Bahamas Relief - Clean Up, Mold and Rebuilding

 xxxxx,

Earthpaint is honored to help in the Bahamas Relief effort.  As we discussed earlier, this email will serve as a reference for your construction crews using Lime Prime 

It's so sad what this hurricane did to the great people of Bahamas! Most of the Abacos was destroyed. For the buildings still standing, Preventing a mold nightmare is high priority. Lime Prime is the only way I know of to spray those buildings right away so people can move in fast. This should help reduce stress, health risks and buy time for Follow-Up repairs as everything dries out. Waiting for it all to dry before painting is asking for a mold nightmare. Everything just gets moldy as people move back in and then it's harder to fix. We spray it with Lime Prime now. Let it dry and Follow up. 

Avoiding Mold Atriums & Rot: As you well know, relief efforts can be stressful and hurried. A Mold Atrium can be created when moisture logged areas get trapped with the wrong paint. Paint that seems to work on mold surfaces may not be made to work on 

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...porous, flood soaked wood, concrete, drywall. If it traps moisture then comes the Mold Atrium smell and rot. Lime Prime does not trap moisture or create a Mold Atrium. That's #1 thing to watch for at this phase. Lime Prime will safely encapsulate moldy surfaces, gets rid of musty odors and keeps surfaces clean so people can move in until Follow-Up work can be done. 

Bahamas Discounts: All orders are placed online. You will receive an email from our shop-earthpaint.net store. This will have the discounts we discussed for 200 and 2000 gallon batches. https://shop-earthpaint.net/products/lime-prime

Recurring Orders & Lead Time: The easiest thing to do is order a large batch online and draw from it as needed. 2000 gallons, shipped once a week should keep 20 crews well supplied. Ship rotation is occurring as orders are placed online. We then notify raw material distributors to anticipate needs. As needs become clearer, I would order a large batch and then have containers dispensed according to the Finish Schedule. Typically, we ask for large recurring orders to be placed two weeks in advance to get a rotation going.

Rush Delivery:  Since Bahamas needs material ASAP.  Shop-earthpaint.net can ship a pallet of Lime Prime immediately. Recurring Orders and Lead Time above will enable all in the supply chains to anticipate needs and keep crews well supplied for continuity. 

Shipping Containers: We load, sign and seal Shipping Containers at the factory. These usually ship out of nearby Charleston, SC and should pass through Bahamas Customs without issue. Lime Prime is Non-hazardous, non-flammable, zero-voc. Shipping Container is probably the ideal method given Bahamas damaged infrastructure.

Coverage: Spread at a rate of 300 sq ft per gallon on flood damaged areas. Two coats for severe areas. Full product details are on the Lime Prime webpage. 

Contracting / Training: We train crews as needed. Email [email protected] and leave a cell number or call 828-258-2580 and leave a message. Usually training is via email or phone or sometimes on site with a helper.  We need to work with main contractor, establish schedules, and get a paint crew trained up. We train your best crew, they train others as needed. This is extremely important since the stress of construction can result in an unsafe workplace if people start working on top of each other.

Spraying or Rolling: Each project must be taken individually but when painting large developments, neighborhoods, commercial spaces, there are a few basic protocols. Have a crew go house by house to prep in front of the paint crew.  Get some very large gas powered sprayers with two guns. For residential areas we use a five or 6 man crew. 2 spray, 2 back roll and 1 or 2 feed the pump and control the hoses, drop cloths and ladders. 4 is too few. 7 is too many. 5 or 6 men is about right.  This crew can do more work than 100 men with brush and rollers. However, if you have a thousand people out of work Lime Prime is a perfect way to say, "Here's a five gallon pail and a roller. If it doesn't move, paint it." And again, none of this will work well without coordination with the main contractor.

Mold in Schools: Those wall panels being installed now could probably be rolled with 18" rollers and then hung. I'd need to know more about this and see some pics if possible. Generally, spraying and backrolling is the favored route for commercial projects but these wall panels and the backs of drywall are sometimes easier to roll before getting installed.

New Construction: This is the easiest time to prepare for future hurricane water damage. Building Frames, Foundations and Wall Cavities are sprayed with Lime Prime. Typically schedule a day for painters after the frame is up and before windows and doors. This is pretty quick work and very effective. For new exteriors and high traffic interiors, the best preventative in high mold areas is Lime Prime and 2 coats of Lime Seal. These work synergistically and I've never seen a better system for flood prone areas. 

Concrete: Lime Prime reacts pozzolanically with concrete and becomes a cementitious part of the concrete matrix. Some concrete is waterlogged after a flood. This provides a safe vapor permeable way for high moisture content to escape. One coat initially and then Lime Prime and Lime Seal are painted on after it dries out. Concrete floors in homes do well with this system. For commercial traffic floors or submerged areas we have other options.

Wet Wood: Trim, Subfloors, Sheathing... Lime Prime can be applied to wet wood as needed. It's not ideal to paint wet wood but sometimes it's the only option. Lime Prime is the only product I would paint over a wet, moldy piece of wood with. It's strong enough to penetrate and wick deeply into a wet surface. Wood can safely dry out and then be touched up or topcoated as needed. If it's slimy we wash with Earth Clean first. If it's super wet we let it dry out and then come back and touch it up after it dries. It it's very wet it's going to need to be monitored later but it's a good way to get back in a space if in a hurry. 

Follow Up: (30 or 60 day rotation list)  Follow up is essential in Bahamas. Lime Prime solves a lot of problems right off the bat but follow up is still required. People super appreciate this 1000 fold. Some things don't become apparent until after the first crew leaves. Full, professional assessment needs to be done. Bahamas is hot and humid and it it might take a while for fully soaked areas to safely dry out. 

When properly set up, the Lime Prime finish schedule is fast and effective long term. The financial savings and public satisfaction is significant. 

I've tried to give this reference the kind of proper attention and care the people of Bahamas deserve. Please, let me know if I can be of any help at all. 

Best wishes,
Tom

[email protected]
828-258-2580