The owner of a resort in a scenic town in NSW contacted AM360 seeking help. Their restaurant kitchen was in need of a refresh. The tiles adorning its walls were looking dated. The owner wanted new wall sheeting to give it a cleaner and more modern feel. Plus, the materials used in the refit had to be easier to clean than the existing tiles which required constant scrubbing of all the grout lines.
In addition to needing a new look and easy to clean solution, the owner could only shutdown the kitchen for 2 days for installation work. Any longer downtime than that would be too costly in terms of lost revenue for the resort.
The team at AM360 were up for the challenge.
Before Installation:
After meeting with the owner and scoping out the project, it was decided that our AM-Clad 2.5mm smooth-surface antimicrobial wall sheeting would be the ideal solution. This sheeting is food safe, sterile and impact resistant. Containing billions of silver ion particles*, the sheeting is resistant to bacterial and viral colonisation
A total of 17 sheets in white were required for the refit.
The owner was originally planning on refitting the walls with stainless steel, believing it would be the most cost effective option. Our quote for installing AM-Clad sheeting was less than half the price of opting for stainless steel. Needless to say, the owner was very happy with that — especially when considering that while stainless steel would provide a non-porous surface which appears clean and looks hygienic, normal cleaning process attributed with scouring stainless steel causes microscopic scratching. This allows bacteria to gather and incubate, requiring constant cleaning to maintain any control on infection.
On the other hand, our antimicrobial sheeting will sustain its protection all the way through, continually breaking the chain of infection 24/7 even if scratching occurs in this harsh environment.
During Installation:
Our installers got to work. The sheeting was installed directly over the existing tiles using professional adhesives. This saved the owner time and money as no labour was required to chisel off all those tiles.
To ensure there were no gaps or crevices for microbes to hide and multiply within the kitchen, the sheets were cut to size and fixed using hot welded joints. This involved leaving an even 3mm gap between the vertical edges of the sheets when bonding them to the wall. The gaps were then filled and hygienically sealed with a special antimicrobial hot weld rod to maintain the antimicrobial integrate across the entire walling surface. The sheets were also expertly thermoformed on-site, ensuring a professional finish and minimised edge joints around corners and doors.
In total, the installation took 1.5 days, so the whole job was completed within the clients’ requested time frame.
After Installation:
The walls of the kitchen not only look fantastic but are now completely antimicrobial. The surface is extremely easy for staff to keep clean by following standard cleaning procedures. There’s no gaps or porous grout to scrub.
Thanks to the silver ions which are infused into the PVC sheets during the manufacturing process, microorganisms can not gain a foothold on the surface. The growth of bacteria, mould, fungi and viruses are inhibited. After 15 minutes, up to 80% of microbes will have been eliminated and after a handful of hours 99.9% of microbes will have been killed, making the kitchen a constantly hygienic space, not just after cleaning.
The resort owner can be rest assured their kitchen will continue to be antimicrobial for decades to come as our AM-Clad smooth sheeting has a 30 year guarantee.
Does your kitchen need a hygienic refit too?
The team at AM360 are ready to help start you on the way to getting the best infection control products on the market. Talk to us today and limit your infection risks by calling 1300 884 978 or by filling out the enquiry form below and we’ll get back to you.
Please note: All of our products contain ionic silver, unlike other products on the market which contain nano silver. According to researchers at Rice University, in order for silver to be effective in killing bacteria, it has to be in its ionised form. Nano silver is therefore benign in the presence of microbes.