The Wallace Collection is a national museum in London that was built over the 18th and 19th century. It was the former townhouse of the Seymour family, Marquesses of Hertford and named after Sir Richard Wallace.
The Grade II listed national museum, displays the art collections of paintings, furniture, sculpture, armoury and porcelain.
KEIM were suggested by Purcell Architects and Applecross Building Company as they had previously used KEIM successfully on other projects.
Predictably typical of historic buildings, moisture was found trapped within the substrate. A coating was required that offered breathability for the building to overcome this problem.
Anton Boekhoudt, National Architectural Business Development Manager of KEIM Mineral Paints, visited site to produce a free of charge, comprehensive specification.
KEIM paints should be applied onto wind dry surfaces where the moisture content on or near the surface should be no greater than 18% by volume. Anton regularly inspected and visited The Wallace Collection to monitor the works progress and moisture levels.
The project was split into two phases consisting of the front façade, perimeter walls, and side elevations.
The front facade and side elevations were stripped, with KEIM Silan Primer applied to the bare areas which exhibited salts and cracks being filled using KEIM Spachtel. A coat of KEIM Soldalit Fixativ was applied onto the lime rendered surfaces to equalise surface porosity, followed by a coat of KEIM Soldalit Grob to even out textural differences from the repairs. KEIM Soldalit-ME 9292 was then used due to its photocatalytic benefits and reduce air pollution around the area.
KEIM Restauro Lasur ST001, a colourwash system, was applied onto the stone window sills and balconies to retain the look and feel of unpainted stone but offer a protective finish.
