place for kids of all ages (including parents) to come and enjoy themselves indoors. But what it’s not known for may even be more important to visitors’ enjoyment of the attractions.
Without the spray polyurethane foam (SPF) and the application team from Five Star Foam, this family fun center instead may have turned into a center of time outs!
Project Prep
For this 26,000-square-foot (2,416 m²) facility, it was important to find a solution that would fit the owner’s specific insulation needs. The new construction included 30-foot-tall (9 m) ceilings, which created a bit of a challenge for keeping all rooms at the desired temperature. For a center tailored toward keeping children entertained, temperature control was a very real need. That’s where the SPF came into play.
Because the building was new construction, the six-person insulation crew had very little to do in the way of surface prep on the actual substrate. They carried hand scrapers in case there were any irregularities on the steel substrate that needed to be dealt with, but aside from that, they were able to spray directly onto the corrugated metal roof and sheet-rock-covered walls.
Aside from scraping irregularities and preparing for overspray, which the crew handled by laying down 3-mil (76 microns) plastic on the floor and around the windows, the team’s biggest preparation included donning their safety gear.
Teams of Two
Working in two teams, the crew had two pairs of guys — one up top and one on the bottom — on the scissor lifts as well as one guy working on the walls. They used BioBased’s 501w, which is a 0.5-pound (1,588 g) open-cell, water-blown insulation made of another team of two: polyol and isocyanate.
“We started on the roof rafters,” said Five Star Foam Owner Todd deVilleneuve. “It was a no-pitch roof, but the entire building was one open area so we went in with scissor lifts.” The crew installed a 3.5-inch-thick (89 mm) layer of insulation to the roof, which helped the facility to achieve a higher R-value, which means better insulation. “Five Star was able to reduce vapor drive and add structural strength to the steel-framed structure because of the thin layer of closed cell insulation,” said a Rhino Linings Corporation representative. “With the added layer of open cell insulation they were able to help the customer cost-effectively reach their desired R-value of R-13 in the walls.”
As for the installation process, the crew found it a bit challenging. “Moving a scissor lift around is not the easiest project for 26,000 square feet [2,416 m²]. We do projects at several warehouses that are pretty much the same height; in general that’s always a hassle. The guys are slow going, getting the lift in place and going around.” Slow going, but safe. The two guys at the top of the lift controlled where the lifts went, but that didn’t mean that they could do everything by themselves.
To help mitigate any risks on the lifts, the crew assigned three people on the ground to monitor safety: one man per scissor lift and one overall safety manager. They also had a safety plan that they followed throughout the job.
“We have our regular safety meetings at the beginning of each project going over what we’re going to be doing that week — any special issues, safety harness, scissor lift. And general application of working on something like that,” said deVilleneuve. It helped, too, that not only has the crew been together for a long time, but that they have been spraying this type of insulation for several years.
“Each one of my guys has been with me since pretty close to the beginning of the company,” explained deVilleneuve of the eight-year-old company. And some of his sprayers have been spraying for even longer than that.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
The KidMania project, which culminated with a quick cleanup of removing the plastic and any loose particles on the floor, “was completed on schedule and was open for business in May, just in time for their peak season,” according to Rhino Linings. When school’s out, Kid Mania’s in!
The timely completion of the project has also proven to be a stepping stone for the Five Star Foam crew. They already have more work lined up with the construction services group in charge of this project. “We have another job that we bid on,” said deVilleneuve. “We’re just moving right along with more projects with them.”
And just like the two types of barrels for the SPF that were recycled at the end of this job, this seasoned crew will be reusing their skills on all future projects.
