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The Challenge

Wüsthof Cutlery wanted to renew the look of their flagship outlet retail store in Norwalk, CT with a contemporary designer metallic epoxy concrete floor. The challenge was installing a beautiful, deep-gloss, metallic epoxy over vinyl commercial tile (VCT).

The Outcome

A beautiful, metallic epoxy floor was installed that looks much more modern than their previous VCT floor.

Overview

Wüsthof is a high-end German manufacturer of cutlery. Their U.S. flagship outlet store in Norwalk, CT needed a flooring update to bring the appearance of the store into the 21st century. The store had vinyl commercial tile (VCT) installed and they did not want to remove it if possible.

Wüsthof wanted a designer metallic floor, also known as seamless resin metallic flooring. Duraamen’s Lumiere Designer Metallic Epoxy Flooring System provides a modern look and a deep, three-dimensional (3D) shine. Lumiere utilizes colored pigments made with real metallic particles suspended in a clear epoxy resin that is spread onto the floor. Once installed, Lumiere is nearly maintenance-free and resists scratches, scuffing, abrasions, impacts, moisture, chemicals, and high foot traffic. This makes it ideal for any commercial retail store. In this case, it’s ideal for the Flagship Wüsthof Outlet Retail Store.

The only issue with the installation was the current VCT flooring. This became a non-issue with the use of Duraamen’s Param SSL—a self-smoothing concrete overlay. Param SSL can be applied to any hard surface like concrete, ceramic, gypsum, tile, and of course, VCT. The Param SSL will provide a concrete-like surface for the Lumiere Metallic Epoxy to adhere to.

Finally, the floor was sealed with our Perdure U46—a polyurethane, UV-resistant topcoat that provides a high-gloss, protective finish. Had the client wanted a matte appearance they could have selected Perdure U45 which provides the same protection, but in a matte finish. Metallic epoxy with a matte finish is not often used but provides a unique look when appropriate.

Benefits

• High wear, impact, and abrasion resistance
• Very low maintenance
• Modern, trendy, beautiful
• Many metallic colors available and nearly any color may be created by mixing them
• Zero to Very Low VOC
• Various protective topcoats available for Light, Medium, and Heavy traffic
• Slip-resistant finish available though it may diminish the shine somewhat.

The Success:

The Wüsthof Outlet Retail Store now has a floor they can be proud of. A floor that truly reflects the quality of their products. The world’s greatest knife maker deserves the world’s greatest floor to display their wares.