As part of a pioneering project to transform an old train carriage into a functional teaching space and coffee shop for Five Acre Wood School, a complete remodelling of the interior was essential. For this, a combination of Valspar Trade’s Tough Matt and Direct to Wood & Metal paint were used by refurbishment specialist, Jeremy Harris.
Located in Maidstone, Five Acre Wood School is an all-age District Special School, working with children and young adults with learning difficulties. To support students’ development, the school operates a number of learning strategies, looking to expand the skillset of its pupils ready for life outside of education.
The latest example of this is the new FAWrient Express café, a unique train carriage coffee shop, within which the school’s students can work and gain invaluable hands-on experience in hospitality.
Jeremy Harris, Owner of Restoring Homes Ltd, explained further: “In around August 2023, I was approached by Five-Acre Wood School to refurbish this former train buffet carriage into a functional café working space, which its students could use.
“It’s obviously quite a unique platform to work on, with a large overhaul needed to make the space suitable for its new purpose. I began work in January 2024, first stripping out the existing interior and then re-building it out. The entire carriage had to be decorated, including some of the exterior finishes, which is where Valspar Trade became involved.
“Having used Valspar Trade for the past four to five years, I’m very familiar with both the brand and the team. When I was first approached for this project, I spoke to Rob Glass, TSS for South London and Southeast at Valspar Trade, about the possibility of them donating paint for the project. Valspar Trade was happy to help and I was provided over 70 litres of paint to complete this job.”
Valspar Trade’s Direct to Wood and Metal was used for the train exterior, as well as the interior plywood and MDF walls and metal finishes. This was in the colours Sooty Lashes (a dark grey tone), Mystic Mocha (a warm tan shade) and Black and Bonjour (a vibrant yellow hue).
Jeremy commented: “This product was ideal, as it adhered really well and the coverage was fantastic. These can be tricky substrates to work on but using Valspar Trade, I had no issue at all. I was especially impressed with the opacity of the paints, with all surfaces covered in just two coats.”
As well as Direct to Wood and Metal, Jeremy also used Valspar Trade Tough Matt, saying: “I used the Tough Matt on a lot of the internal surfaces. Being a durable, scrubbable and stain resistant emulsion, it was perfect for the working nature of this space, where there may be spills or mess whilst serving customers. Again, I found this product was easy to apply, had great coverage and was also low splatter, meaning I didn’t have to worry about cleaning up as I was going.”
Named the FAWrient Express, after the school’s acronym, the new coffee shop and learning space was officially opened in October 2024 and has been well received by staff and students. Head Teacher, Tim Williams, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the phenomenal individuals, as well as local, national and global organisations that have backed our pioneering project. Their extraordinary support is acknowledged on our ‘wall of honour’ in the FAWrient Express. Their generosity highlights the remarkable power that this initiative holds to ‘achieve new possibilities’ and change lives within and beyond our immediate community.”
Find out more about Valspar Trade, here: https://www.valsparpaint.co.uk/valspar-trade/
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