Working on its first venture in the UK market, specialist offsite construction company, Danilith, specified Knauf Airless Finish spray plaster to significantly increase the build speed of its project in Norfolk.
With a unique construction method, using factory produced brick faced insulated panels, external windows, doors and electrical conduits built in, Danilith can deliver a bespoke home in just 18 weeks.
Assisting with the rapid build time was the Knauf Airless Finish, a spray applied ready-mixed plaster that can be applied to concrete panels as well as a multitude of other substrates, including the Knauf range of plasterboards.
Traditional methods of plastering were deemed inferior to Knauf Airless Finish due to the time it would take to prepare the concrete panel surfaces. Traditional methods require a bonding agent to be applied prior to plastering. Airless Finish on the other hand can be applied straight onto the concrete substrate, saving time.
So effective is the spray plaster from Knauf that the contractors on site in Norfolk were able to complete more than 600 sq ft of ceilings in less than 12 minutes with a two-man team. Applied using a piston pump machine, the ready-mixed plaster can be applied from floor level up to three metres, removing the need for scaffolding, steps or hop-ups. This not only saves contractors time and effort during the application of the plaster but improves health and safety at no extra cost.
Sales Director for Danilith UK, Jeremy Jordan believes that the fast deliver times, thanks to these modern building methods has opened up a great opportunity in the UK market.
“We will be recommending the Knauf Airless Finish in further projects that we have planned in the UK because of the fast speeds that we can achieve,” Jeremy said. “The finish quality is also second to none.”
Designed and built in the Danilith factory in Belgium, the concrete panels are transported to the UK and installed on site. The robust concrete and masonry structure gives the homes a long life expectancy while creating comfortable and thermally efficient homes for occupants.
Knauf Airless Finish is recommended for use over fair faced concrete surfaces, plasterboards and composite boards. With a two coat application, Knauf Airless Finish is applied between 1-2mm thick giving it faster drying time than traditional plaster. With a consistently smooth finish quality and white appearance, less work is required once handed over to the decorators.
The ready-mixed material not only removes the requirement for onsite mixing, it also eliminates the need for an on-site water source as every 25kg bag of material is delivered with the same consistent product inside. Knauf Airless Finish is also more sustainable than traditional plastering because any excess material removed during the skimming process can simply be recycled back into the hopper. This reduces the product waste to a minimal 1%.
Airless Finish is made from a mixture of polymers that have many of the same qualities as paint, but unlike paint it doesn’t mist meaning there is no over spray, creating less mess.
“I was on site during the spraying process and it was amazing how little mess there was, in fact I was initially worried about wearing good clothes but I couldn’t believe how clean it all was,” Jeremy said.
Knauf Airless Finish was used in combination with Knauf Fill and Finish Light which was applied to the joints where plasterboard was utilised. Fill and Finish Light is a hand-applied jointing compound used with the range of Knauf jointing accessories.