THE Sharps Pixley name goes back to 1778 and was originally founded through the merger of two London bullion businesses. Sharps Pixley was formerly a central player in the London gold and silver bullion broking community as an original gold fixing member and chairman of the silver fix.
The state-of-the-art certified grade 10 storage vaults are among the most secure in the world. Facial recognition and biometric fingerprint scan technology are used to ensure fast and highly secure access. 24/7 CCTV surveillance is directly linked to the Metropolitan Police.
The company name expired in 1995 but was revived in 2010 following the purchase of the company name and the trademark from the former owner of the business, Deutsche Bank, thereby providing a link with the original firm.
Today, based in the west end of London, the business is wholly-owned by one of the wealthiest families in Germany and sits in the DEGUSSA group of businesses, said to be one of the largest sellers of retail physical gold in Europe.
At their London premises, about 180sq m of LVT herringbone pattered floor had been laid. After less than a year the surface appeared dull and was becoming increasingly difficult to clean effectively. One option considered was to replace the flooring, but the costs, downtime and disruption that this would generate was deemed unacceptable.
During further discussions between the client and the flooring contractor, Terry Blanchard of Blanchard’s French Polishers, it was decided the Bona Resilient System offered an optimal solution. The existing flooring would remain in situ but the surface could be renovated to render the surface aesthetically pleasing and protected while being simple to maintain.
Says Bona: ‘The process used involved a deep cleaning of the surface. For this Bona PowerRemove R was used which effectively cleans but also softens any polish or other maintenance products which may have been applied. Bona’s Diamond abrasives were used on the wet surface to clean and provide a physical ‘key’ to the surface of the LVT. The surface was rinsed using clean water and a Bona Powerscrubber leaving the surface dry and the waste liquid safely collected.
‘The surface was then coated using Bona Pure HD, a highly durable, water-based coating developed specifically for resilient flooring. The new coating immediately transformed the appearance of the dull LTV producing a surface that is easy to maintain. It’s also possible to apply further coats of Bona Pure HD in the future should this be required.
‘During the recoating process the condition of some adjacent wood flooring including a staircase was discussed. In particular the client was keen to match the sheen of this floor to the pristine appearance of the newly renovated one.’
To achieve this the timber flooring was sanded back to bare wood using a Bona Flexisand, a sanding machine which can be used with timber laid in any pattern and preserves the thickness of the timber by only removing the required amount, minimising any damage, says Bona.
The company continues: ‘This was connected to the Bona DCS 25, an extractor containing a HEPA filter, which allowed dust-free sanding. The surface was primed and then treated with applications of Bona Traffic HD, a commercial grade, water-based lacquer positioned for use within high-traffic environments such as airports, museums, and restaurants.
‘To allow effective aftercare of the transformed floors, details of Bona’s recommended maintenance system were provided to ensure the flooring meets the client’s exacting standards for years to come.
Bona would like to thank SOL Construction Management Services and Blanchard French Polishers for working with the Bona Resilient System to deliver outstanding results for Sharps Pixley Bullion Brokers.’
CAPTION1: It was decided the Bona Resilient System offered an optimal solution
CAPTION2: The existing flooring remained in situ as the surface was renovated
