A brand new multi-purpose sports facility has been named the best of its kind in the north east of Scotland thanks in part to the winning finish provided by products from leading paint manufacturer Johnstone's.

The £28million Aberdeen Sports Village includes a nine-court sports hall, a third generation full-sized indoor football pitch and numerous athletics facilities.

Aberdeen-based painting contractors, McLaren & Co Painting Contractors Ltd, who are members of the Scottish Decorators Federation (SDF), were responsible for the stunning decorative work undertaken at the impressive facility, which took 28 weeks and 23 decorators, including apprentices, to complete.

The work was carried out to such a high standard that it was nominated for the prestigious Johnstone’s Painter of the Year competition, which rewards painting contractors whose work excelled during 2009.

The contractors were required to undertake extensive painting work on varying surfaces such as internal plasterboard walls, steelwork, skirting, trims, concrete walls and plant room flooring. Requiring a tough matt finish able to withstand high volumes of traffic, extensive tests were undertaken by the client to determine which brand offered the best solution.


Coming out top of the list was Johnstone’s, who were able to provide a wide range of premium paint solutions to ensure the project received a top class finish.

Johnstone’s Acrylic Durable Matt was specified for use on the plasterboard walls for its tough and long-lasting finish, while Johnstone’s Jonmat Premium Contract Matt was chosen for its permeable properties for use on the internal concrete walls in high traffic areas. Johnstone’s Two Pack Water Based Floor Paint was selected for the plant room flooring, while other products from Johnstone’s vast range such as Covaplus Vinyl Matt, Woodworks Satin Floor Varnish, Professional Undercoat and Gloss were used to outstanding effect. The majority of the vast internal space was decorated with white as a the premium colour, however, bright accents of red, yellow and blue were used throughout to match the Sports Village’s logo.

Johnstone’s Stormshield Smooth Masonry was used on the exterior of the Village to provide it with a smooth finish that helps resist dirt accumulation and offers excellent weather resistance. In total, 9560 litres of Johnstone’s products were used on the Sports Village.

Ralph Skene, Hon-Chairman of McLaren & Co Painting Contractors said: “This was obviously a very prestigious project to work on and we staked our reputation on Johnstone’s products. I am delighted to say that it met everyone’s expectations. My team were more than satisfied with its application characteristics and opacity, and most importantly of all, the client is very pleased with the finished results.”

Sandy Blair, Regional Sales Manager at Johnstone’s added: “Deadlines were exceptionally tight for the project and one of the biggest challenges for the decorators was the thorough planning and coordination required to work around the other trades working on the facility. The finished result demonstrates quality and meticulous managerial skills to ensure the decoration was completed to the standard required.”

(GK)