An unfinished multi-storey development has been transformed into a prestige apartment block with the aid of Airless Readymix Plasters developed by Knauf – the UK’s leading manufacturer of lightweight building materials and systems.
The Island, a 20 storey block of one and two-bedroom apartments, occupies a prime position near the town centre of Croydon, Surrey, and offers buyers top quality features such as underfloor heating, multi-media cabling throughout and an ‘Excellent’ rating for Eco Homes.
Construction of began in 2007 but halted when a subsidiary of the original developers, Phoenix Logistics, went into administration 2011. New owners rescued the development and appointed Regency Homes who got the site up and running again in May 2013.
“The concrete frame was 90% complete and the glazing was just 60% complete so there was a lot of work left,” commented Jason Harris, Project Manager for Regency Homes. “We needed a method of plastering that was swift, efficient and didn’t hold up the following trades.”
Knauf arranged a demonstration of the airless pumped spray Plaster, which provides a smooth finish and is applied using an airless high pressure piston pump machine, together with Knauf Airless Primer Surfacer in one of the show flats being prepared for prospective buyers and the Regency Homes team was convinced.
“We liked the speed of application, the finish and that it took so little time to cure before it could be primed and painted – in fact there was so need to paint the ceilings once the primer was on,” said Mr Harris. “Also, by using Knauf products throughout, we had a system that was 100% Knauf and so all the drylining and plaster work was backed by Knauf’s warranty.”
In total, the development involved 55,000m2 of Knauf plasterboard, 500 bags of joint filler of Knauf Joint Filler, 90 tons of Knauf Airless Plaster and 1000 buckets of Knauf Airless Primer Surfacer.
Knauf’s range of Ready Mixed Spray Plasters enable up to 1,000m2 per week can be finished by a three man gang, while surfaces can be emulsioned within 24 to 48 hours, so the plaster can be applied by the same teams applying the paint finishes. Every finishing need is met by the four products in the range – Airless Backing, Airless DuraDeco, Airless Finish and the hard-wearing primer Airless Primer Surfacer – which provide all that is required to deliver a matchless surface in a fraction of the time required by traditional means.
