Coatings World - May 2012

Seal-Krete Dura-Shell Coating System
Protects and Preserves WWII Memorial Mural

Last fall, a mural of five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima was painted on the side of a building in downtown Amherst, Ohio. It was the dream of artist Michael Sekletar to reproduce Joe Rosenthal’s iconic picture as a way to honor the men and women who have served, and are currently serving, the United States of America. He envisioned a memorial that would be shared by the community, visible for all to see and enjoy.

Sekletar’s dream became a reality when the city of Amherst approved the project and a local attorney offered the side of his downtown office building as the backdrop for the mural. After more than 500 hours of work by Sekletar and fellow artist Ryan Shannon, the mural, spanning 700 square-feet of the brick and concrete exterior wall, was almost complete. The final step involved selecting a long-lasting finish to protect the work of art.

Because of the outdoor placement, the mural required a durable coating that would withstand seasonal temperature changes, sun exposure and wind-driven rain and snow. Another important consideration was the capability to protect against possible vandalism; an “anti-graffiti” coating was necessary to seal the mural.

Enter Michael Beltz, an account executive with Sherwin-Williams Diversified Brands. Beltz had been instrumental in securing product donations for the project, including Resilience Exterior Paint from The Sherwin-Williams Company, Purdy applicators and Georgina Artist’s Oil Colours from Winsor & Newton and Daler-Rowney. Beltz knew what type of coating was needed to protect the mural and approached The Stallings Group, the local Seal-Krete representative for help in securing a Seal-Krete product donation.

After consulting with Beltz on the project requirements, The Stallings Group recommended the artists seal the mural with Seal-Krete Dura-Shell Clear Coat, a durable two-part water-based urethane system that offers a high gloss finish in a low VOC formula. Seal-Krete agreed to donate the product.

“Seal-Krete’s Dura-Shell coating system is formulated for
preservation and protection and will stand up to the performance
requirements of the mural’s environment,” said Greg Stallings,
owner of The Stalling Group. “Dura-Shell has a high tolerance for
moisture and temperate extremes and also protects from graffiti
and the potential wear of people touching the painted surface.”
Stallings also emphasized that one of the many reasons Dura-
Shell was chosen for use over the mural
is because the product doesn’t react to
oil paint. “Unlike many concrete coat-
ings, Dura-Shell can be applied to both
oil and latex paints with no adverse re-
actions,” he said.