Dulux Trade
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Sign of the times: Dulux Trade brings Leeds' Victorian street signs up to date using 21st Century technology
When Leeds City Council decided to revamp its traditional Victorian cast iron street signs as part of a multi-million pound regeneration scheme, it turned to the experts at Dulux Trade to provide an eye-catching and long lasting solution to give the iconic signs a new lease of life.
Working with local painting contractors, The Bell Group, Dulux Trade Specifier Account Manager Philip Gledhill, designed a refurbishment programme for Leeds' 30,000 cast iron signs, from preparation through to protective finish. For this, he was able to draw on the comprehensive range of performance coatings in the Dulux Trade Specialist Products range, which has been formulated for specific problem solving and for the long-term protection of substrates in commercial environments.
The first task was to remove the many layers of paint from the street signs that had built up over the years. For this, the team used a needle gun approach to strip back the ageing coatings and reveal the bare metal underneath.
The specification then recommended a protective zinc phosphate undercoat followed by a gloss topcoat, both from the Metalshield range of specialist metal paints from Dulux Trade.
Philip Gledhill explains: "The Metalshield Zinc Phosphate Primer is a fast-drying coating with excellent rust inhibition properties, so is ideal for providing a barrier to lock out moisture and protect the vulnerable cast iron. The signs were then given an attractive high shine finish using Metalshield Gloss Finish to preserve the traditional look of the Victorian signs."
A major challenge of this project was the requirement for each sign to be painted in-situ, which meant that in the city centre, the work had to be carried out in the early morning or over weekends.
"But this wasn't the only obstacle," says Ian Wood from The Bell Group. "We had to find them first! The position of all 30,000 signs has never been mapped, so it was a case of locating them before we could paint them. Despite these complications, the project has been thoroughly enjoyable and the assistance we have received from the Dulux Trade Specification team has been invaluable in delivering a quality finish that the whole city can be proud of."
Local Councillor Elizabeth Nash was certainly impressed with the work. She said: "I think that the newly painted signs are smashing! It is amazing that such a small thing can lift an area."
Currently, around 1,000 street signs have been refurbished, representing phase one of the project. Leeds City Council plans to commence phase two shortly and the scheme will continue to be rolled out as part of the wider city regeneration programme.
