Project Overview
Location: Vallejo, CA
Project Type: Building Paint Job
Products Used: NeverFade® Façade Restoration Coatings
The Need: Lasting Paint for the Vallejo Center Campus
Solano College is part of California’s public community college system of 113 campuses in 72 districts across the state. The College’s service area encompasses the communities of Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Suisun, Vacaville, Vallejo, and Winters, as well as Travis Air Force Base. Many graduates of the area’s fifteen public high schools and three private schools take advantage of the educational opportunities offered by Solano Community College. With the current student population of 11,000 almost evenly divided between day and evening, the Solano College campus is alive at all hours offering academic study and occupational training to area residents.
A History of Frequent Repaint Cycles
The Vallejo Center Campus of Solano Community College had been painted three times in just 15 years. It was obvious that the previous approaches to painting the building were not working, as new coats of paint were starting to wear out almost as soon as they were applied. This was causing negative attention from students and faculty alike, and the costs were quickly mounting.
For Solano Community College’s Vallejo Center, the cost was estimated to be $16,000-$18,000 per paint job — a significant expense if the building needed to be repainted every five years. Not included in that expense are the “soft costs” associated with the building’s appearance. That could include a lower enrollment in the school because of the faded and prematurely aged appearance of the exterior of the campus.
The Challenge: Standing Up to Harsh Marine Conditions
Solano Community College’s Vallejo Center campus is located on San Pablo Bay, northeast of San Francisco, an area known for ocean-driven fog, wind, and moisture, coupled with sunny, hot, and windy afternoons. The weather conditions caused the building’s exterior —originally painted with premium acrylic latex paint — to fade from a bright, “Solano Safety Blue” to a tired, battleship grey in just five years. Even a light touch of the walls left a chalky residue on the hands.
The Solution: NeverFade® Is Still Going Strong Eight Years Later
NeverFade® is a water-based, low-VOC exterior coating. It contains Kynar Aquatec® resin, a tough, engineering thermoplastic that does not degrade when exposed to harsh ultraviolet, thermal, and chemical pollution environments. It resists fading, chalking, dirt, staining, algae, mold, and fungal growth and helps protect substrates from corrosion in marine environments.
“We are so confident in the performance of NeverFade® that we offer a 15-year warranty against fading. This warranty is unique because it doesn’t just cover the cost of the product. It also covers labor costs.”
—Erin Brown, Director of Marketing and Business Development at APV Engineered Coatings
The Result: Over $48,000 in Savings
With the NeverFade® paint job complete, the Solano Community College Vallejo Center looks better than ever. “We want to make our campus attractive to students and the community so it’s a good learning environment and a place people want to be,” Buchanan says. “Now, thanks to the NeverFade® paint job, the Vallejo Center looks fabulous. Everyone is impressed with the striking color.”
By taking advantage of a 15-year paint-and-labor warranty on NeverFade® paint from APV Engineered Coatings, Solano Community College saved more than $48,000 on paint jobs.
About APV Engineered Coatings
Founded in 1878, APV Engineered Coatings custom formulates and manufactures industrial coatings and advanced chemical products in Akron, Ohio. APV is a partner to some of the world’s top-producing manufacturers due to its expertise in chemical and coating composition, the commercialization of advanced materials, and large-scale production. The company’s innovative solutions have been integrated into various industries for unique applications, such as aerospace, innovative textiles, and high-end building products. A licensee of Arkema Inc. in the use of Kynar® emulsion technology, APV has been developing and commercializing high-performance Kynar® resin-based coatings for field and factory applications for more than a decade. For more information, call 800-772-3452. Join the conversation by using #NeverfadeCoating #KynarAquatec and follow us @APVCoatings.
NeverFade® is a registered trademark of APV Engineered Coatings Inc.
Kynar® and Kynar Aquatec® are registered trademarks of Arkema Inc.
