U.S. Steel

Project Overview

The 125,000 sq. ft facility was built in the early 1980’s and had its original paint job. It measured 96 feet to the peak and 82 feet just under the steel truss. It also included (3) 45 ton cranes. The objective was to prepare and coat the ceiling, steel walls, air-handlers, safety rails, gas pipe, as well as two huge steel racks.

Challenges

The challenges started with the sheer size of the facility combined with the fact that it was coated in 40 years of dust, dirt, and grime. It also contained bag insulation in the ceiling which could not get damaged by water, or heavy spray application. The air handlers needed to be blasted to create a profile in order to receive a coat of Metalstic. The steel racks were coated with grease from years of storing greasy steel rolls.

Solutions

The bag insulation and walls were cleaned with a product called No-Rinse (Great Lakes Chemical), and blew down with 125 PSI compressed air. They were then sprayed with a Waterborne Eggshell Dryfall. The air handlers were sandblasted and sprayed with a coat of Metalstic. Gas piping was color coded, and rails and safety areas were highlighted with safety yellow. The steel racks were cleaned using a combination of degreaser and 5,000 PSI heated pressure wash. They were then neutralized and washed down with water in order to receive a top coat of direct to metal Metalastic.