Heritage preserved

Decorating articles and inspiration from TrendsIdeas

Restoring the Crown Roller Mills building was not only about preserving the distinctive visual elements. Environmental Choice-approved Resene paints also helps future-proof the building.

Dunedin is renowned for its historic architecture, but it is usually the public buildings and cathedrals that capture the most attention. The Crown Roller Mills building is an exception. Built in 1867 to house Anderson and Mouat's steam-driven flour mill, The Historic Places Trust category 1 building had an Industrial role to play right up until 1997, when it was closed by Goodman Fielder.

Over the past three years, however, the mill has been rescued from neglect, its façade of pressed brick and Oamaru stone restored, and the interior trans-formed into premium apartments and a restaurant.

Not surprisingly, retaining the original building aesthetic was essential – the building is protected by Dunedin City Council bylaws. Resene X-200 water-proofing membrane was specified to waterproof the quadruple brick construction, while copious litres of Resene Membrane Roofing Primer provide adhesion to the old bitumen-based waterproof coating. Steel balustrades, railings and steel sash windows were primed with Resene ArmourX Rust-Arrest to minimise rust development, followed by topcoats of Resene Super Gloss enamel black.

The internal areas where the flour mill operated also received special attention. Resene Sureseal was used to bind back decades of flour ingress into the old Oregon timbers.

Environmental Choice-approved products adorn the rest of the interior, with Resene Broadwall Waterborne Wallboard Sealer finished in topcoats of Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen waterborne enamel, or Resene Zylone Sheen low-sheen acrylic. Doors and trim feature Resene Lustracryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel.