A durable factory finish for the steel was a key requirement in the design and construction of the Marathon Cheese cooler building addition.
With a fast track schedule, it was important to erect pre-finished structural steel and steel roof joists to prevent the delays associated with field painting. According to Bruce Abbott, Building Consultants, Inc., “a tough coating system was needed so that the steel could be handled and erected without undo scraping and scuffing which would result in extensive touch-up in the field.”
The local Tnemec coating consultant recommended a system comprised of Series 90-97 Tneme-Zinc, a zinc-rich, moisture-cured polyurethane primer with exceptional corrosion resistance, followed by two coats of Series 163 Veracure, a polyamine epoxy, that would allow for rapid handling and recoating while being durable enough to stand up to a busy jobsite. The addition of Series 90-97 would also provide additional protection to the underlying steel during erection and even after it was enclosed.
“A maintenance painting shutdown is something Marathon Cheese does not want to think about for many years, “ Abbott said. “Not only is maintenance painting costly, there are many locations in an insulated cooler building where the coated steel is inaccessible for future painting. A high quality coating is clearly the most cost effective way to solve these problems.”
With the help of Tnemec coatings, the 65,000 sq.ft. building was completed six months after the initial site preparation. The owner is pleased with the timely completion plus the durability of the specified coating system.