Homeowners at the Quattro at Naples Square enjoy the ultimate in luxury, resort-style living: spacious condos with oversized island kitchens, generous master suites, and premier fixtures and finishes, along with an owners club room, lovely pool area, and more. Condos in the downtown Naples, Fla., development start in the high $2 millions and are ideally suited near shopping, dining, and bayfront marinas.

One of the homes' special features are its expansive covered balconies, which help bring the outdoors in while enhancing the residences' feeling of openness.

Local Climate Takes Its Toll

The Gulf Coast climate in Southwest Florida can be punishing on building exteriors, with high temperatures, corrosive salt spray, humidity, and relentless sun that can cause painted façades to fade and degrade over time. In the case of the Quattro, the coatings used on the homes' balconies, fascia, and corbels had faded significantly since the development was constructed in 2017. 

A local coatings contractor, Gulfstream Painting and Contracting, Inc., helped resurrect the balconies and other common areas in the development's first phase with a fresh new look.

"The builder-grade materials initially used in construction couldn't withstand the elements," said Rob Dampier, president of Gulfstream Painting and Contracting, Inc. "The original bronze color paint had degraded from sun exposure, and the caulk used at the windows and doors was failing. In addition, the control joints were never sealed, creating a potential for major damage."

A Team Approach

In partnership with Miami-based architecture building products distributor, Lazer Manufacturing, Gulfstream undertook the three-month project that went well beyond a fresh coat of paint. It included:

• Recoating the fascia, corbels, and metal balcony decks.
• Painting metal stringers and the underside of the metal decks on all balconies.
• Painting all exterior doors on the ground floor, courtyard, and common areas.
• Painting common area trellises, railings, and handrails.
• Removing and replacing sealants on all glass/metal and stucco/metal joints on doors and windows, including the building's openings, penetrations, wall/slab junctions, and control joints.

"The Quattro's owners understood that using builder-grade paints again would be a prohibitively high investment in the long-term because of the frequent re-paint cycles required in the south Florida climate," said Michael Roberts of Lazer Manufacturing. "We knew to do the job right, we would need a high-performance exterior coating that would stand up to the area's high UV [ultraviolet], humidity, and salt spray conditions for years to come, so we turned to our trusted partners at APV Engineered Coatings for help. Not only does APV provide high-quality coating materials, but their team also works closely with us on every stage of every project, from conducting initial inspections through final quality assurance checks."

Guaranteed to Last

APV had an ideal solution to extend the life of the building with its NeverFade Façade Restoration Coating System. NeverFade Coatings contain Kynar Aquatec, a water-based polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) resin that is ideal for air-dry, field-applied coatings. The premium, weather-resistant coating can be easily applied to a variety of substrates, including metals, plastics, wood, concrete, stucco, exterior insulation finishing systems (EIFSs), and previously painted surfaces.

For the Naples Square project, the NeverFade system was applied as an overcoat using standard surface preparation steps. Its low volatile organice compound (VOC) content and low odor meant minimal disruption to building occupants during the coating process. APV created a custom color-matched dark bronze to use over its W-1650 Bonding Primer for optimum adhesion to the surface, giving a high-end look that will last for years.

"The use of Kynar Aquatec and complex inorganic pigments gives NeverFade the ability to resist film erosion, chalking, and fading caused by harsh UV exposure," explained Lon Bauer, product development manager at APV Engineered Coatings. "As a result, we are able to provide a 15-year product-and-labor guarantee to building owners, which states that if the coating fades by a Delta-E of five or higher, we will replace the product and cover the labor cost of re-coating.

"This warranty is unique to the architectural coatings industry, giving the Quattro's owners peace of mind that they can extend the life of their façade structures while saving money over time," said Dampier. "Along with the durability and color retention of NeverFade, the warranty is one of the main reasons the building owner went with our coating recommendation."

Trained Professionals

Bauer noted that NeverFade Certified Applicators like Gulfstream go through special training to learn about the chemistry behind the product. They also learn details around pre-job testing, color matching, application mock-ups, on-the-job troubleshooting, and post-installation quality assurance, all providing confidence that NeverFade will perform throughout its 20+ year lifecycle.

"Gulfstream is a highly reputable contractor with a strong commitment to getting projects completed the right way,” Roberts added. "The fact that they are certified by APV gives building owners and project specifiers extra assurance that once the coating job is completed, the façade will retain its color, durability, and appeal for a very long time.”