AirSprayTech Academy Certificate Program

Water and Wastewater Protective Coating Systems

Article 24 of 24

Estimating, Closeout, Warranties, and Lifecycle Maintenance

Converting technical coating work into a complete project, a defensible record, and a maintainable protective asset

A Successful Project Must Work Technically and Commercially

A contractor can perform excellent coating work and still lose money through an incomplete estimate, poorly defined scope, undocumented changes, unrealistic schedule, or misunderstood warranty. The owner can receive an excellent new lining and still lose years of service life by failing to inspect, clean, and repair it.

The final responsibility of the professional contractor is to connect the technical work with sound estimating, project controls, complete closeout documentation, clearly defined warranties, owner training, and a practical maintenance plan.

Estimate the Entire Work Process

Coating material and application labor may represent only part of the actual project cost. A complete estimate begins when the crew mobilizes and ends after inspection, repairs, cleaning, closeout, and demobilization.

The estimate should address:

• Site investigation, meetings, submittals, permits, and project planning.
• Mobilization, demobilization, transportation, lodging, and site access.
• Bypass pumping, isolation, draining, cleaning, and facility coordination when included.
• Confined-space entry, attendants, atmospheric monitoring, rescue, and safety supervision.
• Scaffolding, lifts, platforms, fall protection, lighting, and temporary access.
• Containment, ventilation, heating, cooling, and dehumidification.
• Surface preparation, abrasive, water, compressed air, fuel, and electricity.
• Waste collection, characterization, transportation, and disposal.
• Concrete repair, crack treatment, joint work, welding, grinding, and substrate correction.
• Coating materials, fillers, reinforcement, aggregate, cleaners, solvent, and repair products.
• Application equipment, plural-component equipment, hoses, tips, filters, mixers, and spare parts.
• Inspection, testing, quality control, repairs, disinfection, and commissioning support.
• Weather delays, cure periods, restricted work hours, facility shutdowns, and schedule risk.
• Insurance, bonds, overhead, contingency, warranty exposure, and profit.

Do Not Estimate from Square Footage Alone

Two structures with the same surface area can require very different costs. Access, geometry, substrate condition, contamination, joints, penetrations, active leaks, process restrictions, ventilation, cure conditions, and testing requirements may have a greater effect on cost than area.

A square-foot price developed from an uncomplicated open surface should not be transferred to a congested wet well, digester, filter gallery, pipe interior, or operating treatment structure without adjustment.

Confirm Quantities from Field Conditions

Drawings and specifications should be reviewed, but field verification remains essential. Existing water and wastewater structures may differ from record drawings because of repairs, additions, sediment, previous coatings, inaccessible surfaces, or undocumented process changes.

Quantity calculations should include:

• Walls, floors, ceilings, roofs, columns, beams, channels, and sumps.
• Pipes, fittings, supports, ladders, platforms, baffles, and equipment bases.
• Edges, welds, bolts, fasteners, penetrations, joints, and other detailed surfaces.
• Stripe coats and additional material at irregular geometry.
• Concrete porosity, surface profile, bugholes, pits, and void filling.
• Application loss, overspray, hose retention, container residue, and test spraying.
• Waste from pot-life expiration, equipment flushing, color changes, and startup.
• Repair allowance and reserve material for future owner maintenance.

Separate Known Scope from Unknown Conditions

Many substrate conditions cannot be fully evaluated until the structure is drained, cleaned, ventilated, and made accessible. The bid should identify which conditions are included and how concealed or changed conditions will be handled.

Potential unknowns include:

• Hidden concrete deterioration or reinforcing-steel corrosion.
• The number, depth, and activity of cracks.
• Existing coating type, thickness, adhesion, and hazardous constituents.
• Oil, salts, chemicals, biological residue, or deeply embedded contamination.
• Active water infiltration or negative-side moisture pressure.
• Corrosion loss hidden beneath the existing coating.
• Unidentified repairs or incompatible materials.
• Process conditions differing from the information supplied for bidding.

Unit prices, allowances, inspection hold points, and written change procedures can address uncertainty more fairly than burying unknown risk inside a lump-sum price.

Define the Scope and Exclusions Clearly

A proposal should state exactly what the contractor will provide. It should also identify work that is excluded, furnished by others, or dependent on owner action.

Clarify responsibility for:

• Structure draining, isolation, bypass, cleaning, and process shutdown.
• Removal and reinstallation of mechanical or electrical equipment.
• Structural concrete repair, crack injection, joint replacement, and welding.
• Water, power, compressed air, lighting, ventilation, and access.
• Hazardous-material testing and abatement.
• Waste profiling, manifests, transportation, and disposal fees.
• Third-party inspection, laboratory testing, and manufacturer observation.
• Disinfection, sampling, commissioning, and process startup.
• Delays caused by owner operations, weather, other trades, or unavailable utilities.

Assumptions Must Be Written

An assumption discussed during a site visit but omitted from the proposal may be forgotten when the contract is issued. Record the assumed surface condition, work hours, access, utility availability, shutdown duration, number of mobilizations, environmental conditions, waste classification, and other factors that affect price.

