Commercial Case Study

The Tennessee Aquarium Commercial Painting Project

Problem To Be Solved:

The Tennessee Aquarium was having trouble with the paint on their structural steel peeling off. The logistics of getting up to the areas to be painted was problematic because of the height, and their locations above critical animal holding units. A traditional latex paint system would not suffice due to the high humidity and salt content above the large evaporating fish tanks. In addition, all of the work had to be completed at night to ensure that we did not impede guest experience.

Problem Solver Solution:

We evaluated the situation from an environmental control standpoint. First, evaluating the best way to ensure that paint scrapings and droplets would not find their way into the tanks nor the myriad of plant beds. We settled on a combination of a suspended fine mesh to catch all particulates, and a solid plastic barrier to cover all critical environments.

As for material selection; no commonly available paint would have been up to the task of withstanding the corrosive nature of the salt spray, nor be able to cure in such humid conditions. We settled on a product by Sherwin Williams: Corothane Aliphatic Finish Coat.

We chose material that is commonly specified for work on bridges, and tanks that hold acidic and caustic chemicals. It also had the useful property of being a moisture cure product. Lastly, we had to figure out how to get our painters up into the structural steel above the tanks in order to execute our plan. We found that one of our painters enjoyed rock climbing as a hobby, and tasked him as our lead man. He hoisted himself up into the steel, attached soft anchor points, and repel lines while wearing the proper PPE and adhering to OSHA requirements.

Final Result:

The project was a success and took six nights to complete. As a result, The Tennessee Aquarium now has steel above their main attractions that will withstand the elements and look great for many years to come. We left the project clean and undisturbed with a great sense of pride in the job we had accomplished and that many would have thought impossible.