Luxury Apartment Development, Croydon
“I used to joke with the guys in SAM about the time difference between London and Belfast. Of course, the time difference is zero – but the time difference between using SAM Zero and any other product on this job has been huge!”
When ABL Doors looked to achieve high quality at a reduced cost on a large premium development in London, SAM Zero provided exactly what they were looking for.
The Challenge:
To minimise the finishing time required on door set installation while achieving a high-end finish for a 265-unit luxury apartment development in West London.
The Back Story:
ABL Doors was contracted to deliver and install finished door sets throughout a luxury 265 apartment development in ‘chi-chi’ West London. The company takes in all the door components – architraves, handles, etc. – finishes and assembles, then delivers and installs the fully finished door sets.
ABL Doors had a working relationship with SAM Mouldings but had only ever used SAM’s paint grade mouldings. ABL knew that it was going to take a team of 8 up to 10 months to complete the installation and any savings on finishing time per unit would amount to quite a saving. However, this could only happen if there was to be no cost to the standard of quality delivered on this high spec development.
The Solution:
Adrian explains why they chose SAM Zero as their solution:
“We chose to work with SAM because we had a previous relationship and the product lent itself well to this development. SAM Zero matched the doors very well, but the real challenge was that we wanted to minimise finishing on-site (painting etc). SAM Zero was installed at the last minute when all the other trades had gone through, which worked very well.
“We were effectively trialling the product on a large scale and it worked well. We had to consider price, availability, consistency, and confidence that it would be delivered on time. We felt that SAM Zero best suited our needs on this product.”
“We considered 1) paint grade with painting on site 2) paint grade and off-site spray painting by a third party and 3) a foil product. With a site like this, we have a duty of care to explore all the options open to us, to make sure that our customers are getting the best product for their needs. After exploring other options, it was SAM Zero we ultimately worked with.”
“SAM Zero reduced the time for painting because it’s fully finished, which made the installation easier. They even offered advice and support onsite.”
“Because it’s fully finished, you need to handle the product with a bit more care, but in terms of ease of installation from a door set point of view, it was no different to a paint grade product.”
“We actually did two trial plots. On the first one, we were new to installing the product – how to handle it and the differences between it and the paint grade product. We weren’t fully satisfied so agreed to do a second plot learning from the previous trial, and we agreed that the second one was what we would go on and supply.”
“The installation has happened on target, availability has been very good and delivery hasn’t been an issue.”
The Result:
ABL Doors have been delighted with how this ‘massive trial’ has worked out. They have increased their profit on the project while delivering a look that their client is delighted with.
As a result, ABL Doors are now specifying SAM Zero on two more developments – and are also going to trial SAM Wrap on another project.
The profiles used for this project are made to order and minimum order quantities apply.
➡ Skirting – SAM3832 14.5mm x 119mm (fully finished)
➡ Architrave – SAM3682 22mm x 69mm (tongued / fully finished)
➡ Door frame – SAM3604 / 3823 25mm x variable (fully finished)
If you have any questions about this project, please get in touch using the form below.
