Painting The ORAU Auditorium
A Commercial Case Study by CertaPro Painters of East Tennessee
Updating an Important Communal Space
The ORAU Auditorium, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is part of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities campus. This facility serves as a central venue for various educational and community events, such as lectures, conferences, workshops, and cultural performances.
Condition of the Building
Upon entering the facility, you are welcomed by a spacious lobby adorned with colorful carpet tiles and neutral-toned walls. The ceiling features a combination of popcorn and drop tiles, some of which are in need of replacement. The auditorium itself is designed in a theater-style layout, boasting tiered seating that slopes gently downward toward the stage. The walls are dressed in wallpaper, while the ceiling showcases an unpainted popcorn texture, lending the room an older, more dated appearance.
Project Involvement
The scope of work for the renovation of the lobby, hallways, and auditorium encompasses a comprehensive prep and repainting project designed to refresh and modernize the space. This includes meticulous attention to wall and ceiling surfaces, where the first step involves removing any cove base where necessary to ensure a seamless finish. The existing unpainted popcorn ceiling texture will be carefully removed, followed by skimming the ceilings to create a smooth, uniform surface.
After this preparation, the ceilings will be primed and painted with two coats of a high-quality paint, enhancing both durability and aesthetics. Similarly, the walls will undergo a transformation; the old wallpaper will be stripped away, and the walls will be skimmed to smooth out imperfections before being primed and painted with two coats. In addition to these updates, the project will address the ceiling tiles in the lobby and hallways, replacing them as needed to ensure a cohesive look throughout the facility. This thorough repainting and refurbishment will breathe new life into the space, creating a more inviting and contemporary atmosphere for all who enter.
Special Challenges
One of the significant challenges of this renovation project is working in the sloped auditorium, where the unique design presents logistical hurdles for both safety and efficiency. The tiered seating arrangement requires the careful removal of all chairs before any work can commence. This task not only demands meticulous planning to ensure the chairs are safely relocated without damage but also requires a sufficient amount of space to store them temporarily.
Once the seating is cleared, the project will necessitate the use of multiple sets of baker’s scaffolding to effectively reach the higher sections of the auditorium’s ceiling. The sloped nature of the space adds complexity, as workers must navigate varying heights while ensuring the scaffolding is securely positioned to prevent any accidents. This requires a team of skilled professionals who can expertly manage the scaffolding setup and take necessary safety precautions.
Additionally, the removal of the popcorn ceilings and wallpaper in such an expansive area poses its own set of challenges. The popcorn texture is not only cumbersome to remove but also creates debris that needs to be contained and cleaned up effectively. The intricate work of removing wallpaper from the walls, especially in a sloped setting, requires precision to avoid damaging the underlying surfaces. All of these factors combine to make this renovation project a demanding yet rewarding undertaking, as the end result will transform the auditorium into a more modern and inviting space.
Before Photos
Progress Photos
The Results
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