How do They do That?

How Do They Do That? Transform an Interior Steel Column Into a Pillar of Design

How Do They Do That? Transform an Interior Steel Column Into a Pillar of Design

Have you ever wondered how they make those tall steel columns look like part of the interior design of a room? The following images show how it is done.

The steel column no longer looks like a steel column in that a thick layer of fire retardant called Monokote has been sprayed on the column.
Galvanized steel studs wrap around the column. This is the time to include any electrical conduits or other pipes behind the studs, which will eventually be covered with drywall.
Covering begins: The drywall in this image is in the process of being hung on the galvanized steel studs and is partially boxed in.
A column that is boxed in with cutouts for electrical gang boxes.
Down at the end of the corridor on level “A”, I snapped this photo of a drywaller mixing mud.
The first application of joint compound (mud) that is feathered over the tape and screws is the first step to hide the hardware and to make the column wall smooth. Notice the pipes sticking out of the lower right of the column.
Another feathered application of the mud provides an additional covering over the tape and screws to ensure a smooth surface for one last application.
The final feathered application will be lightly sanded before the column is primed with paint. Because of the angle of the camera and close proximity, the sides of the column do not look straight.
On occasion minor touch ups are required before the primer.
An example of how the walls (including the columns) are spayed with an interior primer paint.
Finished and primed and part of the interior design. Note the horizontal trim around the top of the column: that is the height of the ceiling.
A pillar of design: The steel column has been covered with a final coat of enamel paint.
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Dennis E. Park, MA
After graduate school Dennis accepted a position at Loma Linda University. He worked there for 42 years in the areas of administration and financial management, also teaching accounting and management to dietetic students at the School of Public Health. Through the years Dennis has chronicled the growth of the campus, including the construction of the Drayson Center and the Centennial Complex and the razing of Gentry Gym. He is the author of "The Mound City Chronicles: A Pictorial History of Loma Linda University, A Health Sciences Institution 1905 - 2005." dEp 09.30.2016 🔨

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