Wirral-based E&P Contractors has recently completed a major redecoration project at the Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas in Liverpool, working closely with Crown Paints to deliver a fresh new look for the historic building and deliver a high standard of finish that will stand the test of time.
To provide expert colour advice and inspiration E&P arranged for the Crown Paints colour service to get involved. A colour consultant visited the Byzantine-style church and prepared a number of colour schemes for its committee to choose from, all of which drew on tradition and had strong Mediterranean influences.
When it came to specifying the paint, E&P and Crown’s specification team recommended using the most durable coatings in the Crown Trade range, proposing grip extreme primer, clean extreme-scrubbable matt emulsion and the full gloss and undercoat system.
E&P site manager Alan Hargreaves explains: “A massive job like this puts a strain on the church’s coffers and causes great disruption for the congregation. Needless to say, no-one wants to have to call us back in again for a very long time! That’s why we recommended using high-performance coatings that will keep their finish and bright colours, and retain that ‘just decorated’ look for many years to come. We also wanted to ensure that walls could be scrubbed clean time and time again without spoiling the paintwork.”
A huge scaffold was erected and the first task for the decorating team was to prepare and prime all the walls and ceilings, lock in any stains and water marks, and provide a sound and consistent foundation to paint on. Alan said, “For a thorough ‘belt and braces’ job we applied two coats of Crown Trade’s new grip extreme primer which has fantastic adhesion over all sorts of substrates including fresh plaster and previously painted surfaces. Being waterborne it dries really quickly and it’s more pleasant to work with than many other primers.”
The decorators then applied two coats of clean extreme-scrubbable matt, tinted and mixed to the colour consultant’s bespoke paint recipes, to all walls and ceilings.
“We really rate this new emulsion from Crown and we use it a lot now, because it’s so tough and durable and easy to scrub clean,” said Alan. “It’s great to apply and from an aesthetic point of view, although it’s based on modern technology, it still has the traditional chalky matt finish required by the church.”
The redecorating work extended out from the main church into the foyer and adjacent rooms where Crown Trade full gloss was used to brighten up woodwork and doors. Wooden rails and panelled areas requiring a translucent finish were spruced up with Sadolin quick-drying varnish. The entire building was redecorated in just six weeks, despite access being limited in order to allow church services to continue as normally as possible while the project was underway.
Now that all the work has been completed, the decorating team have packed away all their gear and the scaffold has finally been taken down, the church committee and his congregation are delighted with the results.
Greek Orthodox priest Father Iacovos commented: “E&P have done a fantastic job for us and we’re also very grateful to Crown Paints for all their support and assistance with our beautiful new colour schemes. We’ve put our faith in the Crown Trade coatings that were recommended to us and, God willing, we shouldn’t need to spend money on any more decorating work for another 20 years!”