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THE CONTRACT to source and install more than 3500m² of flooring for the Millennium Arts Project was given to Northern Lifestyle Sports Flooring, a Queensland-based company with national experience working on the National Gallery in Canberra and the Arts Centre at Gymea in Sydney.

Due to the stringent requirements needed for the internal environment of a gallery space, it is imperative that the timber is properly seasoned before installation, says director Peter Guntner.

"The climactic conditions in an art gallery are tightly controlled and we had to ensure the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) the point at which the timber neither loses or gains moisture from the surrounding atmosphere of the timber was at the optimum level to the conditions within the gallery."

In order to achieve the optimum moisture content the timber had to be stored in the gallery from the time its air conditioning system was operational.

"The timber was stored for three weeks to allow it to acclimatise prior to being laid. Having a company such as Boral Timbers on board as last-minute supplier ensured that this three week period, and indeed the whole project, was kept on track," says Guntner.

During the storage phase the moisture content was monitored by Timber Queensland. Once the right conditions were met, the tallowwood tongue and groove flooring was direct glued and nailed to plywood, which was in turn glued and pinned to the concrete floor. Lastly, the flooring in the gallery was finished with an oil-modified polyurethane, supplied by Peerless Jal, to provide a tough, durable surface finish that prevents the timber from drying out while retaining the natural colours. For the library flooring a Peerless Jal water-based polyurethane was chosen for its low volatile organic compound (VOC) and odour levels.

For information, contact Northern Lifestyle Sports Flooring Pty Ltd, PO Box 65, Cleveland, QLD 4163, phone (07) 3820 6248, fax (07) 3207 9480. Email: northernlifestyl@ozemail.com.au.

Story by: Trendsideas