Smokestack Painting: The Denver Pencil
- Will Hodges
- Nov 20, 2025
- 3 min read
Smokestack Painting with Creativity, Precision, and Rope Access
A routine repaint request turned into a landmark moment for BASE Painters. The University Building asked for a simple gray refresh of its rooftop smokestack, an octagonal steel column rising high above downtown Denver. Founder Rich Purnell saw more than a mechanical vent fading into the skyline. He proposed transforming the structure into something playful and iconic — a perfect No. 2 pencil standing tall over the city. That spark of creativity reshaped the scope of work and set the stage for one of BASE’s most recognizable Smokestack Painting projects to date.
Project Overview:
Location: Denver, Colorado
Client: 910 Associates, Inc.
Structure Type: Rooftop Smokestack
Height: ~100 ft
Coating System: Sherwin-Williams Duration + MIO Aluminum
Award: CoatingsPro Contractor Awards – 3rd Place, Specialty Projects
Access Method: Rope Access
Design & Collaboration
After gaining approval for the concept, BASE worked with a local designer to map out precise color zones that would convincingly replicate a pencil from every viewing angle. The wood tip, bright yellow shaft, metallic ferrule, and red eraser were each scaled to maintain realistic proportions along the 100-foot stack. What began as an industrial repaint became a public-facing design project, combining imagination and craftsmanship in a way that immediately excited the client.
Access & Execution
Sitting atop a downtown rooftop, the smokestack offered no crane access, no lift access, and no space for ground-based staging. This was rope-access work from the first anchor point to the final finish coat. BASE’s SPRAT-certified crew descended the structure using New England Ropes, Petzl hardware, and industrial fall-protection systems, handling all surface preparation, masking, and coating while suspended hundreds of feet in the air. Surfaces were cleaned, scraped, and sanded to SSPC-SP2 standards before painting, ensuring strong adhesion and a resilient finish despite the constant wind and weather shifts common to the Denver skyline. Each part of the structure was completed in controlled segments to maintain visual precision and uninterrupted safety.
Coating Application
Sherwin-Williams Duration was selected for its durability and the ability to custom-tint the bold yellow tones needed to match the classic pencil aesthetic. BASE applied the coatings with 9-inch rollers at approximately 4 to 6 mils wet film thickness to ensure long-term performance under intense sun exposure. The metallic ferrule appearance was achieved with a MIO Aluminum polyurethane system, while the upper band received a high-visibility red urethane finish to complete the eraser look. Every color transition, curve, and angle was laid out by hand for a clean, seamless effect.
Outcome
The completed structure immediately captured local attention and quickly became known around the city as “The Denver Pencil.” Beyond its visual impact, the project was recognized nationally for its innovation, safety standards, and high-access execution, earning 3rd place in CoatingsPro Magazine’s Contractor Awards in the Specialty Projects category. What started as a request to paint a smokestack gray became a celebrated piece of urban character. As Purnell puts it, “They called us to paint it gray. Now it’s one of the most recognizable things in the city.”
Talk to BASE Painters
When your venue requires Stadium Painting or high-access coating completed safely, efficiently, and with precision, you need a contractor trusted by some of America’s most iconic structures.
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