Elegant tiles complete the new Hudson's Bay department shop in Enschede, Netherlands.

Data

Building type Warehouses and car dealerships
Area 11.000 m²
Country Netherlands

The town of Enschede in Twente in the Netherlands has been enriched by a beautiful department shop. The well-known Canadian department shop chain Hudson's Bay presents fashion, beauty and lifestyle articles from exclusive brands in a 3-storey building with a total area of 11,000 m². After months of renovation, the department shop opened its doors. The tiled floor was an important part of this development. Not only the speed of execution and ultimate functionality of the floor played a major role, but also the aesthetics.

 

All from one source

Within two weeks, the TGLS! tilers were able to complete the laying work: almost 2000 m² of tiles were laid with special details. A special feature of this project is that TGLS! carried out the complete installation. From the preparation of the substrate to the application of special details in tiling.

A good preparation is half the work. On the ground floor, the existing substrate - a levelling layer with old glue residue - was therefore sandblasted and sanded before applying the universal primer codex FG 300 for mineral and absorbent substrates. The primer serves as an bonding agent for the later applied object filler codex FM 30, which is ideal for levelling out unevenness in substrates and, thanks to its rapid drying, guarantees early readiness for covering.

 

White and elegant with the necessary details

To give the ground floor and entrance of the luxury department shop the exclusive look typical for Hudson's Bay, ceramic, white, semi-lucidato tiles measuring 60 x 60 cm were selected. In view of the time pressure of the project and the surface to be tiled, the flexible rapid adhesive codex Power RX 8 was used to bond the tiles. This tile adhesive offers optimum working properties, as it allows a long working time despite rapid curing. On the ground floor, the elegant white tiled floor contains many special details. For example, brass and black stripes were used to separate the different departments and brands. "Not an easy task for the tilers of TGLS!", says Patrick de Winter, director of TGLS!: "The curves and stripes are reflected in the tiles in many places. This is high precision work and extremely laborious. Once the tiles were set, the shapes were milled into the tiles and the stripes were worked". Especially in the short time frame these details were a great challenge. In addition, expansion joints were made in various places to match the design of the tile surface.

On the third floor of the department shop you will find the restaurant La Place. TGLS! Has also taken over the tiling here. "To emphasise the appearance and experience of La Place, we ordered special ceramic tiles with a dark and robust look.  It was important that the tiles were easy to care for and extremely wear-resistant," says Patrick de Winter. "In the centre of the restaurant, a wood-look tile was laid, surrounded by a hard stone band. A very special design. Both the ceramic tiles and the natural stone band are bonded with codex Power RX 8, as it is also suitable for natural stone that is not susceptible to discolouration.  

 

Challenge Time

To complete such a project in a two-week period seems impossible. "Projects like this, where time pressure is high, are always a challenge. But this is the chance for us to get even more out of it," continues Patrick de Winter. "The week before and the week after Christmas our men worked very hard. And you can be proud of the result. codex also did a great job here and made a major contribution.

Products used

Power RX 8 Flexible adhesive mortar for large format tiles

The rapid setting, highly flexible thin-bed mortar codex Power RX8 is particularly suitable for the installation of large format tiles thanks to its crystalline water-binding properties.

FG 300 Primer

codex FG 300 is a dispersion primer for absorbent, mineral substrates. The FG 300 is versatile, water-dilutable and easy to use and offers highest safety due to its good penetration capacity.

FM 30 Object Levelling Compound

codex FM 30 is a self-levelling cement floor levelling compound for a layer thickness of 3-30 mm. Thanks to fast drying, a reduced waiting time is achieved.

Installation systems for screeds, floors and wood flooring

Machinery and special tools for substrate preparation and installation of floor coverings

Complete product range for installation, renovation and maintenance of wood flooring

Resin and cementitious floor finishes combining performance and design

Installation systems for tiling and natural stone

High quality painting, plastering and drywalling tools