Fairmont Hotel
New Orleans, LA
Photo: Louisiana Division
New Orleans Public Library John N. Teunisson Photograph Collection
Adjacent to the French quarter in the Financial District, stands one of the Crescent City's most magnificent landmarks, the Fairmont Hotel. Built in 1893, this beloved historic hotel was originally known as the Grunewald, later renamed Roosevelt Hotel prior to becoming one of many jewels in the Fairmont's portfolio of historic hotels. It is among the oldest of grand hotels in this country.
The Challenge:
The hotel's exterior concrete walls were constantly damp in the warm, humid and wet Louisiana climate and needed to be waterproofed. The constant moisture was causing the paint to fail. It was weathered and delaminated and as expected with a century old building, some of the layers contained Lead-Based Paint. The time, labor and cost to remove, transport and dispose of that quantity of hazardous waste was mind boggling; then add the time, labor and cost to waterproof. They needed a cost effective alternative.
Benefits Desired:
- Class A Fire Rating
- Waterproof and Rejuvenate the Walls
- Abate the Lead-Based Paint
- Little to No Surface Preparation
- Cost Effective
- Long Term Solution
- Custom Colors
- Preserve Architectural Details Without Altering the Shape, Profile, and Texture.
Results:
A GLOBAL Encasement Class A Fire Rated System was designed that would both waterproof the walls and manage-in-place the Lead-Based Painted Surfaces. Fittingly enough, the oldest paint contracting firm in the USA, D. Zelinsky & Sons Contractors (est.1894), was chosen to apply it. The long-lasting waterproofing system required 2,000 gallons and covered 100,000 square feet of surface area. PrepLESS Primer™ was first applied to lock down flaking paint and dust, followed with ASTM E1795-97 tested and certified lead encapsulant, LeadLock™ TopCoat, custom tinted Taupe, Tan and Charcoal. All of the client's requirements were met and exceeded.
