Bagnalls Redecorates The Coal House in Cardiff
17 April 2023
The Coal House is an office complex spanning four storeys, located in central Cardiff. Previously known as Merchants’ House, the building offers plenty of space for collaborative working, as well as its own underground car park.
Under the ownership of OKTRA Regions, The Coal House has been completely refurbished, with the help of our brilliant painters at Bagnalls! The Coal House now provides 29,138 square feet of eco-friendly workspace.
Bagnalls’ team of experienced painters worked on both the interior and exterior of The Coal House, to give the building a lift and create a modern, industrial feel.
Our team began by concentrating on the external of the building, applying a Selemix matt finish by spray to the windows, once they had been carefully prepared and panel wiped. We then applied a Sandtex Trade High Cover Smooth specification to the walls of the building.
The stylised signage on the exterior of the building was also crafted by our team. Entirely hand-painted, the lettering depicting ‘Coal House’ is striking and continues the slick, modern atmosphere created by the interior. Two different signs were installed on the East and West sides of the building.
Internally, our team applied new intumescent coatings to all steel support beams. These beams had previously been boxed in, but the new design deliberately made them more visible, accentuating the building’s unique design features. Our painters then elected a Jotun Steelmaster specification, which was applied via a spray to the specific loadings. All applications were checked by our in-house NACE coatings inspector.
Across four floors, Bagnalls painted the ceilings with two coats of Zinsser Allcoat. Substrates were a mix of precast concrete and corrugated galvanized sheeting. All walls initially received a mist of Crown Contract Matt, followed by two coats of Crown Trade Satin Finish.
The internal windows, panelling and the steel staircase were sanded carefully and panel wiped before our team applied a coat of Selemix matt finish.
The customer asked for an intentional ‘industrial aesthetic’. Bagnalls achieved this final, modern look with a consistency to the multiple finishes applied.