Othmar Beer Brewery, Ootmarsum

At Commanderieplein in Ootmarsum, next to the Open Air Museum, visitors can now enjoy the full brewing experience. Not only in the new Othmar craft brewery, but also in Gasterij Oatmössche, which is arranged around the brewing kettles. The design of both buildings was influenced by the aesthetics of traditional Belgian and German brewhouses, alongside food safety and ease of use. Right down to the floors.

To meet these requirements, ceramic tiles were combined with self-smoothing flooring, explains Bart Nijhuis, co-owner of the brewery. “Fully liquid-tight, slip-resistant, easy to clean and compliant with HACCP food safety standards. But also authentic in appearance. We found inspiration at the UZIN UTZ Nederland factory in Haaksbergen, which produces both Arturo self-smoothing flooring and Codex tile adhesives and grouts. Both were used in this project.”

Chemically resistant and slip-resistant

“The monolithic concrete substrate in the brewery was finished with Arturo PU2060 polyurethane self-smoothing flooring, which offers limited crack-bridging capability,” explains Bas Bloemen, Technical Sales Adviser at Arturo. The floor was then finished with a light grey, two-component Arturo PU3320 topcoat, followed by a transparent, single-component Arturo PU7975 topcoat. “This topcoat is chemically resistant and, thanks to the addition of fine granules, also provides slip resistance to help prevent slips. On the sand and cement screed in the museum area, where the old copper kettles are displayed, we installed Arturo EP1200 mortar flooring with an Arturo EP7950 seal coat, making the floor fully liquid-tight. The mortar flooring was laid to falls so that liquids and cleaning water always flow towards the drain, allowing thorough floor cleaning. A transparent epoxy mixed with sand, gravel and decorative granules creates a distinctive, authentic appearance.”

For the upstairs storage area, EP2500 epoxy self-smoothing flooring was selected, explains Enrico Nieuwenhuis, Commercial and Technical Director at flooring installer Westendorp Scholten. “This extra-hard flooring was needed because the loads here are much higher. The epoxy self-smoothing flooring is well suited to these demands.”

Nieuwenhuis looks back on a successful but challenging project, as the schedule changed at the last minute. “This required flexibility and creativity from our installers and from Arturo, which had to accelerate production.” The installation itself then went exactly to plan, he explains. “We are familiar with Arturo products, which we use for at least eighty per cent of our work. Once again, our end client was highly satisfied with the result.”

Authentic and easy to clean

André Groeneveld, owner of Tegelzetbedrijf André Groeneveld, also looks back on a successful project. His company installed approximately 1,200 m² of ceramic floor and wall tiles in areas including the restaurant, kitchen, brewery, bottling room and toilets at Othmar Brewery. “Ceramic tiles are highly durable and very easy to clean thoroughly,” he explains. “They retain their quality and authentic appearance. We used Codex tile adhesives and grouts throughout.”

In the kitchen, where cleaning agents are used frequently, Codex Epo Tix two-component epoxy grout was applied. This grout is resistant to chemical cleaning agents and retains its colour and performance, explains Martin Gerritzen, Technical Sales Adviser at Codex. “On both floors and walls. In the other areas, we used codex Flex Basic/codex Color Xtra polymer-modified cementitious grout.”

Before the tiles were installed, the cement screed was primed with codex FG 300 dispersion primer for absorbent substrates, he explains. “The tiles were then bonded using codex Power CX 3, a non-slump, smooth and flexible thin-bed adhesive. For the large-format tiles, adhesive was applied to both the substrate and the back of each tile to ensure optimum adhesion.”

Familiar partners

“We were involved in the project at a very early stage by consultancy BBD Bouwmanagement B.V. from Oldenzaal and building contractor Aannemersbedrijf Niehof B.V. from Lattrop, which also built our premises in Haaksbergen,” explains Gerritzen. “Both companies are very familiar with the UZIN UTZ Nederland range, which includes Codex and Arturo. The Heupink family, owners of Othmar Brewery, are also familiar clients, as our products were used in their previous brewery. Being asked to contribute to the new building is a tremendous compliment.”

Project information

Building: Othmar craft brewery and Gasterij Oatmössche, Ootmarsum
Construction management: BBD Bouwmanagement B.V., Oldenzaal
Contractor: Aannemersbedrijf Niehof B.V., Lattrop
Tile adhesive systems and grouts: Codex, a brand of UZIN UTZ Nederland bv, Haaksbergen
Tile installation: Tegelzetbedrijf André Groeneveld, Ootmarsum
Self-smoothing flooring: Arturo, a brand of UZIN UTZ Nederland bv, Haaksbergen
Flooring installation: Westendorp Scholten, Nijverdal
Completion date: December 2016