TMI Coatings Blog

TMI Coatings repainted the exterior of a water tower for the Martinsburg VA Medical Center in West Virginia and received an endorsement and recommendation for our work.

Royce Construction Services endorces TMI Coatings.

A Midwest manufacturer of gear boxes, disc brakes and clutches requested TMI Coatings to recommend and install a floor coating in their machine area which was approximately 16,785 sq. ft. including striping in the aisles. The customer was ordering new machines and moving machines so this project had to be completed in four job mobilizations. TMI’s Project Manager, Steve Sirek and Job Superintendent, Jeff Henry worked together to complete the project in a timely manner to reduce the Owner’s downtime.

The customer sectioned off approximately 3,500 sq. ft. per mobilization. TMI then prepared the floor surface by vacuum steel shotblasting, further grinding with hand-held grinders with vacuum attachments. TMI then repaired severely cracked and eroded areas by restoring to surrounding plane. Then applied TMI CHEM-RESIST flooring system consisting of a 100% solids, low odor epoxy resin with aggregate fillers. In the production area, TMI installed flooring at approximately 60 mils thick because there is not forklift traffic, mainly foot traffic. In the aisle and shipping/receiving areas, TMI installed a 1/8” thick floor topping which is suitable for industrial use. TMI then installed line striping on both sides of the pedestrian walkway for safety. The customer was very happy with TMI’s workmanship as well as reducing the impact on their schedule.

Floor surface preparation

Applying CHEM-RESIST

Big Soo Terminal, in northwest Iowa, is continually looking to make improvements to its facility. This year’s project included the painting of their two large oil tanks. The tanks were in need of sandblasting and painting to reduce corrosion and improve aesthesis.

Following a safety meeting with all crew members, TMI Coatings began with preparing the surface by sandblasting, grinding and water blasting. A full coat of rust-inhibitive epoxy metal primer was applied. TMI finished the tanks with a high quality industrial paint.

After to the two tanks were painted the crew then installed a 14’ wide by 20’ tall logo. The logo was positioned to have the most exposure to a nearby highway. TMI had a template made and the team began painting the very complex and intricate design with ½” artist brushes. Because the white logo was painted over the dark green tank, two coats were applied. After several long days, the logo was complete.

When the project was completed the owner said, “We are so very proud of the logo. We love that you can see it on the hill top nearly 2 miles away.”

Logo painting in progress

Finish painted with new logo

A food processing and manufacturing facility in central IA requested TMI Coatings line the interior of their DAF (dissolved air flotation) tank. The DAF tank is used in their water treatment process to clarify wastewater by the removal of suspended matter such as oil or solids. The wastewater is corrosive and the steel of the DAF tank must be protected.

The customer requested TMI to sandblast the interior of the DAF tank and coat with a rust-inhibitive coating with good abrasion resistance. The customer removed the skimming devices prior to TMI sandblasting, then TMI installed the lining material as recommended by the manufacturer. The customer was very happy with TMI’s workmanship and the timely ‘turn around’ on the tank lining project because it did not interfere with the plant operations.

Prior to beginning surface preparation

Upon completion of the lining

TMI Coatings, Inc. completed exterior painting on a tank for the City of Owasso. TMI pressure washed, spot primed and over coated the tank exterior. TMI then applied two logos; 30’ in diameter, with text almost 40’ across.

One of Owasso’s most famous residents is county music star Garth Brooks. Garth Brooks was a major contributor to this project; TMI’s crewmembers had the privilege to meet Garth as he made the final decision and instructed them where to place the logo.

Before TMI began work

After TMI painted tank and logo

Dry ice blasting, commonly referred to as CO2 blasting, is an effective way to clean your equipment and/or facility when disassembly is impractical, or where sensitive equipment i.e. controls, electrical boxes, lights or similar exist in the area.

One of the advantages of dry ice blasting is it cleans and removes contaminants while leaving adjacent surfaces undamaged.

Dry ice blasting is also an environmentally friendly method of cleaning. The CO2 will evaporate and all that is left is a pile of dust to sweep up. Dry ice blasting eliminates the need for clean-up of spent blast media, waste water, and cleaning chemicals. CO2 blasting is ideal for use in food plants, plating facilities, and aluminum foundries. After cleaning, surfaces may also be painted.

See photos below of a stainless steel food drier TMI CO2 blasted.

An energy company hired TMI Coatings to repair the corrugated metal roof of their shop building that was experiencing leaking problems. TMI cleaned the roof and then replaced all missing fasteners and resecured remaining fasteners on the roof. A urethane elastomer coating was applied to all seams and around all penetrations to provide a waterproof seal. To complete the project, TMI applied an asphalt-based aluminum roof coating over the entire roof including all seams. TMI was able to offer a multiple year rustproof, waterproof warranty.

While on-site repairing the roof, TMI was able to improve the appearance of the exterior of the same building. TMI prepared the surfaces of the corrugated metal siding, window trim, and doors then applied two full coats of a coating specifically designed for metal surfaces. The owner was pleased with TMI for fixing the water leaks in the roof as well as improving the aesthetics of the building at the same time. “ After TMI’s roof repair all leaks have stopped, the building looks like new after being repainted. We are very happy with both projects.”

Surface preparation on building roof

In process, painting building

Coated roof and painted building

TMI Coatings recently coated two combustion turbines for a large power company located in Wisconsin. Each of the combustion turbines had a large muffler (stack) on top of the turbine. Due to the stacks having extremely high temperatures, the existing coating was failing and there was severe corrosion of the steel surfaces.

TMI prepared the surfaces of the stacks by sandblasting to an SSPC SP 10 standard to remove the corrosion and create an anchor pattern for new paint adhesion. TMI applied two coats with the first coat being a corrosion resistant primer, followed by a highly heat resistant top coat. The coatings are designed to handle constant temperatures of 1,000°F with excursions of higher temperatures.

Before

After

A local farmer’s co-op hired TMI Coatings to complete painting at multiple facilities. The owner was becoming increasingly concerned over the amount of corrosion on their equipment. TMI choose a combination of surface preparation methods including washing, waterblasting, grinding and scraping. TMI did not sandblast due to concerns for trucks in the area during the harvest season. Following surface preparation, the leg head, ladders, cages, catwalks, and bins, were primed with a high quality, rust inhibitive epoxy. TMI top coated the structures with a finish coat with superior exterior performance properties.

TMI used a variety of safety equipment to safely complete this work including: scaffolding, articulating lifts, bosun chairs, and ladders. Personal fall protection equipment was used as required by OSHA. TMI’s crews are trained and experienced in accessing projects in areas where others may not be comfortable.

Following completion of this project the owner commented, “Everything was satisfactory and I would recommend TMI to anyone.”

Painting in process

Finish Coat on North leg head

TMI Coatings completed a large painting project for an animal feed manufacturer located in western Minnesota. TMI painted their feed mill tower, hand rails, distributor and spouts. The owner was concerned about the corrosion beginning to form on the feed mill as well as aesthetics as the feed mill is the largest structure in town.

Upon arrival TMI’s crew surveyed the project, discussed all safety issues, and proceeded to rig the feed mill tower with a swing stage. TMI prepared the various surfaces with a combination of Brushblasting (SSPC SP7), high pressure water blasting, and power tool cleaning (SSPC SP3). The first of two coats was a rust inhibitive epoxy primer to reduce corrosion. TMI finish coated with a high quality direct to metal paint coating with superior exterior performance properties.

After completing the feed mill painting the owner commented “TMI’s crew was very professional.” The owner went on to mark ‘excellent’ in all categories of the service evaluation card.

Corroded exterior prior to restoration

Completed painting and restoration