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SUMMARY
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Since its beginnings, the Eiffel Tower has been repainted every 7 years. The 19th
repainting got underway in March 2009, is expected to take 18 months to
complete, and all the while, the Tower will remain open to visitors.
A new coat of paint is important during the life of a monument, especially for the genuinely
mythical Eiffel Tower that has won a place in the hearts of people all over the world as a fine
piece of craftsmanship, that radiates a color symbolic of the Parisian landscape, that presents a
technical feat for painters at such heights, and constitutes such a sizeable investment of means
to complete the job.
A huge job, to match the longevity of the Tower
The Eiffel Tower is constructed in puddle iron, a low-carbon iron that is considered eternal if
painted regularly! Yet, several factors are considered capable of putting the monument in
jeopardy: rust, big city pollution and bird droppings.
The 25 painters clad in safety harnesses paint every nook and cranny of the Tower, relying on
60 km (more than 37 miles) of cord, applying 60 tons of paint to a surface of 250,000m,
including some areas particularly difficult to access. Their job is to sand, clean, treat against
corrosion and to apply the final coat of paint at an altitude of 300 meters (yards). They
require 1500 brushes, 1000 scrapers and about 1000 pairs of gloves.
Interesting to note, the painters use exactly the same methods for the top-to-bottom painting
that were used in Eiffels day; it remains today a totally manual operation! All forms of
contraptions that create a little bit of distance between the painter and the surface to paint
are out of the question; handheld brushes only, which excludes the paint gun of course.
Eiffel Tower Brown
The color was especially blended for the Tower and only for the Tower. Eiffel Tower
Brown comes in three shades: lighter at the top progressively getting darker towards the
bottom to ensure a perfectly hued complement to the color of the Parisian sky. This bronze
color has been the Towers outerwear since 1968, except for a few other color attempts
including ochre- yellow in 1899 and a reddish brown in the 50s!
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Good time for a check-up, and to test the new environmental friendly paints.
Each new coat of paint also presents an opportunity to verify the structure and to replace
corroded metallic parts if needed.
At present the color is the same as was applied during the last repainting: no lead pigments,
instead a zinc phosphate agent to fight against corrosion, which is more resistant to the
atmosphere and pollution.
Paint, composed of organic elements that are almost totally solvent-free, is to be tested in
certain zones in preparation for the world environmental norms expected to take effect in
2012.
FACTS AND FIGURES
Each coat of paint:
The Eiffel Tower is open 7/7 from 9h30am 11:45pm (9 0h45am in summer)
The Eiffel Tower belongs to the City of Paris, which has commissioned the maintenance and
operation since 2005 to the SETE (Socit dEploitation de la Tour Eiffel) for a 10-year public
service contract.
Presided by Jean-Bernard Bros, deputy mayor in charge of Tourism and the New Media, and
directed by Nicolas Lefebvre, the SETE is a joint venture with the City of Paris which is a
majority holder (59.9%). In 2008, revenues totalled 64 million euros.
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The contractors
The Jotun Group is one of the worlds leading manufacturers of paints and coatings. This Norwegian
company founded in 1926 produces four distinctly different types of products: decorative paints (40%),
marine coatings (30%), corrosion protection (20%) and powder coatings (10%). The family outfit, which
is headed by the third generation, reported a global turnover of 1.35 billion euros in 2008, thanks to its
presence in 70 countries with 40 factories and more than 7100 employees.
The Jotun France branch has been quite active in marine coating and corrosion protection since 1962.
This is the companys second collaboration with the Eiffel Tower. Their long list of references include
the outer coat of paint given to the ship Queen Mary II, the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulles
careening and the exterior metallic structure of the POPB (Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy).
The international company Stelma, founded in 1990, has a staff of 256 persons, is headquartered in
Athens, Greece and possesses branch offices in Greece, France, Bulgaria, Poland and Kuwait. Stelmas
activities cover a large number of sectors, notably refineries, metallic and mechanical construction,
corrosion protection, painting and insulation.
The French branch office was opened in Saint-Nazaire in 2006. Currently, 30 people work there, a mix
of Greek and French staff. Most of their activity revolves around corrosion protection for industrial and
naval construction.
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1889
Application of a thick coat of reddish brown paint
1892
The Tower turns ochre brown
1899
A coat of five colors painted in shaded tones: ochre yellow at the base of the pillars
finishing in a light yellow at the top. The 7-year cycle between paintings was adopted at
this time.
1907-1917-1924-1932-1939-1947
The color is identified as yellow brown.
The painting began late in 1917 because of the war.
1954-1961
A new color for the Tower: brownish red.
1968-1975-1982
1988-1995-2002
The Eiffel Tower Brown
color is chosen because of
its harmony with the
Parisian cityscape. It is
applied in shaded tones,
darker at the bottom and
lighter at the top.
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Gustave Eiffel was a man with foresight, who had a prowess in the use of iron in construction
and believed strongly in the importance of paint.
"We will most likely never realize the full importance of painting the Tower, that it is the
essential element in the conservation of metal works and the more meticulous the paint job,
the longer the Tower shall endure.
This is particularly important for the Tower, because of all the small parts and their thinness,
coupled with the extreme weather conditions they are exposed to.
Our first consideration in the field of construction is that every single part be accessible so
that each time the Tower is inspected for rust, it can be treated. The trusses, the most
important primary structure, are large iron tubes assembled in square sections that were built
to be big enough for a human being to fit inside. They are equipped with inside ladders and
manholes at each floor at the height of the crosspieces. We were able to eliminate the
trusses for the upper part of the construction, which were replaced by simple angle or T bars
in such a manner as to leave the inner surface visible. This was the practice for all the
secondary parts connected to the lattice square sections, rendering the cleaning a simpler
task.
Since the utmost importance is to fight against the onset of corrosion, all sheet iron was
conserved in enclosed hangars during the fabrication stage, and when needed, rigorously
sanded. This way the iron was not exposed to rain until after assembly and after all the
exterior parts were laminated, even those that would no longer be exposed after assembly.
Gustave Eiffel The 300 Meter Tower Lemercier Paris 1900
Painting has proved to play an essential part in the conservation of the Eiffel Tower expressly
made of puddle iron and not in steel which was available in 1889. If the Tower had been made
of steel, its maintenance would have been much more complex and costly.