Texas Tribune by Nick Miroff and Josh Dawsey, The Washington Post May 6, 2020
The president’s determination to have the border wall coated in black has fluctuated during the past several years. He has insisted that the dark color will enhance the wall's forbidding appearance and leave the steel too hot to touch during summer months.
President Trump is once more pushing to have his border wall painted black, a design change that is projected to add at least $500 million in costs, according to government contracting estimates obtained by The Washington Post.
The president’s determination to have the steel bollards coated in black has fluctuated during the past several years, and military commanders and border officials believed as recently as last fall that they had finally talked him out of it. They consider the black paint unnecessary, costly and a significant long-term maintenance burden, and they left it out of the original U.S. Customs and Border Protection design specifications.
The Post obtained a copy of painting estimates that federal contracting officials produced, and it shows costs ranging from $500 million for two coats of acrylic paint to more than $3 billion for a premium “powder coating†on the structure’s 30-foot steel bollards, the high end of the options the officials have identified.
The White House has not yet chosen a grade of paint, but Trump has insisted for years that the barrier should be black to discourage climbers. He has favored a shade known as “flat black†or “matte black†because of its heat-absorbent properties.
More:
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/05/06/trump-border-wall-paint-it-black/
