Concerns over the deteriorating paint system, ongoing corrosion of the carbon steel, pooling water, suspect rivets, and a need to boost capacity prompted owner KiwiRail to seek out solutions to keep the viaduct operational heading into its second century.

When a 10-man crew from coatings contractor Blastco, a T.F. Warren company, arrived at the site in October to recoat both the exterior and interior surfaces of the carbon steel tank, they immediately found a number of unique challenges.

Over a century of operation took a cumulative toll on the original steel substrate. The only minor rehabilitation took place in 1959, with a few lesser emergency repairs in 2002.

Formed in 1920, the Mukilteo Water & Wastewater District is the oldest active water district in the state of Washington. It provides water and wastewater services to customers north of Seattle in the Mukilteo region along Puget Sound.

Based an hour outside of Buffalo in Olean, New York, M J Painting Contractor Corp. is 1,800 miles (2,896.8 km) away from the 60,000-bpd CHS refinery in Laurel, Montana. But in this modern tale, when CHS needed a facelift for its massive crude oil heater, all it took was one Google search to bridge that gap.

When Flowchem decided to expand and upgrade its plant in 2017, they needed a proven contractor they could trust to insulate three stainless steel (SS) product tanks and one plastic water tank at their home base — all while matching the exterior appearance to other white tanks at the facility.

Nearly 60 years of exposure to the elements can pose quite a corrosive threat to a bridge’s structural integrity.

To help strive toward a successful partnership and effectively obtain the proper surface preparation (or perhaps any standard) on a new or existing project, here are a few things we have found that add to our success.

The skinny dimensions of the 150-foot (45.7 m) tall, 12-foot (3.7 m) diameter smokestack, however, posed unique challenges from the standpoint of both access and aesthetics. Fortunately for the client, one creative coatings contractor was ready to pencil in solutions.

California’s Occidental of Elk Hills needed the tank, which holds heavy crude oil, back in service within 24 hours. The applicators needed to prep and paint — and they proved that they were up to the challenge!