Chester Zoo

The Zoo's experienced multi-skilled in-house team, led by Maintenance Team Manager Tony Ankers, are responsible for the continuous upkeep, maintenance and decoration of all the buildings and enclosures at the Chester, the UK’s largest zoo.

The zoo identified that the Miniature Monkey house was in need of a complete overhaul. The large ‘all weather’ visitor viewing area was stripped right back to bare wood, and around the perimeter of the enclosure the ‘stand off’ viewing fence was completely renewed with new plywood panels.

This meant that there was a substantial amount of bare timber to be decorated and protected from the elements. After looking at various Sadolin options, the team decided to use the Ultra Translucent Woodstain system in Heritage Oak to decorate and protect all the bare wood within the enclosure.

In order to achieve Ultra’s full protective and decorative benefits, a four-coat system was applied throughout. One coat of the un-tinted Ultra Basecoat was followed by three coats of the translucent Ultra Woodstain in Heritage Oak, one of sixteen shades available. This approach built up rich colour and delivered the long-lasting protection required but still allowed the fine wood grain and detailing to show through.