Alpine Painting & Sandblasting Contractors is the proud recipient of PDCA 2014 KILZ® Picture it Painted Professionally (PIPP) Exterior Commercial Painting Award for our exterior painting of IKEA in Elizabeth, NJ. This national award is granted to a professional painting and decorating contractor, also a member of PDCA, whose work is the very best in the painting industry. This award honors the contractor by showcasing their best work among industry peers across the nation.
Project Details
In August of 2014, Alpine was one of three bidders recommended by Benjamin Moore’s Customer Care/National Accounts Team to bid on the exterior painting of IKEA. After meeting with IKEA’s top level managers and changing the specifications several times, Alpine Painting was awarded the Exterior Painting of IKEA’s Largest NJ Location.
Since the metal siding of IKEA was chalking, peeling and contained surface contaminants such as dirt and dust, it was critical that our crew prepare the structure properly to ensure adequate adhesion of the new coating system. To blow off loose and peeling paint and wash the siding and trim properly we utilized a minimum of 2500 psi water pressure. We then hand scraped any loose and peeling paint and wire brushed any existing rust to an SSPC-SP2 Standard or PDCA P14-06 Level 2 Standard Finish.
Many challenges were faced during the painting of this building. The first challenge was the location. This particular IKEA is less than 100 yards from the NJ State Turnpike and less than ¼ mile from the Newark International Airport. One of our biggest concerns was the potential for overspray on nearby parking lot and turnpike vehicles. We overcame these concerns by utilizing a custom containment on the lift basket along with being very aware of the existing wind patterns when we sprayed. The next concern was the high customer and store delivery traffic. Traffic cones were setup as well as flag men were utilized to direct traffic and help avoid confusion of where to drive. Another concern was the weather. Because the temperature outside was extremely hot, our men had to use caution when choosing the paint to be put on the substrate. We used temperature guns, humidity gauges and studied material data sheets to ensure that we applied all coatings within the recommend material specifications. We used a combination of brush, roll and airless spray to paint the building depending on the substrate, location of work and weather conditions.
Above all specifications, color was of the utmost importance to the customer. To ensure the proper IKEA Blue and Yellow were matched we went through multiple draw downs and approvals from the top level managers. Upon our recommendation, the finish paint was manufactured through a dry grind process specifically for this project. This assisted in both achieving better coverage for the applicator and providing better/longer color retention for the customer.
With a short time frame, Alpine worked days and weekends to complete this project. By using a crew of 6-8 men, we were able to complete the project in 6 weeks (exceeding our customers’ expectations and finishing before the cold weather came). Upon completion of the project, Alpine Painting & Sandblasting Contractors provided the customer with two initial walkthroughs, a final Punch List, as well as one final walkthrough. The project turned out to be a huge success. We were able to complete one of IKEA’s signature locations in 37 working days (under two months) all while allowing normal business operation during a busy period. IKEA and Benjamin Moore expressed their gratitude by allowing Alpine Painting to continue to bid on their upcoming exterior projects in the Tri-State Area and beyond.
PDCA, founded in 1884, represents the interests of professional painting and decorating contractors across the nation. The vision of the PDCA is to enhance and further develop the painting and decoration profession and industry with standards, education, training, advocacy, and best practices essential to member success. Today, PDCA represents the interests of over 5,000 owners and top-flight managers from more than 2,500 painting and decorating firms across the U.S. and Canada.