If the contract documents conflict with the proposal, resolve the conflict in writing before signing or mobilizing.

Production Rates Must Reflect the Actual Work

Surface-preparation and coating-production rates should be based on access, geometry, containment, substrate condition, equipment, crew experience, inspection frequency, environmental control, and work restrictions.

Include time for:

• Daily confined-space setup and permit activities.
• Moving scaffolding, ventilation ducts, lighting, hoses, and equipment.
• Cleaning between preparation and coating operations.
• Environmental readings and inspection hold points.
• Mixing, plural-component startup, ratio checks, and flushing.
• Stripe coating and detailed hand work.
• Recoat and cure intervals.
• Defect correction and retesting.
• Cleaning, disinfection, punch-list work, and closeout.

Control Changes Before Performing the Work

Additional work should be documented before labor and material are committed whenever safety and emergency conditions permit.

A change record should identify:

• The condition or request that created the change.
• The affected location and quantity.
• The proposed corrective work.
• Added or reduced labor, material, equipment, and subcontract cost.
• Effect on schedule, cure time, access, inspection, and return to service.
• Written authorization from the person permitted to approve the change.

Daily reports should describe changed conditions even when final pricing is still being developed. Photographs and measured quantities help prevent later disagreement.

Final Acceptance Is a Defined Process

Substantial completion, coating acceptance, return to service, and final payment may occur at different times. The contract should define each milestone.

Final acceptance should confirm that:

• The specified coating system has been installed in the required locations.
• Surface preparation, environmental control, application, cure, and inspection requirements have been satisfied.
• Thickness, holiday, adhesion, cure, and other required tests are acceptable.
• Defects, repairs, nonconformances, and punch-list items have been closed.
• Cleaning, disinfection, sampling, and commissioning are complete when applicable.
• The structure has been accepted for return to service.
• Closeout documents, warranties, training, and maintenance information have been delivered.

Assemble a Complete Closeout Package

The closeout package should provide a permanent record of what was installed and how compliance was verified. Include, as applicable:

• Approved submittals, specifications, drawings, and written clarifications.
• Current product data sheets and safety data sheets.
• Manufacturer approvals, compatibility statements, and repair procedures.
• Potable-water certifications and current listing information where applicable.
• Material delivery records, lot numbers, batch numbers, quantities, and expiration dates.
• Daily reports, photographs, environmental records, and production locations.
• Surface-preparation, profile, moisture, contamination, and cleanliness records.
• Mixing, thinning, induction, pot-life, material-temperature, and ratio records.
• Wet-film and dry-film thickness reports.
• Holiday, adhesion, cure, and other test results.
• Nonconformance reports, corrective actions, repair maps, and retest results.
• Waste records, manifests, and disposal documentation.
• Cleaning, disinfection, laboratory, commissioning, and return-to-service records.
• Final acceptance, warranty, maintenance, and training documents.

Organize Records So They Can Be Used

A folder containing hundreds of unidentified photographs and scanned forms is not an effective closeout package. File names, report dates, structure locations, grid references, and photograph captions should allow another person to find the information years later.

Provide searchable electronic files when possible and retain contractor copies according to company policy, contract requirements, insurance guidance, and applicable law.

Understand What the Warranty Covers

A warranty is a contractual promise with defined limits. It is not a guarantee that every coating will remain unchanged under every operating condition.

The warranty should identify:

• The warranted coating system and covered locations.
• The beginning and ending dates.
• Covered defects or performance conditions.
• The contractor's repair obligation and the owner's remedy.
• Required inspection, maintenance, cleaning, and notification by the owner.
• Procedures and time limits for submitting a claim.
• Access, draining, bypass, cleaning, and other responsibilities during warranty investigation or repair.
• Applicable exclusions and limitations.

Do Not Promise Performance Outside the Designed Service

A contractor should not warrant performance against conditions that the coating system was not selected to withstand. Examples include changed chemicals, increased temperatures, stronger disinfectants, abrasion from new equipment, active structural movement, negative-side moisture, or process exposure that differs from the information supplied during system selection.

Warranty language should be reviewed carefully and coordinated with manufacturer warranties, insurance coverage, contract requirements, and legal counsel when appropriate.

Manufacturer and Contractor Warranties Are Different

A manufacturer's material warranty may cover only a verified product defect. A contractor warranty may cover workmanship. A jointly issued system warranty may contain additional requirements for approved applicators, inspections, documentation, maintenance, and notification.

Do not describe a manufacturer's technical visit, product recommendation, or material warranty as a complete system warranty unless a written document specifically provides that coverage.

Provide the Owner with a Maintenance Plan

A protective coating is a maintainable asset. Periodic inspection and timely repair can prevent localized damage from becoming widespread failure.

