Industry: Water & Wastewater / Municipal Government | Service: Industrial Painting / Pipe Coating | Contractor: TMI Coatings, LLC (AMPP QP 1 & QP 2 Certified)
Challenge
A municipal water treatment facility contracted TMI Coatings to repaint several hundred linear feet of large-diameter interior piping that had not received maintenance coating in over 20 years. The existing coating system had failed extensively, with flaking paint, pack rust, and heavily corroded areas that exposed the steel substrate to the continuously harsh, high-moisture environment of the treatment plant. The pipes were actively sweating, meaning work had to be scheduled during the appropriate season when surface conditions would allow coating adhesion. The facility needed a durable, high-build protective system applied to a color-coded standard for pipe identification throughout the plant.
Solution
TMI Coatings, LLC (TMI) mobilized during a weather window when pipe sweating conditions were manageable. The owner identified and poly-covered all sensitive equipment in the work areas prior to TMI beginning work.
TMI’s crew power tool cleaned 100% of the pipe surfaces to remove all flaking coating, pack rust, and heavy corrosion, and to establish an anchor pattern for coating adhesion on the steel substrate. TMI then applied two full coats of Tnemec Series 138 (ProTuff), a high-build surface-tolerant epoxy mastic specifically engineered for water and wastewater facility environments. The coating was applied by brush and roller at the manufacturer’s recommended dry film thickness, using the facility’s designated color-coded piping system to comply with plant identification standards.
Result
TMI completed the project safely and to the water services manager’s satisfaction. The manager noted TMI’s superintendent demonstrated exceptional attention to detail, commitment to crew safety, and consistent communication throughout the project. The facility’s piping now carries a high-build epoxy mastic system rated for the corrosive, high-humidity conditions of water treatment operations, ultimately restoring corrosion protection that had been deferred for two decades. Pipe painting at water and wastewater facilities is a service TMI routinely provides at municipal, industrial, and federal installations nationwide.
Why TMI Coatings
TMI Coatings is an AMPP QP 1 and QP 2 certified industrial painting contractor with 40 years of experience in water treatment, wastewater, municipal infrastructure, and federal government facilities. TMI’s pipe painting capability includes color-coded systems, high-build epoxy mastics, moisture-tolerant coatings, and surface-tolerant formulations for substrates with deferred maintenance, conditions common in water treatment plants where budget cycles have delayed coating renewal. TMI deploys its own field crews nationwide with NACE CIP Level 3 certified inspection personnel.