Nestled in central Massachusetts is one of the premier establishments for animal care in New England. The large animal facility alone boats 40,000 square feet that includes an intensive care unit, surgical suites, and diagnostic imaging equipment.

While it was about time for a refresh anyway, with accreditation coming up the school wanted to look its best. Known as efficient, reliable, and accommodating with an exemplary focus on customer satisfaction, Arch Painting was the clear choice for the job.

Painting a facility for animals is tricky enough, but painting a facility that was actively housing some of the school’s patients made it an even more difficult task. Because the work took place mostly during the summer months when the school was at its busiest and nearly full to capacity, we were only able to paint 20% of the stalls at a time.

This means five times over the course of the multi-month project we had to section off portions of the facility with a temporary plastic barrier – and to make it more challenging no two sections were exactly the same. The barrier had to be carefully hung and taped at the seams to protect the staff and animals adjacent to the work area. A 4000 CFM air scrubber with flexible plastic ductwork was installed each time to vent odors and dust to the outdoors.

Considerable thought had to be put in to the products used on the project as well. They needed something durable enough to withstand large animal behavior while also being chemically resistant enough for staff to easily clean and sanitize the stalls. After all, they are exceptionally focused on providing their patients with a safe, comfortable environment while the animals are in their care.

The choice was clear: Macropoxy 646.

 

All loose rust and peeling paint was scraped and hand sanded as to not scare the animals. Divots and holes in the concrete walls were patched with fast dry concrete patches and then sanded prior to painting. The walls were primed with a Sherwin-Williams Loxon Acrylic Masonry Primer, then finished with two coats of the Macropoxy 646 in Optic Yellow.

The perimeter of all baseboard and other long creases in the metal trim were caulked with Tremco Dymonic FC Urethanized Sealant. The baseboard and metal trim were then primed with Macropoxy 920 PrePrime Rust Encapsulate Primer, and followed with two coats of Macropoxy 646 in Cedar Green once the primer was given adequate time to set.

Due to the extremely custom nature of the project and issues that were newly-discovered after the work began, the scope continually evolved throughout the project’s duration. Because of that, coupled with working section by section – often on off-hours – and with a five to seven day cure time for the coatings, the project took a total of four months.

Still, it was worth it for all parties involved. Our customer was left with a beautiful facility that reflected the great work they do, and their patients with the best possible environment for their temporary care.

 

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