The maintenance plan should address:

• Recommended inspection frequency.
• Areas that require special attention.
• Approved cleaning methods and chemicals.
• Maximum cleaning pressure, temperature, and mechanical force.
• Procedures for reporting leaks, blisters, cracking, corrosion, delamination, or mechanical damage.
• Approved repair materials and surface-preparation requirements.
• Restrictions on welding, cutting, drilling, mounting, or equipment changes.
• Requirements for maintaining drains, vents, screens, seals, joints, and penetrations.
• Records that should be retained throughout the coating's service life.

Establish a Baseline Inspection

The final accepted condition becomes the baseline for future evaluations. The closeout record should identify coating thickness, appearance, repairs, transition details, test results, and photographed locations.

Future inspections can then determine whether conditions are unchanged, gradually deteriorating, or failing rapidly. Without a baseline, it may be difficult to distinguish original construction details from later damage.

Suggested Inspection Priorities

• Liquid lines, vapor zones, roofs, ceilings, and condensation areas.
• Influent, effluent, chemical-injection, turbulence, and aeration zones.
• Welds, edges, bolts, supports, ladders, and attachments.
• Cracks, joints, penetrations, coves, and transitions.
• Previous repairs and original construction defects.
• Areas exposed to abrasion, impact, pressure washing, or mechanical cleaning.
• Locations with known moisture intrusion or negative-side pressure.
• Hatches, vents, overflows, screens, seals, and sanitary-protection components.

Repair Small Problems Before They Spread

A small impact defect or isolated holiday may be repaired with limited cost when discovered early. If it permits water, chemicals, or corrosive gases to travel beneath the coating, the eventual repair may require extensive removal and facility shutdown.

Maintenance repairs should follow written procedures and use compatible materials. The owner should notify the original contractor and coating manufacturer when warranty requirements or system compatibility may be affected.

Train the Owner's Personnel

Closeout should include practical instruction for facility personnel. Training may cover:

• The coating system installed and the service it was designed to resist.
• Products or chemicals that must not contact the coating.
• Approved cleaning methods and equipment.
• How to recognize and report early coating distress.
• How maintenance, welding, drilling, and equipment installation can damage the lining.
• Inspection intervals and documentation requirements.
• Warranty-notification and repair-authorization procedures.

Measure Project Performance

After closeout, the contractor should compare the estimate with actual performance. Review labor hours, material consumption, equipment use, delays, changes, waste, repairs, inspection findings, and profit.

Ask:

• Were quantities and production rates accurate?
• Which conditions created unplanned cost?
• Were scope assumptions and exclusions adequate?
• Did equipment, crew size, access, and work sequence perform as planned?
• What defects or rework occurred, and how can they be prevented?
• Which project records should become standard company forms?
• What should be changed in the next estimate or work plan?

This review converts one completed project into better estimating, safer execution, stronger quality control, and improved profitability on the next project.

Contractor's Field Standard

Estimate every operation required to deliver an accepted system. Document changes before performing them. Close the project with complete records, clearly defined warranty responsibilities, owner training, and a maintenance plan that protects the coating investment throughout its service life.

Knowledge Check

1. Why should a water or wastewater coating estimate include more than surface area and coating material?
2. How can a contractor address substrate conditions that cannot be verified before draining and cleaning?
3. What information should be included in a written change record?
4. What is the difference between a manufacturer's material warranty and a contractor's workmanship warranty?
5. Why is the final accepted condition important for future inspections?
6. What information belongs in the project closeout package?
7. How can the contractor use completed-project results to improve future work?

Technical References

• ANSI/AWWA D102-24: Coating Steel Water-Storage Tanks.
• ANSI/AWWA D103: Factory-Coated Bolted Carbon Steel Tanks for Water Storage.
• ANSI/AWWA C652-25: Disinfection of Water-Storage Facilities.
• ASTM D3276-21: Standard Guide for Painting Inspectors on Metal Substrates.
• AMPP/SSPC-PA 2-2022: Procedure for Determining Conformance to Dry Coating Thickness Requirements.
• AMPP QS 1: Advanced Quality Management guidance addressing in-process inspection of surface preparation and protective coating or lining application.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Finished Water Storage Tank Inspection and Cleaning checklists and distribution-system water-quality resources.
• NSF/ANSI/CAN 61: Drinking Water System Components—Health Effects, when coatings contact potable water.
• Manufacturer requirements: Current product data sheets, safety data sheets, repair procedures, warranty conditions, cleaning instructions, and maintenance recommendations.
• Project documents: Contract, plans, specifications, approved submittals, change orders, inspection plan, facility procedures, and applicable regulatory requirements.

Standards, regulations, product certifications, and warranty requirements may change. Confirm the current editions and contract requirements before estimating, performing, accepting, or maintaining the work.

Professional responsibility: Contract terms, warranties, regulatory obligations, and risk allocation can create legal and financial consequences. Contractors should obtain qualified insurance, accounting, engineering, or legal guidance when requirements fall outside their professional authority or experience.

You Have Completed All 24 Course Articles

The next step is the Water and Wastewater Protective Coating Systems course assessment. You may also return to the course overview to review any article before beginning.

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