When Else won the contract to work on the impressive centrepiece of the new £32 million Lakeside Sports Complex, it was a dream come true for contracts manager Peter McNally, a lifelong supporter of Doncaster Rovers. He could hardly wait to start work at Keepmoat and stamp his mark on the new home of his beloved football club.
Before work could commence, Else had to select a supplier. As MD Tony Wilson said, “We’re longstanding users of Crown Trade and know that we can get all the decorative and protective coatings we need in the range. As Doncaster Crown Decorating Centre is literally a minute’s walk from the Stadium, with all the coatings, sundries, and colour matching and mixing services at the ready, the decision wasn’t difficult!”
“The job called for over 6000 litres of Crown Trade paint and woodcare products in total, so we were obviously delighted to be involved,” said Doncaster CDC manager, Ricky Thorpe. ”We also supplied Else with a wide range of Decorators Choice and branded sundries to complete the job.”
At the outset only a few men were needed at the stadium. The workload was sporadic as Else waited for other contractors to complete their work. As the handover date started to loom, it was ‘all hands on deck’ and up to sixteen decorators at a time were drafted in to complete on schedule.
Work began in the concourses where the columns supporting the stadium seating were to be painted in a specific shade of grey to match the bare breezeblocks. The CDC provided Crown Trade Eggshell in the perfect shade at the colourzone counter. For all the MDF panelling separating the fast food catering areas from the main thoroughfares, the stadium architects had insisted on flame retardant coatings. Crown Trade Timonox Matt was duly applied to increase the level of fire protection.
Moving through the reception areas for each stand, the changing rooms, media rooms and corridors of the ground floor, Peter’s men used airless spray to give all bare breezeblocks and freshly skimmed plaster a fine misting of Crown Trade Vinyl Matt. Two final coats were then applied by roller before the team moved upstairs to the function rooms, the fifteen private boxes, bars, offices, restaurant and directors’ and sponsors’ suites. Crown Trade Vinyl Matt was again used in great quantities to give a durable and fashionably flat matt finish throughout. White was used to keep boxes, corridors and stairwells bright and airy, and the rich contemporary Vinyl Matt colours required in reception lobbies and other hospitality areas were matched and tinted to order at the Crown Decorating Centre.
Bare skirting boards, architraves and door edges also needed a protective finish and were all given two coats of Crown Trade Quick Drying Varnish.
Outside, in the15000 seater arena overlooking the pristine pitch, the main contractors, Carrillion, had protected the structural steel work with International Coatings from Akzo Nobel but there was one important task for Else to carry out to ensure compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act. The edge of every single concrete step in the stadium had to be given a textured surface and painted with bright contrasting red and yellow strips to improve visibility for people with impaired vision. “There were 890 steps in total so it wasn’t the most exciting of jobs!” said Peter,” But the stadium is even more colourful now and we’ve made the stairs much safer for everyone to use”.
The stadium was completed on time and budget and was handed over to the Stadium Management Company, an independent organisation formed to run the venue. Sales & Marketing Manager Jacqui Page said the company was extremely pleased with the standard of decoration achieved. She commented:
“We have a superb sports venue here but we’re not only concerned with football, rugby and athletics. With its extensive hospitality facilities, Keepmoat Stadium is rapidly establishing itself as Doncaster’s premier location for conferences, functions and events. Because we are in a highly competitive market place, the interiors have to be styled and decorated to an exceptionally high standard. Else Northern and Crown Trade have certainly satisfied all our requirements and delivered a great finish.”
