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Pooling Your Resources
Painting a natatorium on a demanding schedule

Central Painting worked with many different and difficult surfaces, both interior and exterior, in this natatorium project.

The Canfor Pool opened in Prince George, British Columbia, in November 2022; its completion just slightly behind schedule involved approximately 40 subcontractors and hundreds of trade workers during a time when labor was scarce due to the pandemic. Once open, the pool complex included a water slide, several teaching pools, a leisure pool with a lazy river, a steam room and sauna, and the first NinjaCross obstacle course in Canada.

For Central Painting, with headquarters in Barrie, Ontario, and operating this project out of its western HQ in Edmonton, Alberta, there were lots of challenges — almost barricades — to getting its part done. “There was a demanding construction schedule for sequencing trades, working from aerial lifts, acid etching galvanized deck in restrictive environments, and epoxy coating systems, just to name a few,” said company owner Dave Graham.

The structural steel arrived from the factory improperly primed, and notwithstanding the ensuing legal battles between the city and the supplier, putting it in service created some extra headaches. Once that was addressed, the Central crew started the acid-etching process to get the steel ready for the top coat. “Both the structural steel and the walls — primarily curtain wall glazing — could not have contact with any acid-etching overspray, so all the areas of the ceiling deck and surrounding walls of the natatorium required careful wrapping for protection,” said Graham

Another challenge was the wood deck at the entrance of the pool. This structure

extended from the interior ceiling to the exterior soffits, and required extensive sanding to remove transportation markings, dirt and other markings from straps and the mill scale. “This overhead work was extremely demanding for our team for this critical entrance area,” said Graham.

If the work itself was physically taxing, the scheduling took its toll on the mind. “This project was an eight-hour drive from our operations office in Edmonton, so planning was a must,” said Graham. “Ben Anderson, our western operations manager, was in constant communication with the general contractor. Their team did a superb job in sequencing all the trades involved, especially in the areas of the natatorium as well as the mechanical rooms. We used one of our best technically qualified teams, led by our top foreman, Jorge Lopez.

A couple of other areas included in the scope of the job were finishing the concrete block of the changing rooms with waterborne catalyzed epoxy and applying anti-graffiti protection to the exterior. Central Coatings gets this TOP JOB award for its hard work as well as its patience, planning and communication. APC

Key Products

• PPG Pitthane
• Sansin
• Vandlguard Anti-Graffiti Coating
• Sherwin-Williams