The newly created living space above a painting shop in Schweinfurt was to be simple, individual and unique. This has been achieved with exposed concrete on the floor, unusual bathroom design and modern furnishings. A loft look on 400 square meters!

Due to the lack of affordable living space, so-called loft apartments emerged for the first time in large cities such as New York and Berlin in the mid-20th century. Vacant warehouses and industrial halls became living space. In the meantime, the industrial style has become the trendy style of living, with an open room design, high ceilings and the typical materials of old factory buildings. This style also characterizes the spacious apartment in the company building of Weger GmbH. Philipp Willacker, owner of the painting and plastering business in Schweinfurt's Heckenweg industrial estate, added a floor to the building constructed in 1972 and converted the upper floor for private use. The company that carried out the work was Cielebak Raumgestaltung. Products and advice for the finishing work were supplied by Prosol Lacke + Farben GmbH in cooperation with PCI Augsburg GmbH.

Jointless floor with exposed concrete

The client wanted a simple and natural design in his upper floor apartment. This should be implemented with a joint-free floor surface by means of visible plaster. Alex Jess, sales representative at Prosol, coordinated with PCI specialist adviser Peter Scharf after a joint site inspection. They chose PCI Zemtec 1K for the fair-faced concrete. “We have good experience with the concrete filling. Sealed with PCI Zemtec Top, the concrete which can be directly used is very decorative with its satin-matt surface and is consistently well received by our customers," says Jess. "And what counts for the craftsmen: PCI Zemtec 1K is easy to apply," adds Scharf. The cementitious, directly usable floor leveler is pumpable due to the self-leveling consistency and can therefore be quickly installed with little effort. Manual processing, as carried out by Cielebak, is also trouble-free: Pour PCI Zemtec 1K onto the PCI Gisogrund 404 primer, spread it, deaerate it with a spiked roller and then smooth with a smoothing trowel. Already after 24 hours, the covering can be sealed with PCI Zemtec Top and loaded after around three days. The 2-component aqueous PU sealing not only makes the floor resistant, abrasion-proof and easy to clean, it also ensures a beautiful look.

High-quality joint grout with a wide range of colors

The client also had a precise idea when it came to laying tiles in the bathrooms: the focus here was on the joint. The desire was for a durable joint that matches the color of the tiled floor perfectly. This resulted in the system structure: waterproofing was done with PCI's waterproofing membrane and waterproofing tape, including corners and sleeves. "These products offer an optimal price-performance ratio. We used PCI FT Flex and PCI Flexmörtel S1 Flott for the installation of the large-format ceramic surface covering. Both tile adhesives offer high non-sag properties even with heavy tiles," explains Alex Jess. To meet the demand for a hard-wearing joint with a wide range of colors, the craftsmen used PCI Durapox Premium. The epoxy resin grout with very smooth grouting behavior is resistant to chemicals and - matching the exclusive tile covering in the bathrooms - has a color-brilliant, very homogeneous grout surface. The aspect of "healthy living" was also taken into account with the PCI products: The exposed concrete PCI Zemtec 1K as well as the tile and grout mortars used are very low in emissions according to GEV-EMICODE EC1 PLUS. 

Philipp Willacke is satisfied with the result: he is proud to show off his new 400 square meter loft apartment. Together with modern furnishings and comfortable furniture, he has created a loft apartment with an individual, distinctive flair.