Painting & Coating Industry (PCI) logo Powder coating summit logo
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • MATERIALS
  • TECHNOLOGIES
  • RESOURCES
  • EVENTS
  • DIRECTORIES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • CONTACT
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Latest News
  • Market Trends & Reports
  • Price Alerts
  • Subscribe to eNewsletters
  • Global Top 10/ PCI 25
  • Weekly Featured Article
  • COATLE Word Game
  • PRODUCTS
  • Product News
  • Must See Products and Services
  • MATERIALS
  • Additives
  • Resins/Polymers
  • Pigments
  • Equipment
  • Distributors
  • TECHNOLOGIES
  • Adhesives
  • Architectural Coatings
  • FINISHING
  • Industrial Coatings
  • Nanotechnology
  • Powder Coatings
  • Solventborne
  • Special Purpose Coatings
  • Sustainability
  • UV Coatings
  • Waterborne
  • FINISHING
  • Finishing News
  • Finishing Technologies
  • Finishing Equipment
  • Finishing Today
  • RESOURCES
  • Columns
  • Blogs
  • Coatings Supplier Handbook
  • Podcasts and Videos
  • PCI Store
  • Classifieds
  • eBooks
  • Sponsor Insights
  • White Papers
  • COATLE Word Game
  • Columns
  • Ask Joe Powder
  • Did you know?
  • Distribution Dive
  • Focus on Canada
  • Formulating With Mike
  • Innovation Insights
  • Moody's Coatings Conundrums
  • Powder Coating Perspectives
  • Target the Market
  • TiO2 Insider
  • Blogs
  • Editor's Viewpoint
  • Industry Insights
  • Podcasts and Videos
  • COAT-IT! Podcast
  • Videos/PCI TV
  • EVENTS
  • Coatings Trends & Technologies Summit
  • Paint and Coatings Academy
  • Webinars
  • Calendar of Events
  • Lifetime Achievement Award
  • DIRECTORIES
  • Buyer's Guide
  • Equipment Directory
  • Materials Directory
  • EMAGAZINE
  • Current Issue
  • eMagazine Archive
  • China Issue Archive
  • Editorial Advisory Board
  • CONTACT
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe to eMagazine
  • Subscribe to eNewsletters
Painting & Coating Industry (PCI) logo Powder coating summit logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Painting & Coating Industry (PCI) logo Powder coating summit logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • Market Trends & Reports
    • Price Alerts
    • Subscribe to eNewsletters
    • Global Top 10/ PCI 25
    • Weekly Featured Article
    • COATLE Word Game
  • PRODUCTS
    • Product News
    • Must See Products and Services
  • MATERIALS
    • Additives
    • Resins/Polymers
    • Pigments
    • Equipment
    • Distributors
  • TECHNOLOGIES
    • Adhesives
    • Architectural Coatings
    • FINISHING
      • Finishing News
      • Finishing Technologies
      • Finishing Equipment
      • Finishing Today
    • Industrial Coatings
    • Nanotechnology
    • Powder Coatings
    • Solventborne
    • Special Purpose Coatings
    • Sustainability
    • UV Coatings
    • Waterborne
  • RESOURCES
    • Columns
      • Ask Joe Powder
      • Did you know?
      • Distribution Dive
      • Focus on Canada
      • Formulating With Mike
      • Innovation Insights
      • Moody's Coatings Conundrums
      • Powder Coating Perspectives
      • Target the Market
      • TiO2 Insider
    • Blogs
      • Editor's Viewpoint
      • Industry Insights
    • Coatings Supplier Handbook
    • Podcasts and Videos
      • COAT-IT! Podcast
      • Videos/PCI TV
    • PCI Store
    • Classifieds
    • eBooks
    • Sponsor Insights
    • White Papers
    • COATLE Word Game
  • EVENTS
    • Coatings Trends & Technologies Summit
    • Paint and Coatings Academy
    • Webinars
    • Calendar of Events
    • Lifetime Achievement Award
  • DIRECTORIES
    • Buyer's Guide
    • Equipment Directory
    • Materials Directory
  • EMAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • eMagazine Archive
    • China Issue Archive
    • Editorial Advisory Board
  • CONTACT
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe to eMagazine
    • Subscribe to eNewsletters
  • SIGN UP!
FT Archives

Polysiloxane Finish Gives Vancouver's "Broadway Station" a Facelift

By Chris McMillan
August 1, 2007
In the fall of 2004, British Columbia’s Advanced Light Rail Rapid Transit system, known to area residents as Broadway Station, was cleaned and recoated. The high-solids polysiloxane finish chosen for the job is delivering new standards in performance, aesthetics and safety.

An artist’s rendering of Vancouver’s Broadway Station.


