Commercial Case Study

Project Overview

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Vienna Flat Condominiums have sat in the Historic Hill district of St. Paul since 1905. In 2024, the building has been undergoing several phases of maintenance work to restore it to its former glory. In September of 2024, CertaPro Painters of South Metro, MN were contacted to repaint the soffit and facia, which was peeling heavily and was in overall poor condition due to years of neglect.

Initial Condition

Besides the heavy peeling and overall lowed quality of these surfaces, the property also contained lead paint. This meant that we had to prepare and work within EPA guidelines.

Scope of Work

• Any lead paint chips had to be collected and properly disposed of
• Prime and paint the soffit and facia, which was about 60 feet high on the building

Challenges and Solutions

First, we had to follow EPA guidelines for removing lead paint. As stated above, we had to collect and properly dispose of all paint chips, but also couldn’t use power tools to remove paint. By hand, we remove all loose paint, primed the bare metal of the building, and then applied 2 coats of paint to cover up the surface.

Additionally, the building is on a public street, so we had to coordinate with the city to close parking so we could access the street facing areas of the soffit. Due to the building’s age, we had to be especially careful to avoid any damage. During the actual painting, our crew had to navigate around several trees and utilize heavy plastic in high heat and winds to apply the paint.

Conclusion

Overall, the project took us 5 days to complete despite the hardships involved. This project strained our painting knowledge between the difficult work area and existing lead paint, but we used our technical expertise and meticulous planning to overcome all obstacles that came our way during the painting process. The new paint on the soffit and facia highlights this building’s unique historical features while protecting it for years to come.