Wayne State University: GelFlex® 1110
MARKET: Decorative Coatings : Reflecting Pool
SYSTEM: GelFlex 1110 Pure Polyurea
PROJECT: Refurbishing / Refinishing 11,000 sq. ft. Reflecting Pool
OWNER: Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
CONTRACTOR: Quality Maintenance Contractors Inc.
Wayne State University is a leading urban research university of 32,000 students. The University has degree programs in more than 350 fields including graduate study toward master’s and doctoral academic programs such as medicine and law.
Wayne State University is also the home of the McGregor Memorial Conference Center, the metropolitan area meeting place that has drawn internationally known speakers, experts in nearly every scholarly field, including national leaders. In its three-decade history, the McGregor Center has been the place of choice for many who have been in the forefront of advancing new ideas, developing the concept of community and advancing the application of scientific technology.
Outside the McGregor Memorial Conference Center stands an 11,000 sq. ft. concrete decorative reflection pool that was not in use due to the deteriorated concrete. The McGregor Memorial Conference Center was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. The original pool was designed by the famous architect, Minoru Yamasaki and was constructed in 1958. However, it had not been in operation for over a decade until Quinn Evans Architects, McCarthy & Smith Inc. General Contractors and Quality Maintenance Contractors Inc. showed up to restore and waterproof it with VersaFlex Pure Polyurea.
“From the very beginning, Quinn Evans desired to provide a high quality waterproof system for their customer. The VersaFlex system of combining an aromatic basecoat with an aliphatic topcoat was ideal for this type of project,” stated by Todd Gomez, Technical Sales & Marketing Manager with VersaFlex.
The job entailed removing and replacing the concrete walls and floor down to the original footings. Surface Preparation of the new concrete involved an abrasive blast to achieve a concrete surface profile (CSP) of 3 to 4.
To prime the concrete, a special epoxy primer was used to address any moisture vapor transmission issues and because the concrete was less than than 28 days old. The primer was applied at 10 mils and was also mixed with cabosil to help fill any remaining bugholes or imperfections.
When it came time for the pure polyurea base coat, VersaFlex FSS 45DC was applied at a minimum average thickness of 60 mils. It was this basecoat that served as the main waterproofing membrane for the concrete reflecting pool.
The topcoat, or finish coat called for VersaFlex’s GELFLEX® 1110 applied at a minimum average thickness of 20 mils. The VersaFlex GELFLEX® 1110 functions as an exceptional color and gloss retentive coating that also stands up against UV and immersion exposure. Quality Maintenance Contractors Inc. used two (2) Gusmer 20/35’s and Graco Fusion Spray Guns for the application work.
The reflection pool job did not end here though. To assure the application was done properly and that the new pool would not leak, the contractor utilized a high voltage spark testing process to insure a pinhole and void free basecoat. Wet film thickness gages were used for checking mil thickness on the aliphatic topcoat due to the slower gel/cure times of the GELFLEX® 1110.
As with many construction projects, design and weather delays played a role during work phases but with proper planning, job staging and client interaction, the customer is ultimately satisfied with end result.