Nearly 130,000 people living in Vancouver depend on British Columbia’s Advanced Light Rail Rapid Transit system to transport them to work each day. Known to area residents as Broadway Station, the 18-year-old facility operates 20 hours per day, transporting residents throughout the greater Vancouver area.

Cleaning and recoating the aging 30,000 ft2 suspended station would be a challenge under any circumstance. But in the fall of 2004, this would prove especially true. The massive undertaking would have to be done during operating hours, without interrupting train schedules or putting the public’s health and safety at risk.

Each work area was shrink-wrapped to partition the public from work crews.

Finding the "Right Stuff"

The station’s owner, Sky Train, consulted with coatings supplier Bill Gemmill, vice president of sales for Cam Coat Industries, to discuss safety issues and potential alternatives to epoxy and polyurethane finishes that contain harmful isocyanates. A long-time distributor of International Paint products, Gemmill recommended using Interseal epoxy primer and full coat, and Interfine 878, the company’s new thin-film, high-solids polysiloxane finish.

“As health and safety issues continue to be top-of-mind with commercial facility owners, the need for products that can meet VOC [volatile organic compound] regulations, without compromising product performance, is crucial,” said Gemmill. “When a product like Interfine 878 can deliver safety, superior performance and a 25% longer lifetime, it sets a new standard for the entire industry.”

Gemmill worked with painting contractor, Clara Industrial Services Ltd., to ensure that health and safety standards were met. This was the 10th station in Sky Train’s line for which the contractor would perform cleaning and recoating services, and perhaps one of the most challenging. An elaborate scaffolding system was erected that soared 60 ft high and stretched 70 ft wide and down the platform’s 280-ft length.

Sky Train specified that each work area be meticulously shrink-wrapped to partition the public from work crews. For nearly three months, two six-man painting crews worked around the clock to complete the cleaning and recoating. In all, nearly 500 gallons of the epoxy primer and 250 gallons of the polysiloxane topcoat were used.

Aesthetics and Safety

According to Mark MacKave, manager of operations at Clara Industrial Services, selecting the right protective finish was critical because it had to provide more than safety and aesthetics. It would need to be versatile enough to adhere well in cool, damp temperatures, while handling complex applications to the steel tubing, beams and screen configurations that make up the station.

“The painting crews were impressed with Interfine 878 because of its remarkable ease of application whether being applied by roll, brush or spray,“ said MacKave. “It gave consistently smooth coverage on surfaces and held especially well on edges.”

MacKave further said that because the finish is isocyanate-free, it did not require the use of any additional safety equipment or special gear outside of the air-fed respirator hoods normally used in the industry. In addition, the workers and the public were not exposed to the harmful components contained in most conventional urethanes.

Figure 1. The high-solids acrylic polysiloxane finish outperformed a standard epoxy polysiloxane and urethane in a three-year QUV A gloss retention test.

Results That Make the Grade

Obtaining approval on inspections is always a concern on large public projects, and Broadway Station was no exception. Veteran inspector Bob Humble of ProCo Inspections Ltd. has been providing consultation and inspection services to Sky Train for nearly 12 years. With a career background as a specifier, Humble is no stranger to protective coatings and their various performance characteristics.

“Over the last 10 years, I’ve seen other companies try to produce isocyanate-free finishes. The trouble was, they never performed well. What’s so impressive about Interfine 878 is that the lab data actually matched what I saw in the field,” said Humble.

For example, Humble notes that the coating’s sag resistance and flexibility were immediately visible, as was the finish’s ability to cover surfaces and edges evenly, without pinholing. He believes that these attributes, along with its superior gloss and color retention (see Figure 1), now provide the industry with a product that can outperform anything else currently on the market.

The project’s success has now secured International Paint as the coatings supplier for two more stations in the Sky Train station line.


For more information about the epoxy primer or polysiloxane finish, call 800.525.6824 or visit www.internationalpaint.com.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Chris McMillan is marketing product manager for International Paint, Houston, TX, a manufacturer of high-performance finishes.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • pci1022-Kinaltek-Lead-1170.jpg

    A Novel Pigment Production Technology

    Following an extensive R&D program that demonstrated...
    Paint and Coating Pigments
    By: Jawad Haidar and Nitin Soni
  • pci global top 10

    2025 Global Top 10: Top Paint and Coatings Companies

    The following is PCI’s annual ranking of the top 10...
    Global Top 10 and PCI 25
    By: Courtney Bassett
  • 2025 pci 25

    2025 PCI 25: Top Paint and Coatings Companies

    PCI's annual ranking of the top 25 North American paint...
    Global Top 10 and PCI 25
    By: Courtney Bassett
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

close

1 COMPLIMENTARY ARTICLE(S) LEFT

Loader

Already a Registered User? Sign in now.

