Coventry University’s Student Union building has been given a fresh new look thanks to the use of specialist steel and cladding products from leading trade paint brand Johnstone’s Performance Coatings range.
An extensive redecoration programme was launched to help breath new life into the Alan Berry building that houses the university’s Student Union, after years of weathering had left the exterior looking more than a little worse for wear. Comprising steel uprights, metal cladding and panels, the peeling paintwork and faded colour schemes of the façade presented numerous challenges that were successfully overcome through the close collaboration of West Midlands based professional painting contractors Image Styles Ltd and the Johnstone’s Technical Advisory team.
Prior to work commencing on site, Technical Specification Consultants from Johnstone’s compiled a detailed specification document for the project that advised the most appropriate preparation techniques and products to be used. After the meticulous repair and thorough cleaning of the substrates, Johnstone’s Steel & Cladding Two Pack Primer was applied and followed by two coats of Johnstone’s Steel & Cladding Semi-Gloss Topcoat. The protective coating was specified in two complementary shades of green so that the new look Student Union would once again be in keeping with the other buildings on the university campus. The specified shades of green were tinted through the use of Johnstone’s advanced tinting system, which provides over 15,000 colours including shades from the recognised NCS and RAL colour systems.
As the application process itself was extremely challenging, having the support of Johnstone’s expertise through its dedicated Technical Advisory Department was vital to the project’s successful completion, as Dave Fletcher, Contracts Director at Image Styles Ltd explains. “Access to the three-storey building was extremely difficult and so our work was completed through the use of a cherry picker. The university also remained operational throughout the redecoration programme and so it was imperative that the safety of both the students and teachers was assured at all times. The reliability of Johnstone’s, in terms of both its product offering and Technical Advisory consultants, was a great help and made all the difference to the project’s success.”
Part of its Performance Coatings range, Johnstone’s Steel and Cladding coatings have been specifically developed to offer metal substrates the highest level of protection against corrosion and the damaging effects of exterior exposure to help minimise maintenance requirements. Comprising both Single and Two Pack primers, Johnstone’s Steel and Cladding range also includes Gloss and Semi-Gloss Topcoat, both of which are available in thousands of colour options through the use of the Johnstone’s tinting system.