The Swedish carmaker Volvo has developed a new corporate identity (CI) for its car dealerships. The reduced Scandinavian design represents modernity and quality. These requirements were implemented by Finck und Claus GmbH in the refurbishment of its dealership in Pinneberg – with large grey tiles laid in a matched pattern. Tile laying was by no means easy; the project had to be completed fast at the same time as meeting the high aesthetic demands of the client and ensuring a high level of reliability. The large glazed facade of the dealership means that the tiled floor is exposed to very strong sunlight. The tiling contractor concerned, SKM-Bau GmbH, implemented a low-stress solution using PCI products.

Low-stress solution with PCI Flexmörtel S1 Flott

On the ground floor of the dealership, 600 m² of fully vitrified tiles with a size of 75 x 75 cm were laid. Following the removal of the old floor covering, the tilers applied PCI Gisogrund 404 special primer to the floor. All the irregularities in the substrate needed to be smoothed out to provide an ideal surface for laying the large tiles. The surface was levelled very efficiently by pumping in the flowable PCI levelling compound. The tilers laid the large New Volvo Grey (Interne Fiandre) tiles using PCI Flexmörtel S1 Flott as the adhesive. In order to highlight the modern design, a matched tile pattern was used. With its non-sag properties, the very low-emission flexible mortar is well-suited for laying extremely large tiles because it prevents the large, heavy tiles from sinking into the mortar bed. In the selection of the tile adhesive, it was also important to take into consideration the strong sunlight reaching the tiles through the glass facade. Temperature fluctuations as a result of the sunlight cause stress in the floor which may permanently damage the tiled covering. The tile adhesive therefore had to be sufficiently flexible to compensate for the stresses. The flexible mortar PCI Flexmörtel S1 Flott meets these requirements. In addition, it is extremely easy to use: “Despite its fast setting time – the floor can already be used after only about six hours – you can still work with the flexible mortar for up to 3 hours,” says Stefan Kulbe, proprietor of Firma SKM-Bau GmbH, on the benefits of the tile adhesive.

The tiles were grouted using the very low-emission joint grout PCI Nanofug Premium. With a working time of about 45 minutes, this mortar is extremely convenient to use. PCI Nanofug Premium is very popular with project owners as the joints are easy to clean, resist attack by acidic detergents and offer effective protection against certain mould fungi and microorganisms. Expansion and connecting joints were filled with PCI Silcofug E. The very low-emission sealant is elastic and resists attack by ultraviolet radiation.

Work completed to schedule

The time schedule for refurbishment work at the Volvo dealership was very tight as disturbances to normal business needed to be minimized. “This was a real challenge,” says Stefan Kulbe. “The support provided by the PCI advisers on site was extremely useful. Thanks to the harmonized products, we were able to achieve rapid progress on site. We completed the project to schedule after four weeks.”