A striking cladding design was created for a pair of staircases at York University with installation being completed within the students’ three-week spring break, despite having to be constructed on site before being dismantled and removed for painting then brought back for reassembly.
The unusual design incorporated 10mm shadow gaps, which required finishing in-situ to ensure the accuracy of the gaps before the MDF panels could be factory painted, as Robert Bailey-Hague, MD of subcontractor Bailey-Hague Joinery explains: “Everything had to be completed within the strict schedule but this was the only way it could be done. The shadow gaps were an important part of the overall look of the staircases and it would have been impossible to achieve that by fitting painted panels on site. At the same time, on-site painting would have been out of the question, not least because of ventilation in the enclosed space.”
Specialist paint supplier Mighton Products worked closely with Bailey-Hague Joinery is not only in choosing the right materials but also in producing a colour match for the non-standard grey that was specified. The company had been using Mighton’s exterior products so had no hesitation in putting its interior range to work.
A team of five joiners and one spray-painter worked on the project, with the panels making the 30 mile-plus round trip to Bayley-Hague’s spray shop in Sherburn-in-Elmet. The moisture-resistant MDF was treated with Mighton Ultra high-build MDF Internal Primer and Internal Opaque Topcoat.
Robert Bailey-Hague concludes: “It took a bit of careful management and planning to do it to the right specification and within the time limits but the finished product looks good and the client is very happy with it.”
