Journal of
Architectural
Coatings
Vo l u m e 2
SPECIAL REPORT:
Reroofing the Dome
Brazos Urethane
Greenbuilding
of Schools
Coating
and
Restoring Wood
/
Number 4
June / July 2006
Special Report: Roof Coatings
New dome
for Saints home
High-performance polyurethane
materials marched into service in fast-track
restoration of resurrected New Orleans
stadium roof
T
ens of thousands of people were taking refuge inside the
Louisiana Superdome on Monday morning, Aug. 29,
2005, when winds from Hurricane Katrina sheared away much of the
roof’s covering, allowing water to leak into the stadium.
By mid-October, crews from Brazos Urethane Inc. were working on
the Superdome’s 9.7-acre roof to repair and temporarily waterproof
the Superdome so that renovations could begin on the interior. The
contract required the work to be finished in 45 days; however, the 30man crew accomplished it in 15 days, earning Brazos Urethane a substantial bonus for finishing early.
“Before the job was bid, I knew there was a very short timeline,”
says Wally Scoggins, owner and president of Brazos Urethane, Texas
City, TX. “There was a $20,000 a day penalty for going over 45 days,
58
Journal of Architectural Coatings / June / July 2006
(Photos on pp. 58–59): Spray equipment and coatings materials
are positioned on the peak of the Superdome, the stadium
that became a symbol of Hurricane Katrina.
Photos courtesy of Brazos Urethane, Inc.
manent new roof, which is
rubber weighing as much as 100,000
scheduled to be completed
pounds in the gutter tubs that sur-
by September 2006.
round the Superdome.
The materials specified
“Getting the rubber cut into pieces
for the job were a
and getting it off the roof was one of
polyurethane foam/
the biggest challenges,” says Scoggins.
polyurethane coating system supplied
“The rubber had to be removed so that
by Bay Systems North America LLC, a
everyone could assess what was wrong
subsidiary of Bayer MaterialScience,
and how we were going to fix it. It was
and Neogard, a division of Dallas-based
a big mess.”
Jones-Blair Co.
Before bidding the fast-track job,
After the crew of 30 had removed the
rubber, the next job was to apply an
Scoggins geared up with the purchase
inch of polyurethane foam and 10 mils
of four Graco/Gusmer H-20/35
of acrylic coating to temporarily seal up
Proportioners for the foam and coating
the Superdome. The hydraulic-driven
application, 2,000 feet of hose, 10
proportioners provided the high-vol-
Graco 5:1 drum pumps, and four
Xtreme® pumps.
ume capabilities needed for this interim measure.
“I already had enough equipment to
do the dome, but I bought all new
equipment because I wanted to be con-
Phase two:
Permanent roof restoration
fident that we’d have no
The state of Louisiana, the Superdome’s
equipment or maintenance
owner, invited six companies to bid on
issues whatsoever,”
the roof restoration project. Brazos
Scoggins says.
Urethane was the sole company to
actually submit a bid, and was awarded
Phase one:
Temporary seal
the $32 million contract in February
Covering 13 acres and
rebuilding the roof of the dome, a task
standing 27 stories high,
that includes replacing the steel deck
the Louisiana Superdome
and applying polyurethane foam and
was built in 1975 and is
urethane coating.
one of the NFL’s largest stadiums. The original dome
2006. Brazos Urethane is totally
The company began work on March
13, and by late May the job was approxi-
and a $20,000 a day bonus for finish-
was covered with spray polyurethane
mately 80 percent complete, with good
ing early.”
foam and protected with a chlorosul-
weather conditions helping to accelerate
fonated polyethylene coating.
the pace. Approximately 330,000 square
Scoggins bid the temporary job on a
Wednesday, had a pre-construction
The roof blown off during Hurricane
feet of the steel deck had been replaced
meeting on Thursday, and by Saturday
Katrina was a 60-mil EPDM rubber-
as of May 25, and the application of
afternoon his company was spraying
membrane roof, which was installed in
polyurethane foam had begun.
foam. Brazos Urethane also won the
2000. The wind ripped the rubber cov-
$32 million contract to build the per-
ering off the roof, leaving huge rolls of
Journal of Architectural Coatings / June / July 2006
The new roof will consist of three
layers:
59
Four Graco|Gusmer H-2035 hydraulic proportioners are
used to apply polyurethane foam and coating.
The polyurethane basecoat offers elongation of 375%, according to published
• 500,000 square feet of galvanized 16-
data from Neogard, based on testing in
gauge fluted metal decking, mechani-
accordance with ASTM method D412.
cally attached to the existing steel sup-
Tensile strength is reported as 1,000 psi.
port frame;
For the polyurethane topcoat, tensile
• 500,000 pounds of polyurethane
strength is reported as an even higher
foam, sprayed over the metal decking;
1,500 psi, with elongation rated at 360%.
