Eastleigh Housing Association provides a range of low-cost social housing to the local community for people needing somewhere to live, this is overseen and operated by Eastleigh Borough Council. When a much-needed bathroom refurbishment was required, it would see international flooring specialist Gerflor supply their new Mural Revela wall covering solution, alongside the new Tarasafe H2O safety vinyl for a complete fast track renovation. The ‘need for speed’ would be pivotal, as the client’s tenant would be in ‘situ’ as the wall covering and flooring was being installed.

Commenting on the project Tim Linghorn, Gerflor Specification Area Sales Manager, Residential and Housing said, “We have a strong relationship with the council who oversee the Eastleigh Housing Association. During our initial meeting, we presented our Mural Revela wall covering product, which greatly impressed them. They expressed serious interest in considering it, recognising the positive benefits it could offer for their housing stock. Consequently, Gerflor proposed a free trial for an upcoming bathroom refurbishment project.”

Tim Linghorn elaborated on the specification choices, noting that their existing relationship with the council played a crucial role. “Gerflor flooring is already used in other council projects, and the new Mural Revela product range introduced further innovation and efficiency, this extremely impressed the council. The main challenge was the need for a fast installation, as the resident would be remaining in the property during the refurbishment, necessitating for a timely completion.”

The refurbishment and installation for this project would need to be of the highest quality in order to meet the exceptional standards required by the Housing Association, whilst also being able to complete the renovation works within a very tight timeline. The installation for this transformational project would be the responsibility of Danson Developments Ltd.

Danson Developments Ltd is an experienced and reliable fit-out company. Since being formed in 1996 they have built a reputation as one of the south’s leading fit-out companies. This is due to their ability to design and deliver innovative fit-out and refurbishment projects across a range of sectors, helping to inspire staff and engage clients, and transform properties. As an experienced fit-out contractor, they manage every stage of vast variety of projects in an efficient and timely manner. From the initial consultation to the final brush stroke, they take care of the interior fit-out project to save time and money, working ‘with’ the client rather than ‘for’ the client to ensure the best possible outcome.

Daniel Burton, Director, Danson Developments Ltd said, “We are preferred contractors for a number of clients who have these types of projects. On site we had three fitters who were all ‘multi- trade’, enabling them to install the Gerflor Mural Revela wall covering, together with providing the plumbing expertise and the specialist floor laying skills to also fit the Gerflor Tarasafe H20 safety flooring to an extremely high standard.”

Daniel Burton emphasised the tight critical timelines for the refurbishment, highlighting that the whole project was started on the Monday and handed back to the client and the tenant at lunchtime on the Wednesday. This rapid turnaround was made possible thanks to the easy installation of the Tarasafe H2O safety vinyl floor, it was noted for its light weight and flexibility when compared to other wet room vinyl’s, with the welds being particularly easy to manage thus reducing any downtime on site.

During the renovation, the Gerflor Mural Revela wall covering was also a fast-track solution and it saved time in the transformation, as it was fitted over the existing ceramic tiles in the bathroom, with no need to remove the existing wall covering surface in place, there was also no waste as the off cuts could be easily

recycled, making this solution an innovative and ecofriendly product for the social housing project. The Housing Association was also impressed with the tongue and groove format of the tiles, which allowed for an even faster installation that could be easily clicked together to renovate the walls quickly and with minimal mess on site.

With this extremely fast turnaround due to the combined specification of Gerflor flooring and wall covering products, the tenant at the Eastleigh Housing Association property was able to remain at home without any disruption to his everyday living.

In conclusion, Tim Linghorn commented that, “This is the first time that Eastleigh Housing Association has tested Mural Revela, and they were extremely pleased with the finished results. Following the trial, Mural Revela has been added to the Eastleigh Borough Council specification list, due to its versatility for installers, time-saving benefits, and quick, mess-free installation process.”

Dan Burton concluded, “The installers and clients are extremely delighted with the reduced fitting times of both Mural Revela wall covering and H2O safety vinyl. This combined package has led to a much faster handover and has also minimised disruption for the tenants. We would not hesitate to specify Gerflor products again.”

Overview of Gerflor products installed.

Gerflor Company Overview

Gerflor is a manufacturer of comprehensive contract interior flooring solutions, including vinyl, linoleum, carpets, and rubber. The company also manufacture wall covering solutions for all hardworking spaces. The Gerflor innovations help to create attractive and functional environments, as well as enhance and protect commercial and residential and housing interiors. Gerflor solutions are proven to enhance the longevity of a building whilst reducing long term maintenance costs.

Gerflor works in partnership with the commercial and housing sector to ensure buildings are safe and accessible for all users.

