Project of the Month

Converting an agricultural cold storage shed into a high-end auto repair garage and showroom was always going to be a difficult task for any contactor. The client, Derek from DK Motor was determined to expand his thriving garage and utilise unused sheds located near his already expanding business. The brief was clear, bright & modern colours to be used creating a warm space for customers and staff alike.

Justin Kenny, AKA the Royal Painter said, “This was a project really divided into two as we had soft paints in the show room and office spaces and on the opposite side, hard wearing products which were required in order to be tough and durable in the nature of a busy garage’s day to day”.

Many products options were discussed with Declan, Manager of Albany In Navan and each product was chosen to give maximum protection to the building. Bradite 2-part HD Floor and wall was used on the main workshop area.  Justin had discussed with the client to snap a line one meter from the floor and use a medium grey, to mask the likes of tyre marks or scuffs from tools.

The upper block work was painted in the same Bradite floor and wall but in white. The upper section was sprayed in Albany soft sheen white. However, the main issue here was the pink fire rated plaster boards were difficult to cover in white, so the first two coats were tinted with grey to cover the pink paper and then finished in white soft sheen using a Q-TEC  PO21 which was more than capable for the task at hand .

The workshop ceiling was sprayed in Dulux Weather Shield, dark grey with the thought process here being the colour would mask the impending stains from exhaust smoke over time at each car lift zone. The Ducting for the Air conditioning was cleaned with meth’s and primed with tinted Zinnser 123, before finishing in Dulux. The floor was prepped and the product chosen for durability was Sherwin Williams Resuprime and finished with Resucoat .

On the building exterior the roller door to the tyre bay was an original and was sprayed using Bradites One Can, to match the newly installed main workshop door, making a good cost saving for the client. All steel RSJ`s were cleaned and painted in Bradite Fastrac.

The showroom and office had to be modern and bright. The main walls were sprayed with Albany white soft sheen and the office exterior accent wall was rolled using Dulux Matt, to create contrast to the opposing wall. All office space and breakrooms were given 3 coat of Dulux soft sheen in a light grey to compliment the carpets and create a warm environment to work in.

It was the first time Justin had used the Oldfields pro series brushes from Paintshack and the Two Fussy Blokes roller sleeves from Albany. He was delighted with the brushes which left a really sharp cut and the rollers which left a beautiful and even finish, especially on the stairs and woodwork trims.

About Justin Kenny – The Royal Painter

Justin has over twenty years’ experience in painting and decorating. First taking to the tools in Westchester, New York, where he eventually bought out his mentors business. He continued for  8 years working on colonial homes, commercial projects and modern New York City apartments, before moving back home to Ireland, where he restarted his decorating business based in the Royal County of Meath, located  in the Greater Dublin Area. Currently, he applies his skills to residential and commercial projects and he even found time in the evenings to obtain a diploma in Archaeology at National University Galway to keep him busy reading at lunchbreaks .