Bringing the past to life is about people, something that museums thankfully grasped some time ago when they went from being three-dimensional catalogues of objects to places where the past comes alive. It is people who provide the connection with the past; ordinary people whose lives shaped the countryside, villages, towns, and cities that we now reside in.
St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff has a special place in the hearts of the people of Wales. It first opened its gates to the public on 1 July 1948. This was the UK’s first national open-air museum. Since then, it has become Wales’ most popular heritage visitor attraction. It’s a place where they explore history through people’s everyday lives.
When the museum instigated a recent project to fit-out a new gallery that could house a rolling programme of changing exhibitions they would need a flooring innovation that was not only durable but would also look stunning and stand the test of time. The ultimate decision would be to specify the Attraction® range of fast track, looselay flooring tiles from international flooring specialist Gerflor.
Specifying some 190m2 of Gerflor’s Attraction® range in ‘Paraiba’ would enable their budgets to work hard for them as they needed a flooring product that was going to be durable over the long term, coping with the processes of exhibition installation and take down, and the daily use of the gallery by a stream of high volumes of visitors.
Tony Thorne, Gerflor Sales & Specification Manager, South Wales commented, “the staff dealing with the St Fagans Museum fit-out were already familiar with Gerflor having previously used Gerflor products for their Tim Peake Astronaut exhibition at The National Museum Cardiff, and their Big Pit National Coal Museum in Torfaen. He added, “the area had previously used another manufacturers’ cheaper injection moulded PVC interlocking tile that had failed. They also wanted to choose patterns and colours to complement rather than compete with the gallery displays.”
Ensuring that the very highest standards of installation could be achieved was a challenge met head-on by Brecon-based Beacons Business Interiors (Bbi) who would ensure that the Gerflor Attraction® tiles would be laid expertly and on time and to budget. Since 1989, the Bbi Group has steadily grown into a leading office fit-out specialist, working with organisations throughout the UK to provide inspiring and efficient working environments.

Carl Williams, Sales Director, Bbi said, “the project initially came to us through Whitehead Building Services who were the primary company awarded the gallery fit-out.” Carl Williams added, “the Gerflor Attraction flooring was extremely easy to lay and is performing really well for the client. It was the optimum choice for the project and its current performance is now heralding that decision.”
On product specification and levels of service Tony Thorne went on to further comment,” in the first instance we discussed specifications of the different Gerflor ranges available.” Adding, “we supplied samples from their shortlist that they could then examine on site as a team. They were then able to consider them in the context of the intended design and colour scheme for the space and their aim to create a system that could act as a backdrop for a range of planned exhibitions. The colours and designs are a critical factor for their galleries and affects how their visitors experience a space.”
Gerflor’s Attraction® range is a perfect solution for renovation, it is a fast track loose lay vinyl tile with interlocking edges which allows for rapid installation and replacement This permits the area to remain open and provides a clean installation with no adhesive or dust. A two-person team can install up to 200m² in 8 hours that is four times faster than conventional tiles and can be installed on a sub floor with minimal preparation. With a Protecsol® 2 surface treatment it requires minimal maintenance and is an exceptionally durable solution suitable for heavy traffic applications in a host of sectors. There are 21 colourways, 6 of which are new and inspired by the ‘Big Apple’ including Harlem Soft, Brooklyn, Times Square and Central Park through to Queens Soft and Piazza. There are also 4 designs which allows you to mix and match colours and designs. With excellent slip-resistant properties and a R10 rating it’s a popular choice for high traffic areas.
Carl Williams concluded by saying, “we have used Gerflor products before with great success and the St Fagans project was a perfect fit for the Gerflor Attraction tiles.”
Tony Thorne ended by commenting, “as we had already supplied our interlocking tiles at previous exhibitions it was extremely useful on this occasion to be able to revert back to our legacy installations.”
Learn more about Gerflor solutions, ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by calling 03332 412901, emailing contractuk@gerflor.com, or visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations.