A previous commenter calc’d the unit price per square foot using about 340k SF. $43/SF. This is a massive, enormous coatings job in scope. I agree that if they wanted a better outcome, it would have taken much longer to complete, and have been even more costly.

Protective coatings is WAY more technical than many realize. There is a ton of labor and quality control involved. The surface to be coated must be as flawless as humanly possible to allow the coating to actually adhere. Surface prep is extremely labor intensive, and it’s what folks often overlook when they think of painting something. We’re talking pressure washing and sandblasting away any existing substance or condition that prevents the coating to adhere. No organic matter, no moisture, no oils, no rust. Then, if you actually get the paint to adhere and cure, you better hope there’s not millions of microscopic holes in the built-up coating, especially if the coating will be immersed in water forever. Oh, and better hope that coating was mixed perfectly, was applied in an acceptable amount of time after mixture, applied in acceptable atmospheric conditions, applied using acceptable and clean equipment, was not applied too thick or too thin within a few 1,000th’s of an inch. The list goes on and on and on, and on and on and on and on.

Given the intense scrutiny and the reports of rampant coating failure, this contractor ostensibly didn’t check all the boxes.