Stonhard Provides Quick, Cost-Effective Flooring for Coppins' Physical Education Complex

Coppin State UniversityCoppin State University is a modern urban learning environment nestled in western Baltimore. Each year thousands of students cultivate their skills and knowledge on the 52-acre campus. The university thrives on the motto “Nurturing Potential… Transforming Lives.”

After several years of planning and construction, Coppin State unveiled its brand new 246,000-square-foot Physical Education Complex. The $136 million facility includes a 4,100- seat basketball arena, a NCAA regulation pool, a fitness center, an auxiliary gymnasium, a dance studio, racquetball courts, and classrooms, as well as many outdoor fields and recreation areas. When plans were drawn up for the design of the basketball arena, polished concrete floors were specified for corridors, lobbies, and locker rooms. However, as work began, project managers were extremely unhappy with the unsatisfactory appearance of the first applications in the locker rooms and put a halt to the entire installation.

Finding themselves in an unexpected situation and drawing from numerous previous positive experiences with Stonhard, the project superintendent reached out to Stonhard’s local territory manager for guidance. Stonhard guaranteed a long-lasting, decorative floor system that could be installed quickly and at a fraction of the cost of the originally specified polished concrete.

Coppin State UniversityStonhard recommended Stonproof ME7 as a crack-bridging agent on the surface of the concrete substrate, followed by Stonhard’s TecTop UF system. The Stonproof ME7 filled all cracks in the floor surface, creating a smooth surface for the next steps in the installation process. TecTop UF creates a seamless, stain-resistant floor surface that is durable and requires little maintenance. A colored epoxy undercoat and a layer of colorful, broadcasted flakes, finished off with a clear urethane sealer, resulted in decorative, eye-catching floors in the complex’s new lobbies, concourses, walkways, restrooms, locker rooms, and pool observation deck. Facility planners and project managers were impressed by Stonhard’s quick and cost-effective remediation of the situation.

Nearly a century in business, Stonhard is the unprecedented world leader in manufacturing and installing high-performance polymer floor, wall, and lining systems. Stonhard maintains 300 product engineers and 200 application crews worldwide who work with you on design specifications, project management, final walk-through, and service after sale. And, Stonhard’s single-source warranty covers both products and installation.

Sponsored by Stonhard

Featured

  • California K–12 District Completes Elementary School Campus Replacement

    The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) in Richmond, Calif., recently announced the completion of a replacement campus for Lake Elementary School, according to a news release. The school has capacity for 470 students between Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and sixth grade.

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.