Case Studies

Powder coated repairs facilitate office handover

10th April 2019
Powder coated repairs facilitate office handover

The 12 storey office block on a development adjacent to one of London’s busiest railway stations, designed to corporate headquarters standards, was due for handover to a blue-chip international company in the IT sector. Pre-completion inspections, however, indicated there had been a large amount of superficial damage – including dents and scratches – caused to the internal window frames, door skins and other interior surfaces which required rectifying.

The challenges

repair powder coated finishThe extent of the damage meant that nearly every aluminium window frame and surrounding infill panel required attention, with the original installer having already unsuccessfully attempted to ‘touch up’ the factory applied polyester powder paint coat using spray cans. The doors were a mix of white painted steel and polished stainless steel requiring separate strategies for their restoration, while other work areas included repairing damaged tiling and fittings in the washrooms.

While Plastic Surgeon’s team of Finishers were detailed to work their way down the 12-storey building floor-by-floor, the ‘final frontier’ was presented by the basement where continuing M&E commissioning work required the repair specialists to complete their repairs overnight to avoid delaying the final handover.

The highlights

Due to the highly visible nature of the surfaces to be repaired and their black paint finish, Plastic Surgeon’s Finishers had to use the utmost precision in achieving a flat level surface prior to recoating. This was done using layers of the proprietary two-part filler which has been specially developed by Plastic Surgeon, and very careful rubbing down with a graduation of wet & dry papers. The surface was etched to provide a key on the metal, and a dust coat applied, prior to spraying the final coat.

The steel doors were polished using a variety of hand and powered rotary tools to restore them to their original surface finish and reflectance.

Additionally, a feature joint within the artificial stone sink units in the washrooms, which had dried unevenly was routed out, refilled and spray finished after masking the surrounding area.

The team of four Finishers were drawn from across Plastic Surgeon’s London Region and worked some 2,000 chargeable hours within the office building between November and the end of March.

Key outcomes for the client

  • Repair powder coated framesAs is frequently the case the trade contractor which originally carried out the installation of the damaged items, in this case window frames and trim panels, lacked the skills to carry out an effective repair when they were damaged by other operatives. Plastic Surgeon therefore offered the only cost effective alternative to comprehensive replacement; which would have further delayed the project.
  • The work was completed without interference to other firms involved in completing the contract as well as to an agreed price and timetable.
  • Plastic Surgeon’s intervention was also the sustainable option as it prevented scrappage of numerous aluminium and steel components, which has a large environmental impact and could have caused further collateral damage.

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