Top of the line industrial coatings restore access walkways getting hammered by the elements
DHV Catwalks
San Francisco
Diamond Heights Village is located at the top of Diamond Heights in San Francisco. The view is unbeatable, but all surfaces up there get hammered by the elements, from bright sunshine to punishing winds laden with salty moisture from the Pacific Ocean. Because of this exposure to the elements, coatings on the wood siding and stucco, finishes on the shingles, and especially coatings on the metal rails take abuse, and need regular maintenance.
The HOA decided to install a best-in-class coating system on the catwalk walking surfaces and metal rails, designed by Posard Broek.
Fortunately, the traffic coating was in fair shape and needed a good cleaning before the installation of the new Gaco system on top. The Coating on the rails had to be basically stripped off, and in fact, many sections of railing were so badly rusted that they had to be completely replaced.
The challenge here was twofold: the application of temperamental, two-part catalyzed materials on the metal rails and walking surfaces in at times unforgiving conditions (windy and damp), and doing it all safely from ladders and boom lifts that had to be tucked into tight spaces.
What We Did
Coated nearly 6,000 sf of walkways with Gaco urethane traffic coating.
Stripped and coated over 2,000 running feet of handrail.
Pressure washed and cleaned shingles and trim on 14 large residential buildings.
Project Details
Most catwalks between the buildings had three levels. We had to put together a safety plan for each set of walkways to make sure the team could access all levels safely using a combination of ladders and boom lifts.
In addition, we needed to put together and regularly update an access plan for the residents so they had options while we closed down one of the three levels while working.
Once the safety plan was in place, we set to work stripping down the coating on the metal rails. Once stripped, we had to act quickly to prime them with a 2-part epoxy primer to avoid flash rusting.
After the primer was cured, we applied two coats of Sherwin Williams SherCryl HPA, a bullet-proof industrial coating.
The walking surfaces were in generally good shape, so we gave them a good wash and degrease to prep them for the new coating. Caulking was replaced at the sides and all contact points with the rail supports to waterproof those interfaces and ease the right-angle transitions.
With caulking complete and the substrate clean and ready for coating, we first applied a bonding primer to the existing coating, then applied two basecoats, part of the 10-year Gaco system. After the basecoats, a wearing coat was applied, with walnut shell aggregate broadcast to refusal. After that was cured, the excess granules were removed, and a final topcoat was applied.
This system, carefully installed and rigorously inspected, is top-of-the line, and even in those harsh conditions, it will last for many years to come.
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