Strongwell’s pultruded fiberglass grating and stair treads were installed at the Blue Harbor Resort, a four-story indoor waterpark located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The waterpark contains stair towers and platforms measuring over 43,000sq ft. Since these structures are constantly subjected to heavy foot traffic and chlorinated water, it is necessary to use a low maintenance material that is safe and corrosion resistant.
Strongwell’s products perfectly satisfied the requirements of the waterpark. Figure 1 shows the grating and stair treads for the waterpark fabricated using Strongwell’s materials.
Figure 1. Strongwell’s pultruded fiberglass grating and stair treads at the Blue Harbor Resort
Key Benefits of Strongwell’s Materials
The selection of Strongwell’s DURAGRID® pultruded fiberglass grating and stair treads was not only based on their corrosion resistance properties, but also the fact that the resort needs stairs that span 60" devoid of an intermediate stringer. This and the suggested FRP facade on the wood provided the resort a clean finished look without the requirement to replace the main stringers.
DURAGRID® T-1800 1" was deployed to be used as platform flooring, while the staircases across the park were outfitted with 5' wide DURAGRID® T-1700 2" stair treads. The facade was built using EXTREN® 525 series angles and channels.
Strongwell’s materials also offer skid resistance. The fine grit surface of the grating and stair treads delivers a safer walking surface, with superior skid resistance even in the midst of the wettest conditions.
Moreover, the open construction of the grating and stair treads avoids standing water and facilitates the passage of more natural lighting. Technical data for this application is listed in the following table:
| Product: |
Waterpark Platforms and Stair Towers |
| Process: |
Pultrusion, Fiberglass Fabrication |
| Materials: |
EXTREN® 525 series fibreglass reinforced polyester, fire retardant; DURAGRID® T-1800 Grating; DURAGRID® T-1700 Stair Treads |
| Sizes: |
EXTREN® structural shapes: 5½" Channel, 6" Channel, 2" Angle; DURAGRID®: 1" T-1800 Grating, 2" T-1700 Stair Treads |
| User: |
Blue Harbor Resort, Sheboygan, WI |
Conclusion
According to Steve Grossenbach, Director of Engineering at Blue Harbor Resort & Spa, the resort's surfaces have transformed from drab and dirty to clean, finished and easy to maintain, which is both safe and aesthetically pleasing.
Rather than pressure washing 75 stairs every week, the resort hoses them down once in a month, thereby reducing costs associated with labor and chemicals.
About Strongwell Corporation
Strongwell has been pultruding fiber reinforced polymer composite structural products since 1956. Today, with more than 65 pultrusion machines and 647,000 square feet of manufacturing space in three plant locations, Strongwell has unequaled capacity, versatility and flexibility to meet the needs of its customers and allied partners. All Strongwell pultruded products are made in the USA. Click here to learn how Strongwell’s pultruded products out perform traditional materials.
The company is financially strong, total quality oriented, technically advanced, and customer focused. Strongwell's customers include Fortune 500 industrial and commercial firms, major architectural and engineering firms, leading contractors and distributors, and many other companies - both large and small - in a variety of markets.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Strongwell Corporation.
For more information on this source, please visit Strongwell Corporation.