Steel column wraps & covers in Salt Lake City
Steel column wraps are fabricated metal enclosures that clad an existing structural column — to protect it from forklift and vehicle impact, or to hide fireproofing and conduit behind a clean finish. Grandview fabricates and installs them in parking structures, warehouses, lobbies, and retail spaces across Salt Lake City under Utah DOPL B100 license #14282236-5501.
When a column wrap is the right scope — and when it isn’t
A column wrap does not carry load. That one sentence sorts most inquiries. If an engineer has flagged a column as undersized, corroded through, or needing plate jacketing for seismic capacity, that is a steel connection retrofit: engineered, special-inspected, welded to the member itself. A wrap is the non-structural skin that goes on afterward, or on a healthy column that simply needs protecting or finishing.
Impact protection is the garage version: columns at drive aisles and dock doors take repeated hits, and the owner wants a sacrificial jacket instead of patched concrete. Concealment is the lobby version: a wide-flange column in grey fireproofing, and an architect who wants a crisp cover.
A column that is one piece of a larger decorative package belongs on our architectural metalwork page. Freestanding impact posts in front of a column are bollards. A wrap listed among brackets, lintels, and sleeves folds into a miscellaneous metals package. All of it sits under structural steel and welding in our specialty hub.
What a steel column cover is actually made of
Material and seam define the job. Impact jackets are hot-rolled A36 plate, typically 3/16-inch to 1/4-inch, formed into a two- or four-piece shell that closes around the column and stops 42 to 48 inches above the slab — high enough to catch a bumper, a pallet jack, or a forklift counterweight. The shell anchors to the slab through a welded base angle, not to the column, so a hard hit transfers to the floor and the jacket can be replaced without touching structure. Galvanizing or zinc-rich primer under a urethane topcoat is standard, because in a Salt Lake City parking structure the deicing salt that drips off vehicles all winter and rides every freeze–thaw cycle into a bare edge is the real enemy.
Concealment covers are 11- to 14-gauge steel, stainless (304 with a #4 brushed finish is the common ask), or aluminum, formed square, rectangular, or round, running floor to ceiling or to a reveal below it. The seam is where the money goes: a split cover with a hairline joint and concealed fasteners is the economical route; a welded-and-ground seam that disappears under paint costs more shop time and shows no line. We build them in halves on internal standoff clips so the cover floats around the column with an air gap, which matters for the reason below.
Most commercial steel columns carry a fire-resistance rating by way of spray fireproofing or an intumescent coating. A cover must not scrape, compress, or replace that layer — the cover is decorative; the rating lives underneath. We detail clips to stand off the fireproofing, keep field welding away from coated steel, and on rated columns get the attachment approved by the architect or engineer before fabrication; verify requirements with the Salt Lake City building department.
One detail specific to building on the Wasatch fault: a floor-to-ceiling cover is rigid, and the building is designed to drift in an earthquake. A cover fastened hard to both slab and deck can buckle or tear its anchors. We leave a slip joint or open reveal at the top so the cover moves with the floor it stands on — a reasonable precaution given what USGS seismic hazard mapping shows for the Salt Lake segment.
How a column cover installation runs
- Measure every column. Columns in older Salt Lake buildings are rarely the same size twice, and fireproofing adds an irregular inch. We measure each one and fabricate per column, not per drawing.
- Confirm attachment. Slab anchors for impact jackets; standoff clips cleared by the architect or engineer for rated columns.
- Fabricate and finish. Shells formed, seams welded or fitted, galvanized or primed and painted in the shop.
- Install. Halves set, seams closed, base sealed, top reveal or slip joint set, touch-up the same day. A lobby column is a few hours on site; forty garage jackets are a sequence scheduled around parking operations. Shop lead time, generally a few weeks, is the longer part of the schedule.
What do steel column covers cost in Salt Lake City?
For planning only: a painted-steel impact jacket, fabricated and installed, most often lands in the high hundreds to low thousands of dollars per column, with unit price dropping as the count rises. Full-height concealment covers in painted steel typically run low to mid thousands per column; brushed stainless with ground seams can double that. Ballpark planning numbers, not quotes.
- Material and seam. Galvanized A36 with hairline joints is the floor; 304 stainless with welded, ground seams is the premium, and the seam work is the biggest shop-hours lever.
- Height and profile. A 48-inch jacket uses a fraction of the steel of a 14-foot floor-to-deck cover; round profiles cost more to form than square.
- Quantity and repetition. Forty identical garage jackets are cheaper per unit than four; forty columns in four sizes are not.
- Rating and hours. Rated columns add an approval step; a garage that can’t close means night work. Inside a tenant improvement or commercial renovation, the finish schedule is the real driver.
Questions we actually get
Can a steel wrap strengthen a column that’s been hit or is corroding?
Not by itself. A cover is non-structural; it protects and conceals. If a column has lost section to corrosion or has a bent flange, an engineer specifies a repair — plate reinforcement or a welded jacket designed as structure. We do that under our connection retrofit scope, then fit the protective wrap over the finished repair.
Will a cover interfere with the column’s fire rating?
Not if it’s detailed correctly. The rating comes from the fireproofing on the steel, so the cover stands off that layer on clips rather than compressing it, and we avoid field welding to a coated member. On rated columns we get the attachment approved before fabricating, and recommend confirming requirements with the city building department.
What drives the cost between two columns that look the same size?
Usually seam and material. A painted split cover with a hairline joint is the economical build; the same profile in brushed stainless with welded, ground seams can cost twice as much because the shop hours triple. After that it’s height, rating, and how many identical units we can batch.
Tell us how many columns and what they’re up against
Send a column count and a few photos. We reply within a couple of hours during business hours — a day at most — with a material recommendation and a planning budget. Our B100 license is verifiable at dopl.utah.gov.