Emlen Physick Estate
Cape May, NJ
HP-1 Reinforced Roof System on Standing Seam Metal Roof
Completed in 1996
The Emlen Physick Estate in historic Cape May, New Jersey, is the town’s only Victorian house museum. Attributed to renowned architect Frank Furness, the house was built in 1879 in the “Stick Style” with the characteristic exterior wall patterns of varying textures divided by rectangular grids of flat wooden boards. Now open to the public, the property is owned by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC), a non-profit organization that was formed in 1970 to rescue the historic property from the wrecker’s ball.
In addition to the house, the estate features a two-story carriage house of wooden construction with a drop-front, Mansard tin roof. According to Tom Carroll, MAC’s vice president and a local bed and breakfast innkeeper, the carriage house roof proved to be a problem from the start.
After years of patching and repainting the tin roof, MAC’s board of directors realized it needed to find a more durable and cost-effective solution. However, because of the low drop of the carriage house roof and its visibility from street level, the group wanted a roofing solution that would not detract from the historical accuracy and visual appeal. In addition, the corrosive salt air and seasonal fluctuations in temperature made for environmental conditions where superior protection from the elements was essential.
In the summer of 1996, MAC hired a contractor to apply the Acrymax Roof Restoration System. Within just a few weeks, the Mansard roof was sporting a new weatherproof coating in a classic shade of red found on similar historic roofs in Cape May. More than a year later, the group is pleased with the look and performance of the new roofing system.
At a ribbon-cutting celebration in September 1997, the Emlen Physick Carriage House hosted a traveling exhibition of 18th and 19th century teapots on loan from England’s Norwich Castle. Chances are, not one of the two-hundred plus visitors who came to see the exhibit each day suspected that the historic tin roof overhead wore anything more than a layer of fresh red paint. Arch-preservationist Carroll – and others from MAC – couldn’t be happier.
Fort Sumter
Charleston, SC
HP-2 Partially Reinforced Coating System on Concrete
Completed in 2000
Located at the entrance to Charleston Harbor, Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie are subject to a harsh environment – hot and humid conditions in summer, and occasional periods below freezing in the winter, not to mention the salt-rich air. In order to provide long term preservation of these sites, Acrymax coating systems were the choice.
Two separate projects were completed at Fort Sumter with Acrymax coatings. The first was over gun encasements on the outside battery of the fort. This area of the fort was in severe disrepair that included significant cracks and spalling.
The unique challenges of Fort Sumter demanded a customized system to retain as much of the original look of the concrete gun encasements as possible. Cracks and transition areas received reinforcement, while the balance of the structure received a multiple coat system that was enhanced with sand broadcast into the final coat to give authentic texture to the surface.
After observing the performance of Acrymax coatings, Fort Sumter went on to use an Acrymax reinforced membrane system on additional walking surfaces throughout the fort. These areas receive significant foot traffic from the public as they tour the fort. As such, a fully reinforced system which incorporates our HP-5000 as a high strength elastomeric finish coating was selected for this phase of the project.
Check out more about Fort Sumter here:
http://www.nps.gov/fosu/
Thomas Point Lighthouse
Annapolis, MD
HP-2 Partially Reinforced Coating System
High Performance Fluoropolymer Finish Coat
Completed in 2008
This project highlights metal roof preservation at Thomas Point Lighthouse, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the country. This National Historic Landmark is located in the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis, MD.
A custom HP-2 Roof Restoration System was engineered for the metal roof of this lighthouse, taking into consideration the corrosion environment, condition of the substrate, and final desired appearance. Initially the surface was primed with HP-7000 Direct to Metal Primer to prevent rusting of the metal roof. This was followed up by an elastomeric coatings system that incorporated HP-1000 and HP-5000 elastomeric roof coatings. On transitional areas, Poly-1 was embedded in these elastomeric coatings to provide reinforcement.
Thomas Point Lighthouse demanded a high performance finish that would not sacrifice color with age. To provide this finish, Acrymax AF-5500 Fluoropolymer coating was selected to complete the project. The desired finish colors were a bright red on the main roof and a deep-toned black on the cupola.
Check out more about Thomas Point Lighthouse here: http://www.thomaspointlighthouse.org/
