Water treatment tanks are highly susceptible to corrosion due to handling aggressive chemicals on a daily basis.

After the most recent survey of the roof of the middle school, it was clear that the time had arrived for a new coating system to be applied on the roof.

The architectural icon of Burke County, N.C., needed major restoration and coating work completed on its historical cupola and roof.

It might happen in the movies, but we know in reality a brand new leader doesn’t automatically get enthusiastic cooperation.

With the evolution of California wines becoming a major presence in the worldwide market, production and infrastructure needed to protect the fruits of a precious multi-billion dollar industry, which often comes down to a good coating.

Surface preparation is a vital part of all coatings jobs. Without a properly prepared surface, even the best coating system can and will fail. Industry veteran Pat Sicilia of Industrial Flooring Specialists has seen many jobs over the years where poor surface preparation has led to coatings failures, but one in particular stands out. Sicilia and his crew were recently called in to rescue the floor of a fire station in a major city in Florida.

You name it, they’ve seen it: overspray removal companies can relate horror stories that would make any coatings contractor shudder. You may even have one or two of your own. Unfortunately, overspray happens, even when you take the best precautions and think you’ve crossed every “t” and dotted every “i” in “containment.”

Control joints are used to accommodate concrete shrinkage during the curing and aging process in an attempt to “control” where a crack will locate. However, they can potentially create issues relative to surface integrity, sanitation, or aesthetics. Traditionally, these joints have been filled with a semi-flexible epoxy to support traffic, to maintain a monolithic surface, and to move with the contraction and expansion of the concrete. But are there other options?

Becoming a successful coatings contractor takes lots of time and training. It can be a very technical job that requires an extensive amount of knowledge and the ability to adapt to many different situations. No job is exactly like another. It should be no surprise, then, that it takes many years of experience to be able to handle any type of coatings challenge. Maybe even just to be able to handle a few types of coatings challenges.

Building a facility over a coal mine is tricky business, a balance of sorts. The facility must be very durable, since it is to be used 24 hours a day by hundreds of workers. But it will also have a shorter shelf life, which is dependent on the coal excavated from under ground. So the facility will shine bright for a few years and then burn out. It’s an odd balance, but it has been achieved in at least one mine facility in Western Pennsylvania. Arguably, without the use of epoxy on the floors, it wouldn’t have been possible.