The Westin Tampa Waterside Hotel recently completed the restoration of its exterior that extended the service life of its façade by 25-30 years.
Using NeverFade® Façade Restoration Coatings with Kynar Aquatec® from APV Engineered Coatings gave the hotel a much-needed facelift. And they did it at a much lower cost than replacing the brick façade and window profiles or having to repaint the exterior every three to five years, which is a typical coating lifecycle in Florida.
HEI Hotels & Resorts, the hotel’s owner/operator, also took advantage of a unique, 15-year color performance warranty from APV. The warranty, which is fully transferrable to future owners, covers both replacement product and the labor costs to re-coat if the Delta-E (ΔE, or Total Color Difference) of the coating shifts by a unit of five or more.
Strong Color Performance in Harsh Environment
The Westin is no stranger to the effects of rain, wind, high humidity, saltwater corrosion, bright sun and soaring temperatures. Indeed, most owners of commercial and institutional buildings in the area are well acquainted with rapid fading and chalking of painted exteriors — a problem that can be costly and time-consuming to fix, as well as cause disruption to building occupants and visitors.
When the Westin experienced interior damage due to water penetration through its brick façade, HEI Hotels & Resorts turned to coating contractor Stuart Dean and NeverFade® from APV. Not only did they want to improve the building’s weatherproofing, they also wanted to give the hotel a fresh, new look that would last for years.
“Fifteen years without severe fading and chalking in the Gulf Coast of Florida is traditionally unheard of,” explains Mike Couchie, Vice President of Sales, APV Engineered Coatings. “Even with high-performance urethanes and 100 percent acrylic-latex coatings, the pigment and binder usually begin to break down after a couple years, leaving a significant shift in color and chalky residue on the surface. If left alone, paint will eventually deteriorate completely, leaving the building’s substrate bare and open to damage from the elements, which is a very costly problem to repair.”
The coating system’s long-lasting performance is due, in part, to the inclusion of Kynar Aquatec®. The tough and industry-proven PVDF resin resists thermal, chemical and ultraviolet degradation. Kynar Aquatec® has been weathering in the field and in a Miami-based natural weathering testing site for 18 years to date. However, the resin’s first-generation technology, Kynar 500®, has been performing for over 50 years in harsh UV-prone environments with exceptional color retention.
Serving as the backbone of NeverFade® coating technology, coupled with high performance additives and specialty grade inorganic pigments, Kynar Aquatec® is highly resistant to UV degradation, chalking, dirt pickup, staining, algae, mold, fungal growth and erosion. Applied with the compatible primer systems offered by APV, the NeverFade® coating system can even protect against rust, corrosion, and efflorescence, as well as promote long-term adhesion to the building surface.
For the Westin property, APV custom-blended its NeverFade® Original Topcoat in custom-colored Westin Tan for use on the hotel’s brick surfaces and NeverFade® Metal Restoration Topcoat in custom-colored Westin Granite for the window profiles. Custom-tinted W-1500 Universal Primer in a different hue of the topcoat colors were used on both the brick and the window profiles.
Minimizing Guest Inconvenience
HEI Hotels & Resorts wanted to make sure that the façade restoration project would have minimal impact on room reservations and guest activities. Typically, odors are a major concern and point of complaint for building occupants during this type of renovation. Because NeverFade® coatings are water-borne, low VOCs and low odor, the project was completed with no impact on room reservations and hotel use by guests.
“Unlike competitive products that require a spray application, NeverFade® was applied by roller and brush, which allowed us to eliminate overspray. We also were able to avoid complaints and an inconvenience for people entering and leaving the building,” said Rex Dean, Global Director, Façade Restoration, Stuart Dean, the coating contractor for the project.
“In addition to the strong warranty and attractive appearance of the coating system, we were pleased that NeverFade® does not emit harsh solvents into the air, allowing us to not impact our guests’ experience with odors during the application period,” said Rob Willis, SVP Design & Construction, HEI Hotels & Resorts. “Another benefit of applying a water-based system was that it fits our culture to be green-conscious and eco-friendly where we can.”
On Time and On Budget
Although the project was briefly interrupted for the passing of hurricane Irma, the Stuart Dean crew finished the project quickly and efficiently, in about five months.
The property now has a fresh, lighter and brighter new look. The project was so well received by everyone involved that HEI Hotels & Resorts is considering using NeverFade® Metal Restoration Coatings for the hotel’s metal roof, which has areas of significant coating degradation.
About Stuart Dean
Stuart Dean is a leading national provider of architectural restoration and maintenance services for office buildings, office tenants, schools, healthcare, hotels, government, retail, residential and industrial settings. The company’s advanced technologies, skilled craftsmen, products and processes clean and restore surfaces. They provide world-class restoration services on metal, stone, wood, glass, concrete polishing, tile & grout revival, chandelier cleaning, carpet care and facade restoration. Stuart Dean has restored and maintained architectural surfaces since 1932, providing outstanding service nationwide. For more information, call 1-800-322-3180 or visit stuartdean.com.
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 a variety of 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 or visit www.apvcoatings.com or www.neverfadecoatings.com. Join the conversation by using #NeverfadeCoatings #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.
