Commercial Case Study

Backstory

In this case study, we recap a commercial painting project for a condominium complex called Brookside Lofts in St. Louis Park, MN. We recap the details of this exterior project below…

Describe the condition of the facility/surfaces at the time work began.

The metal balconies were showing signs of rust and some of the cedar deck boards were rotten. The wood floors were peeling and in need of washing and sanding.

What did the project involve?

This project included mitigating surface rust on the metal balconies, priming those areas and applying a new coating to keep the metal rust free and looking great. The deck floors needed some boards replaced – we also washed, sanded, and re-stained the deck floors.

When did the project take place, and how long did it take from start to finish?

The project took 5 days to complete.

Were there any special challenges involved?

The challenges with this project included doing all of the work from the outside of the building and working with the residents to move items from the decks so we could complete the project. Painting multi-family projects requires a lot of communication and coordination. Residents need to know what is happening to their homes and when it will occur. We knew that most residents would be at work while we were improving their homes so we sent out multiple communications to the owners to encourage them to remove items from their decks. Things like grills, plants, and furniture need to be removed in order to properly refurbish the decks. Since many of the balconies were suspended 20′ in the air, we could not safely move heavy items to the ground level.

Did the project require any special equipment or techniques?

To mitigate surface rust on the metal surfaces, we used wire brushes mounted to angle grinders – this allowed us to quickly and efficiently remove any surface rust. We then applied a special primer that converts rust into a stable substrate – the product is backed by a 5 year, no rust guarantee so we felt confident it was the right product for the job. Lastly, to produce this project most efficiently, we elected to spray the top coat of paint to the metal. It can be faster to spray (vs. roll) but it also means we needed to protect all surrounding substrates from overspray.