Manage My Account
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

The Coatings Minute: Your Guide to the 2025 Coatings Supplier Handbook

The Coatings Minute: Your Guide to the 2025 Coatings Supplier Handbook

The Coatings Minute: Your Inside Look at PCInnovations

The Coatings Minute: Your Inside Look at PCInnovations

CTT Registration Now Open

CTT Registration Now Open

The Coatings Minute: Print Returns with PCI’s New Showcase Issue

The Coatings Minute: Print Returns with PCI’s New Showcase Issue

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the PCI audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of PCI or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Modern arapartment complex painted in bright colors.
    Sponsored byEPS - Engineered Polymer Solutions

    Architectural Polymers Leading the Way in Coatings Innovation

  • paint sprayer in a workshop
    Sponsored byallnex

    Enabling Performance and Compliance: allnex Introduces a New Line of VOC Exempt Solvent-Borne Resins

Popular Stories

No. 7 BASF Coatings

BASF Comments on Potential Sale of Coatings Business

No. 3 AkzoNobel

AkzoNobel’s $1.4B Divestment Signals Strategy Shift

PCI voices from the top

eBook | PCI Voices from the Top



PCI Buyers Guide

Submit a Request for Proposal (RFP) to suppliers of your choice with details on what you need with a click of a button

Start your RFP

Browse our Buyers Guide for manufacturers and distributors of all types of coatings products and much more!

Find Suppliers

Events

September 3, 2025

Coatings Trends & Technologies Summit

The Coatings Trends & Technologies (CTT) Summit is an annual conference for both liquid and powder coatings formulators and manufacturers to discuss innovations in coatings technology. This event combines high-quality technical presentations, a resource-rich exhibit hall, and dedicated networking opportunities to connect scientific minds, foster innovation, and cultivate game-changing new ideas!

January 1, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Longest-running laboratory experiment

What is the longest-running laboratory experiment?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

CTT Summit Short Courses (Live 9/3/25)

Coatings Trends & Technologies Summit is expanding its offerings with four short courses. These short courses will offer an extensive day of interactive learning.

See More Products
pci voices from the top ebook

PCI CASE EBOOK

Related Articles

  • Finished Products

    Polysiloxane Finish Coat

    See More
  • Bayer Uses Own Coating Technology to Give HQ a Facelift

    See More
  • A Modern Membrane Roof for Dresden Railway Station

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • social media

    Optimizing Social Media from a B2B Perspective

  • nanostructuredthinfilms.jpg

    Nanostructured Thin Films and Coatings: Mechanical Properties

See More Products
×

Keep the info flowing with our eNewsletters!

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey & Sample
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Youtube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

Painting & Coating Industry (PCI) logo Powder coating summit logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Painting & Coating Industry (PCI) logo Powder coating summit logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • Market Trends & Reports
    • Price Alerts
    • Subscribe to eNewsletters
    • Global Top 10/ PCI 25
    • Weekly Featured Article
    • COATLE Word Game
  • PRODUCTS
    • Product News
    • Must See Products and Services
  • MATERIALS
    • Additives
    • Resins/Polymers
    • Pigments
    • Equipment
    • Distributors
  • TECHNOLOGIES
    • Adhesives
    • Architectural Coatings
    • FINISHING
      • Finishing News
      • Finishing Technologies
      • Finishing Equipment
      • Finishing Today
    • Industrial Coatings
    • Nanotechnology
    • Powder Coatings
    • Solventborne
    • Special Purpose Coatings
    • Sustainability
    • UV Coatings
    • Waterborne
  • RESOURCES
    • Columns
      • Ask Joe Powder
      • Did you know?
      • Distribution Dive
      • Focus on Canada
      • Formulating With Mike
      • Innovation Insights
      • Moody's Coatings Conundrums
      • Powder Coating Perspectives
      • Target the Market
      • TiO2 Insider
    • Blogs
      • Editor's Viewpoint
      • Industry Insights
    • Coatings Supplier Handbook
    • Podcasts and Videos
      • COAT-IT! Podcast
      • Videos/PCI TV
    • PCI Store
    • Classifieds
    • eBooks
    • Sponsor Insights
    • White Papers
    • COATLE Word Game
  • EVENTS
    • Coatings Trends & Technologies Summit
    • Paint and Coatings Academy
    • Webinars
    • Calendar of Events
    • Lifetime Achievement Award
  • DIRECTORIES
    • Buyer's Guide
    • Equipment Directory
    • Materials Directory
  • EMAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • eMagazine Archive
    • China Issue Archive
    • Editorial Advisory Board
  • CONTACT
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe to eMagazine
    • Subscribe to eNewsletters
  • SIGN UP!