‘Housing with care’ project in North Norfolk
Thistle plaster helps to create long-lasting care environment
Main focus
30 self-contained flats, which have a 24 hour fully trained care provider on hand to offer resident support, were created for Wherry Housing Association by affordable homes specialist, Lovell Homes. The development also includes a number of communal areas including activity and dining rooms, laundry, a guest suite and assisted bathroom, as well as a hair dressing salon.
Challenge
When it came to selecting the products for the busy care environment, durability was a key requirement, along with the ability to efficiently achieve a first class finish.
Equally important was minimal maintenance once applied, as future maintenance could cause significant disruption to the care home environment and bring unnecessary costs.
Solution
For use in a busy environment with high amounts of traffic, the job needed a solid plaster system that would not only look good and perform well in application, but need minimum maintenance once applied. For this reason Thistle HardWall undercoat plaster and Thistle MultiFinish skim coat plaster was specified to create a tough, monolithic gypsum plaster system. It was essential that the wall of the flats, and even more importantly, the walls of the communal areas, were finished in a sold plaster to withstand impact from trolleys and wheelchairs. They also had to be tough enough to provide a suitable fixing surface for grab rails and shower seats, which are vital aspects of a safe home environment for elderly people.
There are also a number of benefits over sand and cement render, especially from a logistics point of view where using the plaster, a bagged product, makes mixed storage and movement much easier than having to move heaps of sand from a mixing bay to the point of application.
“The system was efficient for the contractor to apply and maximise productivity onsite. As with almost every project we’re working on nowadays, the budget and timeframe was tight, but by choosing Thistle HardWall and Thistle MultiFinish we used the best solution for the job and they also helped us stay within these restraints.”
Michael Sanders, Construction Manager at Lovell Homes
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Client: Wherry Housing Association
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Main Contractor: GHT Plastering Services
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Specialist contractor: Norfolk Drywall