Crown: Using paint to create practical and exceptional healthcare environments

Glen Cooper, Specification Technical Manager at Crown Paints, discusses the use of paint in healthcare environments…

“For healthcare projects, whether they are new builds or refurbishments, paint can be used to improve patient experience and create a robust environment that can stand the test of time.

For example, the correct colour specification can be used to aid mobility around a building – particularly for people who are visually impaired or have dementia. 

Using colour strategically can help identify different corridors and stairwells and help with wayfinding. Colour-coding areas of a building also helps patients and visitors to keep their bearings as they move through a hospital.

When choosing colours, it’s also important to bear in mind how sight changes people as they get older. Stronger, richer colours can be recognised more easily as people age whereas pastel shades become more difficult to distinguish.

Maintaining hygiene

Paint also helps maintain hygienic healthcare environments. High-performance paints that include in-built anti-bacteria protection like our Clean Extreme Anti-Bacterial Scrubbable Matt helps slow the growth of bacterial on the surface of walls.

The paint has innovative silver ion technology and tests show that its anti-bacterial protection will be retained even when it has been scrubbed clean 10,000 times.

As is the case for specifying materials for other large buildings, fire safety is equally important in healthcare environments. Paint can help provide an extra layer of protection too.

Our range of flame retardant Timonox products offers a class 0 rating against the surface spread of flames. On its own it can’t protect fully against fire, but it can slow the spread of fire over surfaces when combined with other non-flammable building materials and systems, buying valuable time to get people out of a building.

There is also no need to compromise aesthetics for quality as our high performance products, such as Clean Extreme and Timonox can be matched in thousands of colours.

Since healthcare environments require a specialist approach, our in-house colour experts work closely with clients to devise a colour scheme and paint formulation that perfectly suits the healthcare setting in question.

Our consultants and specification teams can advise specifiers on the best products and the various services we have to help specifiers – from site surveys and bespoke specifications to NBS services.”

Crown Trade,
PO Box 37,
Hollins Road,
Darwen,
BB3 0BG,
United Kingdom,

Phone 0330 0240310
Fax 01254 774414

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