As part of a rolling programme of refurbishment of all the wooden floors in the National Portrait Gallery, Bona Traffic has been used to protect and finish original Burmese Teak block floors at this magnificent Grade 1 listed building.
"The Teak floors show the biggest change once they have been sanded back and finished with Traffic lacquer", explained the Facilities Manager. "The colour is now absolutely superb and completely natural. Traffic also gives us the required durability to protect the floors from the wear caused by 1.5 million visitors who come into the gallery each year."
By specifying water based Traffic, the gallery also avoids health and safety issues, and potential damage to the priceless exhibits, which could be caused by solvent based products.
Although Traffic can be applied quickly and has a drying time of just 3 – 4 hours per coat, the Gallery’s floor refurbishment programme requires meticulous planning to dovetail with other major cleaning, refurbishment and picture hanging programmes - all of which depend upon the involvement of the Gallery’s specially trained art handlers to move the exhibits. Pictures are removed and the silk and wool wall coverings protected by polythene before full sandings take place. However, for less dusty ‘cut back and coat’ projects the glazed pictures are covered but usually left in situ. Only after these extensive preparations can Kerim Hudson’s team at Floorcraft Contractors come in and start work.
