Great finish at services

Mighton Ankerstuy paints has been selected as supplier of the colour stains and lacquers for the new seating as part of a prestigious yearlong renovation of Westminster Abbey that was finally completed in June 2017.

As part of the interior maintenance works that took place at the iconic London landmark 2,200 wooden chairs, with the Westminster Abbey Arms embossed into each of the backrests, were commissioned and have now become the new primary form of seating distributed throughout the building. The finish for these chairs carries a series of heavy demands and therefore required an exemplary quality lacquer capable of providing long-lasting protection against candle wax, as well as tough resistance against scratches and abrasions.

The 2-component ASV lacquer that was eventually specified complies with the EN 71-3 standard, certifying it free from heavy metals and even suitable for use on children’s toys, as well as complying with both DIN 4102 B1 and DIN 68861 B1 standards, which demonstrates its chemical resistance.

However, it was not just the technical performance of this finish that was under high scrutiny but also its aesthetic appeal. Finding the right colour stain that could give the lacquer its desired hue proved to be a challenging process with eight individual shades of brown being developed from ASV’s HD LM Colour stain before a selection was finally made.

Emile Stuy, Coatings Manager, said: “The finished Abbey Chair has an aesthetically beautiful appearance through the blunt-moulded finish, making it perfect for the architecture and ambience of the Abbey. Being part of the process that made these chairs a reality gave us the rare opportunity to work on such a prestigious and challenging project.”

Since the completion of the Westminster Abbey project Mighton has also added the full range of specialist timber treatments, including interior finishes, to its established range of paints and coatings that are finding increasing favour with joinery manufacturers. Mighton plans to also include the addition of paints and coatings for other, non-timber, applications in the near future.