An Artful Solution at an Internationally Known
Los Angeles Art Museum
Tiger Drylac magazine

Andrews Powder Coating, Inc. was contacted by Tiger Drylac representative, Guenther Schachermayr, regarding a difficult job that had arisen at an Internationally Known Los Angeles Art Museum, on a ceiling in one of the main restaurants.

The project called for approximately 150 ea. 24” x 24” perforated ceiling panels. These panels had very small .070” perforations in them across the entire surface. While this seems simple enough, the real challenge was to keep the holes from having an over buildup of powder around the inside diameter of the holes. Driving this issue was the placement of a black insulating fiber cloth that was glued to the back side of the 150 each perforated panels. When viewed from the floor of the restaurant, 30 feet above, this black fabric would cause the eye to see different shades of grey. Oddly enough, the powder coating that we applied was a custom made off white that was smooth and a matte finish.

This was a major concern for the project architect Richard Meier and the owner’s representative. They had another powder coating firm attempt to coat the original panels twice, with very costly and disastrous results; the ceiling looked like a white and grey checkerboard. If the finish was too thin, the panel would appear more grey, as the perforations were effectively more open to the black fiber backing. If the coating was applied too thick, the panels would appear to be more white because the hole was smaller due to the additional build of powder.

The main problem was the inconsistent thickness. Guenther Schachermayr calculated the grey shade in relation to hole size and came to the conclusion that a tolerance of +/- 0.5 mils should keep the grey shade consistent.

After the main contractor, Architectural Window Shades in Pasadena, CA., again ordered these very expensive panels, Andrews Powder Coating, Inc. took on a very extensive testing process to arrive at the proper thickness and application process. One of our testing sessions resembled a convention of an Internationally Known Los Angeles Art Museum personnel. The architect, owner’s representative, persons from the sub contractor who manufactured the panels, two of the construction company representatives at Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction, and Guenther Schachermayr from Tiger Drylac all attended this demonstration and sample powder coating session. To our delight, the samples proved that the job could be done with excellent results.

The process was not simple. We could do only one panel at a time, and use the same exact electrostatic and air settings every time. The oven had to be monitored carefully, and every part needed to be checked for thickness and airborn defects- one panel at a time. This was a very time consuming job, but one that had wonderful results.

After all the panels were completed and installed, it was time for the unveiling. All of the parties involved gathered for a final review. Everyone agreed that the job was finally done to specification and expectation.

Andrews Powder Coating, Inc. would like to thank Tiger Drylac for entrusting us with such a special project and for manufacturing a wonderful powder that met all the specification requirements. Also, we would like to thank Tom Roberson at Architectural Window Shades in Pasadena, CA., for allowing us to collaborate on resolving this important and demanding project. Thanks to these companies, Andrews Powder Coating, Inc. has established an ongoing working relationship with an Internationally Known Los Angeles Art Museum as well as with Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction.