The silky-matt and resistant varnish surface crowns Majvik's softwood floor

For more than a century, the softwood floor of Majvik's Art Nouveau castle has experienced a very diverse life and various types of consumption – during the Finnish family's summer holidays, as a military base and as a venue for festive weddings. The recently renovated floor must continue to withstand the walking and dancing steps of the guests. That is why Teknos' water-borne, wear-resistant wooden floor varnishing system was chosen for the coating.

Renovating an old wooden floor is a job that requires solid professional skills, flawless handiwork and good physical condition – this is known to Pasi Pilvi, who founded Tmi PP-Parketti. The company's job description includes the installation of parquet, laminate and vinyl floors and the renovation of old parquet and wooden floors.

Pilvi did flooring work for another company for a long time until he started his own business in 2006. ”The only way to learn this job is to do it; I acquired my skills in my previous jobs” says Pilvi. Smooth flooring requires high-quality, resistant and easy-to-apply products. Teknos' 1- and 2-component, water-borne floor stains, putties and varnishes are perfectly suited to PP-Parketti's needs.

The flooring shows the traces of your own work

PP-Parketti initially renovated a lot of school gym floors, but now the contracts are evenly split between public and private projects. ”Our customers are located in the Uusimaa region. There is relatively little competition in this industry, so we have enough work” states Pilvi. Hannu Lundberg, who works as Pilvi's assistant, has been doing flooring work since 1981. ”In the early days of my career, only hand tools were used for flooring work, so the work was physically heavier. Today, ergonomically better floor sanders are used, but the actual surface treatment is still done by hand”, states Lundberg.

Floor contracting companies are, on average, very small, operating with a team of one or a few people. ”The average age of entrepreneurs is quite high and there should definitely be more young people in the industry”, reflect Pilvi and Lundberg. ”The good aspects of the work are independence, the visibility of one's own handiwork and clear surfaces. That is why we like working in this industry”, add the men.

teknos' products have ideal properties

Water-borne products have been prominently involved in the flooring business for more than 15 years. After Teknos acquired Kiilto's floor varnish operations in 2018, the product range included, among other things, TEKNOFLOOR BOJA® wood stain, FORME® parquet primer varnish and OPAL® (10, 20 and 55) parquet varnish.”Teknos' new floor products have good leveling properties and are easy to apply with both a roller and a trowel. The calculated amount of varnish is well optimized and there is enough working time. Our job at Majvik went well and the floor was a success”,say Pilvi and Lundberg with satisfaction.

Leila Vänttinen, CEO of Majvik Oy, is also satisfied with the new look of the floor. ”The floor looks natural, has a beautiful colour and is suitable for the style of the building. I hope that the facilities will be used extensively for private parties and corporate events”.

There is no precise information about the year of construction and the architects of Majvik Art Nouveau Castle, but the building was probably completed between 1904 and 1908 by a local architect.

Originally owned and summered by the Arthur Af Forselles family, Majvik was leased to the Russians for 12 years after the war in connection with the cession of the Porkkala region. In 1974 it was sold to the Technical Union and began to be used as a training and holiday resort for the union's employees. Today, the space is managed by Majvik Ltd, a hotel and conference services company.