Patterson says polyurethane foam-and-
and
• 20,000 gallons of elastomeric
coating roof systems of this type have
polyurethane coating, white in color,
proven their mettle in the wake of recent
sprayed over the foam layer at a mini-
hurricanes that have battered Gulf Coast
mum dry film thickness of 46 mils. The
locations. In addition to tensile strength,
a key to survival for these roofs, he says, is
coating system includes a fire-resistant
basecoat and white topcoat.
Gregg Patterson, southwestern U.S.
Six hoists mounted atop the Superdome move materials
to the top of the 27-story structure.
polyurethane coating offers a combina-
gives powerful storm winds little or nothing to “grab” and tear off.
regional sales manager for Neogard, says
the Permathane II FR aromatic
their seamless, monolithic surface, which
Neogard also recommends the
ball crowds.
The elastomeric polyurethane coating
polyurethane coating system for applica-
tion of high tensile strength and elonga-
is supplied as a one-component product.
tion to built-up roofs (BURs) and single-
tion, crucial properties for the strength
Typically, four coats or “passes” are
ply roof membranes. The company is a
and flexibility needed to resist extreme
required to achieve the needed total film
longtime producer of polyurethane coat-
service conditions—including hurricane-
thickness specified for the Superdome
ings for various applications, and has
force winds and torrential rain. Then
job, with two passes for the basecoat and
manufactured coatings for polyurethane
there are the typical, everyday stresses
two or three for the topcoat. The white
foam roof systems since the 1970s.
and strains of thermal expansion and
color offers the “cool-roof” benefit of
contraction, and the vibration and
solar reflectance, and the product is
er of the polyurethane foam, is issuing a
movement generated by boisterous foot-
Energy Star-rated, Neogard says.
10-year warranty on the roof system,
60
Bay Systems North America, the suppli-
Journal of Architectural Coatings / June / July 2006
For more info, return Reader Inquiry Card
guaranteeing the roof will stay put no
hydraulic proportioners were set up on
and it slopes down to about 175 feet on
matter what. The company, in fact, is
the center of the roof, at the very top of
the sides. If you hit the floor, you’re
confidently making a case for its roofing
the Superdome, with 450 feet of hose on
not going to make it,” he says bluntly.
materials, come what may in the form of
each machine. The system includes GX-7
“The main challenge is removing the
massive tropical storms menacing the
spray guns from Graco/Gusmer. Eight
steel deck. When we cut a hole, you
Gulf Coast.
Graco Premier 45:1 pumps supply the
can see the sky.”
“When the next hurricane season hits,
make sure you’re covered with a roof sys-
liquid-applied foam materials from the
ground to totes on the roof.
Experienced crew
The urethane coating is pumped from
Approximately 150 people are at work
says in a current advertising campaign.
the ground using eight 45:1 pumps. Two
on the Superdome for the duration of
“It won’t blow off, and we guarantee it.”
additional H-20/35 proportioner units
the project. Brazos Urethane’s supervi-
are on the floor of the Superdome for fill-
sory crew has an average of 29 years of
ing the flutes in the metal prior to hoist-
experience; the work crews range from
One of Brazos Urethane’s first tasks was
ing them to the roof with one of the six
10 to 25 years of experience.
to remove the temporary roofing
hoists mounted above the dome.
tem from Bay Systems,” the company
The logistics
entire original metal deck, and the
Graco distributor Willie Herrington
says Scoggins has assembled “one of the
installed in October, 2005, as well as the
Safety a priority
most confident and skilled crews
remaining EPDM roofing and isocyanu-
OSHA is on site every day to enforce
around; not only as foam applicators,
rate board installed in 2000.
safety regulations. “It’s very dangerous
but as people who understand the
For the application of the
work,” says Scoggins. “The peak of the
equipment from a mechanical and
dome is 275 feet to a concrete floor,
maintenance standpoint.” Herrington
polyurethane foam and coating, the four
says Brazos’ team members “are probably some of the best I’ve ever worked
with. Very seldom do I get a call from
them on technical questions.”
The weather factor
Weather presents another challenge,
requiring constant monitoring with
satellite hookups for Doppler radar. “We
have to be ready to close up the roof
within an hour or so if thunderstorms
start to develop,” says Scoggins.
Scoggins offers a forecast of his own,
envisioning a push in the government
and insurance sectors for specification
of polyurethane roofing systems of this
type for more jobs.
The Louisiana Superdome is slated to
For more info, return Reader Inquiry Card
be ready for the New Orleans Saints
home opener on Sept. 24, 2006. The
Superdome is home to the Saints and
has hosted sporting events such as the
Super Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, and the
NCAA Basketball Final Four.
JAC
62
Journal of Architectural Coatings / June / July 2006