Allouche Gallery - A Case Study
Kevo Construction has chosen us as their flooring contractor on several projects, so we knew we would work well together for the newly renovated space that would be the Allouche Art Gallery on Gansevoort Street. Originally located in SOHO, the Allouche Gallery is making the move to the Meatpacking District, right across from the High Line and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Floor Preparations
The space needed a lot of TLC, particularly the main area, so we set to work removing black glue and thinset (an adhesive mortar), filling holes up to four inches in diameter, and other necessary surface repairs.
Previously a parking garage, the building had multiple existing finishes on the floor. This variety, and the gallery owner’s request to keep the existing surfaces, made maximizing each area’s potential beauty our primary goal. The central section of the project had been so damaged and chopped up from its previous heavy traffic flow and poor maintenance that our team had to work rigorously to prepare the floor before we could polish. Thanks to meticulous, diligent supervision and an all-around hearty work ethic, we were able to successfully patch and salvage the area.
Since we were working in an already demoed space, we could work quickly, and finished the preparation work in under a week. We met the challenges put before us to the gallery owner’s full satisfaction, and in the most cost effective way possible.
The Diamond Grinding Process
Some cases like this involve shot blasting or scarifying to loosen the previous underlayments of concrete, but we ground the surface all the way down to start “from scratch”. Our team used everything from heavy duty prep machines to the finest planetary finishing grinders in order to ensure the most cost-effective and beautiful results.
Special Features
The gallery consists of three levels, two of which are less than a foot difference in height, and one which is raised approximately three feet above the lower levels. Part of our project was to pour two ramps and a set of three steps to allow for maximum traffic flow and ease of access. Since the art gallery would be open to the public, we worked with Kevo to design these features and put them in place before finishing and polishing the entire floor.
All Polished Up: The Final Product
Then the gallery owner, Eric Allouche, came to look at a sample section we had polished for him. Although all decorative concrete is naturally beautiful, it’s important to us to ensure our customers’ specific needs are met, and we gave Eric a sample of what he has requested: a natural gray surface with minimal aggregate and high reflectivity (shine). After getting the thumbs-up, we polished both upper and lower levels, taking care to hand-polish in tight spaces and around the structural columns so every area would have the same level of reflectivity.
The entire project, from floor prep to final touches, took 10 days.
