Twelve water slides, large wall murals, waterfalls, authentic Old West décor: The new 60,000 square foot Fort Rapids Waterpark and Resort was a large and challenging project that required a high level of communication between general contractor, two painting contracting firms and their paint supplier.

The amount and variety of coatings on this job was impressive – 5,200 gallons of texture coating, 890 gallons of interior latex, 435 gallons of WoodScapes Exterior Stain, 105 gallons of Epo-Plex Multi Mil epoxy, 48 gallons of ProClassic Alkyd Enamel, 46 gallons of All Surface Enamel, 33 gallons of Sher-Wood Wiping Stain, 30 gallons of ColorAccents, not to mention smaller quantities of a number of specialty products. Sherwin-Williams employees even hand tinted 1,000 gallons of texture coating on the jobsite.

Another major challenge was the extremely aggressive schedule, says James Novrotsky, president of Qualiteck Inc. The company did a complete renovation of 281 existing hotel rooms and 60 new villa-type loft rooms (all requiring scaffolding), in 90 days. Interior substrates required extensive prep to correct mildew issues. Much wallcovering was stripped, and Qualiteck used PrepRite ProBlock Interior Alkyd Primer Sealer to prepare the surface for the texture coating.

"The drywall can take a beating in a lot of older buildings because of the old clay-based adhesives, and even in newer places when the wallcovering wasn't properly applied," Navrotsky says. "We've found that ProBlock not only seals well but is the best product we've found for providing a good base for walls damaged by wallpaper removal." Navrotsky, whose company does large-scale hotel work throughout the East and Midwest, chooses Sherwin-Williams because of their excellent product knowledge and customer service and their extensive store network.

"Wherever we go, there's a Sherwin-Williams store within ten to 15 minutes," he says.

"Our location was a huge plus for all the contractors involved in the project," says Sherm Sackett, manager of the Columbus store that serviced the project. "We were only about a mile away from the jobsite, so we were able to be there quickly if anything came up." The store worked closely with the Sherwin-Williams local commercial store to ensure all products were available when the painting contractors needed them.

End result: A fast-track project brought it on time and on budget that will look great for years to come.