The Queen Elizabeth Hall in Antwerp
2800 square metres of solid wood flooring installed in a world-class concert hall using Pallmann technology. The Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp reopened its doors this autumn after a full restoration. The curved wooden panels that line the interior walls give the hall some of the best acoustics of any concert hall in the world.
Data
| Building type | Public building (International) |
|---|---|
| Date | 04.06.2018 |
| Area | 2.800 m2 |
| Country | Belgium |
The floor and stage are covered by 2800 m² of oak flooring, designed by Rudy De Keyser Wood Industry and Unipro, a specialist in materials and products for laying and finishing wood flooring.
The wood flooring was glued directly onto a subfloor, which is mainly concrete. In some places, work had to be done on calcium sulphate flooring panels. Where flooring panels were used, UZIN PE 414 primer was applied first to bind any dust. For bonding, Unipro recommended UZIN MK 90 2K PU, a 2-component polyurethane adhesive with a long open time that is free of water and solvents. This flooring adhesive is particularly adapted to solid floors and guarantees maximum floor flexibility throughout the long life of the flooring.
Flexible sanding
The oak flooring was planed to the highest standards at the workshop of Rudy De Keyser Wood Industry. Sanding is always essential after laying solid wood flooring. The narrowness of the service passages and the vertical elements meant this was far from easy. Using the appropriate machinery nonetheless meant the work ran smoothly. The edges and vertical elements were sanded using a Pallmann Gecko Flex, which has faster results and is more flexible to use than standard edge sanders. A Pallmann Spider was used for the floor sections. The powerful four-bladed machine was used in place of a belt sander for this project. The Pallmann Spider was used for the coarse and fine sanding with great results.
14mm-thick wood flooring coated with Pallmann Pall-X 98 GOLD
The 14mm-thick oak wood flooring installed by Rudy De Keyser Wood Industry was then varnished with Pallmann Pall-X 98 GOLD, the very latest 'GOLD' version of the very popular 2-component, water-based lacquer from Pallmann. Launched on the market last year, this updated version delivers impressive filling capacity, rapid drying and high resistance to chemical agents. It is therefore ideal for floors with heavy use. The product also carries the Emicode EC 1R Plus label, as it contains less than 5% VOCs.
"We recommended an oil finish on the stage, where damage and signs of wear are inevitable"
Pallmann Magic Oil 2K for the stage
A Pallmann Magic Oil 2K oil finish was also chosen with the specific use of the stage in mind, explains Len Janssen (Sales Manager Unipro): "On a stage, damage and signs of wear are inevitable. This is where our Pallmann Magic Oil 2K can really shine. It is a natural, solvent-free oil-wax finish with excellent crosslinking action, and is also rapid-drying. Specifically for this project, we opted for a second layer of oil, whereas a single layer is usually enough. When the floor is damaged, minor repairs can be done quickly and easily and it also preserves the beauty of the floor. "
Great partnership
Unipro and Rudy De Keyser are both delighted to have worked together on this prestigious project. The partnership between the two dates back to another prestigious project in the Antwerp region at the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) in the Eilandje district, where the two companies first developed an appreciation for their shared professionalism. "Our knowledge and technical support combined with UZIN quality and Pallmann technology – plus our extremely flexible logistical support on top – make us the partner of choice for project-level floor designers", says Len Janssen, summing up the partnership.
