Many care facilities are located in buildings that are often full of character but are outdated or in need of a serious facelift. With limited budgets and patient care the main priority it can be a challenge for managers to keep things looking bright and modern for residents and their visitors.
Two such care homes were recently looking to refurbish elements of their facilities and took a new approach to old furniture, fixtures and fittings by working with Aura Graphics on making some real changes at a much lower cost than replacing the items themselves.
Killilea House in Bury is a thirty-six bedroom intermediate care facility with an older wing and a newer extension. In the four bedroom wings the fire doors had become worn over the years as signs were replaced and removed then reattached damaging the veneer on the doors.
Project lead Tracy Evans comments: “We really wanted to replace all the fire doors, but with fifty in total, the cost was prohibitive and the work required extensive which would have led to disruption for the residents.
“We were recommended Aura Graphics and approached them to see if they could help. The team came out and said that we could have the doors wrapped for a fraction of the cost of removing the old ones and ordering new.”
So with the project and completion date agreed, the Aura team arrived on site and began sanding down the old doors, removing the doorplates and filling any holes. They then wrapped each of the fifty doors with a wood effect wrap. The whole job took only three days and was completed with minimum disruption to the daily running of the home and its residents.
“The doors look great and we’ve had lots of people asking how it was done. You can’t tell it’s a wrap and the money we saved was substantial,” says Tracy.
Aura Graphics also recently applied the same solution to the challenge of converting an old NHS-run building to a private care home. The building and its fixtures were tired and needed refreshing on a very tight budget and within short timescales.
The old fashioned doors were wrapped in vibrant solid, block colors, even the shower panels were recladded and then fitted with a digitally printed wrap which modernised the look of the shower area immediately.
Toilet block panels improved the aesthetics at minimal cost and the new digital wall graphics featuring photographs of the locality, helped to create a relaxed and personal environment, less like a hospital and more like a home from home.
Tired looking reception desks, lift interiors and architraves were rapidly refreshed on site, in working hours, without causing any dust or contamination which is present when re-painting. Even the old vanity units were given a new lease of life with a wrap that saved the expense of ripping them out and the plumbing and fitting costs of new ones.
The materials used were selected from the 3M Di-Noc material range. This product is great for clean and cost effective surface refurbishment and enhancement projects, where quickly changing the look and feel with minimal disruption to the normal running of the business is key. With over 500 patterns, from wood grains and stone effects to metals and leathers, the Di-Noc range is a versatile and inspiring decorative covering.
Stuart Day, Sales & Marketing Director of Aura Graphics said: “One of the main benefits of wrapping fixtures and fittings that need updating is the cost saving. It is significantly cheaper than buying and installing new items. With minimum disruption to residents it also assists with a company’s green credentials to refurbish rather than dispose of items.
“There is a large choice of patterns and colours available, in fire-rated material and the option to choose images of local landmarks or scenes, can bring comfort and familiarity to residents enhancing the care environment.”
So it could be said that Aura Graphics has care home renovation totally wrapped up. To see what they could renovate and wrap for your facility contact one of the team on 0845 0525 241.
To find out more, please visit our website www.auragraphics.com.
