give us a low slip surface. We required a total of 385 litres to cover the new building’s floor area of 1805m².
“This was left to dry for one week before the first three aircraft were brought in. By this time, the floor was suitably hardened and the Hawker Seahawk, Gloster Meteor and De Havilland Venom were moved undercover for the first time in over 20 years.”
An added challenge arose when all aircraft and engines had to be moved up the entire length of the museum for arranging and positioning. Despite some of the engines weighing around 1.5 tonnes - and the heaviest aircraft weighing 12 tonnes - volunteers and staff were impressed that no damage occurred to the floor, thus demonstrating EW99’s durability and wear-resistance.
“As we brought in more equipment and displays, including our large collection of very heavy and awkward engines,” Ashley continues, “we were delighted to see that the floor paint was holding up with no problems. It withstood the weight of the aircraft and the tug without peeling or loosening, and even survived the unavoidable scratching and scuffing resulting from the forklift we were using. We were all extremely impressed with the way the newly painted floor is standing up to the punishment.”
GETTING THE FULL TREATMENT Resistant to many chemicals and solvents, EW99 inhibits the growth of fungus and bacteria, and can also be used as an anti-graffiti coating in common internal areas. As there are no solvent fumes, no odour and no tainting of food, there is no discomfort or disruption caused to nearby operatives; this avoids the costly inconvenience of shutdowns during application. Safe after use, this floor paint is certified as class O for surface spread of flame to BS476.
EW99 delivers a spreading rate of approximately 12m² per litre and is surface dry in two hours, with overcoating possible after a minimum of 16 hours. Complete cure is achieved in six days. Recommended application is by brush and roller, by conventional air spraying or by airless spraying.
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“In the case of the Gatwick Aviation Museum,” says James Burton, Bradite’s national sales manager, “initially we visited the site to see the base had been laid, the building being built, and the floor professionally prepared to the specification requests. After the allotted time and when the unit was weather-tight, we met with all the people of the museum to discuss Bradite EW99 for the floor.
“Our team then carried out regular visits to check on the preparation and application of our products,” James continues. “After three coats of EW99 were applied to the floor, the airframes were moved into their new home, ready for the opening of the museum on 25th March this year, just in time for the busy Easter weekend.”
For this project, Bradite’s SA12 aggregate was used in conjunction with EW99 to reinforce the low-slip finish. This additive, which consists of tough, hardwearing particles, is suitable for use with all types of floor and deck paint to give a low slip surface in areas of heavy traffic and helps to prevent accidents on wet floor areas.
FLYING COLOURS Bradite has also supplied its WC44 Cladit for the repair and maintenance of the Avro Shackleton MK3 PH3, which is stored outdoors along with the Percival Sea Prince. Ashley explains: “With the Avro Shackleton due for a re-paint, once again we are looking to Bradite for help. After stripping the old paint off to a rough paintable surface, we will then treat any areas showing signs of corrosion before applying a base coat primer.
“We then plan to spray the entire aircraft with Bradite’s Cladit to achieve a hardwearing, durable surface to withstand the weather: as this aircraft is too large to fit into our new building, we need to protect it from the elements and reduce the potentially damaging impact of the weather.”
With the completion of its new building, the Gatwick Aviation Museum moves into a new phase. Bradite, a company with a long history of its own dating back to 1938, is pleased to be making a contribution to this significant heritage project.
www.bradite.com CLEANING & MAINTENANCE | 33
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