Peabody Trust makes affordable homes hard-wearing and sustainable
Thistle two-coat plaster helps the 45 affordable homes save energy while withstanding knocks and scrapes.

Challenge
- Achieve Level 4 rating on the Code for Sustainable Homes
- A highly durable plaster solution was required for corridors and stairwells, providing a secure fixing surface for handrails and other hardware
- New £11 million affordable housing development in Bethnal Green, London
- 67 contemporary apartments and houses
- Owned by Peabody Trust

Solution
A two-coat plaster system consisting of Thistle BondingCoat and Thistle MultiFinish was used in high traffic communal areas – giving a hardwearing surface to withstand daily knocks and scrapes. Thistle BondingCoat was specified on the concrete substrates throughout to create an extremely close bond with the surface - providing superior thermal performance. This was one of the requirements to achieve a Level 4 rating on the Code for Sustainable Homes. Thistle MultiFinish, which is particularly effective on high to medium suction backgrounds, was then used to skim over the Thistle BondingCoat creating a durable and smooth finish. Gyproc SoundBloc and Gyproc FireLine were also used throughout the building to meet acoustic and fire regulations.
“Thistle BondingCoat was perfect for use on the concrete walls, as it is really flexible and creates a good, solid finish. Using a two-coat plaster system also made it easy to cover difficult to reach areas common in stairwells.”
David Giles – MDG (UK) Ltd
“MultiFinish is great to work with as it’s so versatile. Not only does it give an overall high quality finish, it is also ideal for touching up problem areas and for use on smaller jobs. This saves a lot of time and money, as there is no need to invest in other products.”
David Giles – MDG (UK) Ltd
“By using a two-coat plaster system in the stairwell and corridor areas, we managed to make a real cost saving. It is quick and easy to install and the time saved by using this system allowed the team to focus on other areas of importance. It’s great that we were able to make this saving without compromising on the performance of the plaster.”
Matthew Clegg, Sustainability - Manager at Galliford Try
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Client: Peabody Trust
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Main Contractor: Galliford Try