Gerflor has a dedicated housing portfolio with solutions for all budgets with each product having its own unique benefits. The innovative vinyl flooring and wall covering collections push the technical and aesthetical boundaries to provide fresh solutions for all housing projects.

Mural Revela Wall Covering

The Mural Revela collection from Gerflor provides the perfect wallcovering solution for a host of new build and renovation projects. Mural Revela is available in both decorative tiles and wall panels and easily enables the covering of showers on existing ceramic tiles for new or refurbishment projects, providing a complete solution with aluminium profiles for high-end final rendering.

With the Mural Revela product range, Social Housing Owners and Housing Associations and Operators can now deliver a dream bathroom that looks and feels luxurious. It’s a design step forward that’s truly in line with the private sector in terms of world class finishing and quality.

Mural Revela is a design-led collection inspired by beauty of three natural materials including marble, concrete, and stone. It’s a design ethos that delivers a touch of soft monochromes, drifting though to warm beiges, shades of grey and eventually neutral white.

Mural Revela is available in sixteen finishes with thirty-two design references. The colour spectrum available include fabulous eye-catching shades including Zanzibar, Kampala, Liverpool and Ampara through to Sarti, Hanoi and Derby Gloss. It’s a breath-taking colour palette that’s bound to inspire both designer and specifiers alike.

Mural Revela is available in two sizes: Tiles: 65 x 37.5 x 0.5 cm and also XL panels: 90 x 260 x 0.5 cm. Sizes can be combined thanks to a unique tongue and groove system, offering a wide mix and match choice, with an understated joint which delivers a very modern look. The installation according to the protocol guarantees perfect waterproofing. The ease of installation and the time saving make it an ideal solution for renovation in occupied areas.

For installers and contractors Mural Revela is extremely easy to cut and takes three times less time to install as opposed to ceramic tiles, together with providing a clean job site without dust and noise.

Mural Revela wallcovering is only 5mm thick, but as a huge bonus it’s just as resistant as ceramic tiles and comes with a groove/tongue system. Mural Revela is both compact and resistant and is 100% waterproof even in the shower area and provides a thin and trendy joint that does not go yellow. It’s also easy to clean and maintain with durable designs that won’t fade.

As a rigid product Mural Revela can be directly installed on top of old ceramic tiles or on rough walls and is suitable for most surfaces, even ones that have slightly deteriorated. Mural Revela provides the perfect wallcovering solution for refurbishments in busy environments and is extremely quick and easy to install. Downtime for shower usage is dramatically reduced as Mural Revela can be installed and undergo its first use within 24 hours. A real boon when time is of the essence and specifiers and installers want to get their project finished quickly.

Mural Revela is extremely Eco Friendly, using up to 30% recycled content and is Reach compliant with a 100% recyclable low carbon impact, together with using recyclable packaging, it’s easy to see that Gerflor have their finger very firmly pressed on the Eco Button.

Mural Revela has a fire classification D-s3,d0 and comes with a polyurethane protective varnish, a decorative film, and an intermediate stability layer, together with a rigid layer containing recycled material. The Mural Revela tongue and groove system delivers an extremely easy installation and is three times lighter than ceramic tiles. It’s also able to cover larger surface areas due to its panels. Mural Revela provides all the performances qualities of rigid products but is 30% less heavy (7 Kg/sqm) than market standard (ceramics).

Tarasafe H20 Safety Vinyl Floor covering.

Tarasafe H2O is a brand-new, high performance, slip resistant, safety, non-studded flooring for wet and dry, barefoot, and shod applications. This enhanced slip resistant safety vinyl floor covering is designed for applications where there are continuous wet areas. It provides exceptional barefoot comfort and is an ideal solution for wet rooms, showers, and changing rooms. It is also treated with an anti-bacterial and fungicidal SparClean® treatment for optimum hygiene, easy cleaning, and maintenance, has a 12-year warranty and is 100% recyclable. It contains 29% recycled content.

Within Gerflor’s family of Tarasafe vinyl safety floorings, there are over 80 finishes available to choose from. They are reinforced with a glass fibre grid and are suitable for use in all areas of heavy traffic where slip-resistance, durability and hygienic conditions are required.

Selected Tarasafe ranges use mineral crystal particles, rather than carborundum, the Tarasafe collections offer improved performance, are easier to install, lighter and more flexible to handle and transport. The ranges have a maximum hygiene rating meeting the EN Standard 22196 for anti- bacterial activity (E. coli – S. aureus – MRSA) (3) returning >99% levels of growth inhibition. The Tarasafe collections meet HSE guidelines for outstanding slip resistance and surface roughness.

Learn more about Gerflor solutions, ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by calling 01625 428 922, emailing contractuk@gerflor.com, or visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest flooring innovations.

 

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