Cheshire Fire and Rescue, Lymm
2nd May 2017

The benefits of full factory finishing of architectural timber, combined with the use of translucent coatings to bring out the lustre of natural wood, are highlighted in a new-build fire and rescue station in Lymm, Cheshire as Graham Avery, Technical Coatings Manager with paint supplier MIGHTON, explained:

“It not only means the process can be carried out in a completely controlled environment but also the entire piece is coated, not just the outside surfaces. In other words, the work can be done 365 days a year, whatever the weather – and the result is significantly more weather-resistant.”

Translucent wood coatings are less common than opaque though, as the Lymm contract shows, they can show off the timber grain to its best effect while retaining the weather-proofing and preservative qualities of exterior coatings.

Mighton Woodstain TP transparent top coat was mixed to the colour TR4131 to complement the Siberian Larch specified for the exterior cladding, while the translucency of the coating brought out the timber’s grain. The timber was vacuum-coated by Lancashire-based James Hatch & Son for International Timber of Manchester, with main contractor ISG for the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The low-build, high-solids Mighton Woodstain TP is a one-pot solution so the single product is not only applied as primer, base coat and finish – so requires no washing out of machinery between coats – but is also used for repair and maintenance, ensuring absolute consistency of colour and gloss level. The impregnation achieved by vacuum-coating also gives improved adhesion so the surface will not flake, peel or crack. The product has the added environmental benefit of being water-based.

www.mightonproducts.com