An incredible mix of art and architecture, the Eiffel Tower remains one of the most recognized and visited structures in the world, averaging more than six million visitors each year. The Eiffel Tower is certainly synonymous with Paris, as the Statue of Liberty is with New York, the Acropolis with Greece and the Taj Mahal with India. So when plans were in motion to construct a ½ scale, 540-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas, the owners certainly recognized and appreciated the attention to detail and the high profile characteristics that the job would bring.
“Las Vegas is a city that never sleeps,” said Tnemec coating consultant Tony Hobbs. “The project required a practical application solution with excellent weathering and corrosion characteristics and that would allow contractors to spray upwards of five hundred feet in the air. We certainly did not want to end up painting the town.”
Four variations of a bronze color were specified for the 5,000 tons of welded steel. Series 90-97 Tneme-Zinc, a two-component, moisture-cured, zinc-rich primer known for its long-term corrosion benefits, was specified for the exterior steel of the tower and was key to the long-term corrosion protection of the steel. Following abrasive blasting in accordance with SSPC-SP6/NACE No. 3 Commercial Blast, the steel was shop-primed with Series 90-97 Tneme-Zinc, a zinc-rich urethane, and transported to the job site in Las Vegas.
Touch-up of the primer was done on site, along with the topcoat application of Series 113 H.B. Tneme-Tufcoat. A high-build, low-odor waterborne acrylic epoxy, it has excellent exterior weathering capabilities along with fade-resistant coloring properties. In this case, the high-build spray characteristics of Series 113 allowed for one finish coat, saving costs on a project of this size. “The Tnemec coating system specified was economical and provided the high quality corrosion protection that was required,” noted Hobbs. “The project still looks good to this day.”