Clarke Contracts Plastering & Flooring Ltd are specialists in floor screeding and plastering throughout Ireland and the U.K. From their headquarters in Ballymena, Co Antrim, and with offices in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dublin, and London, this family run business has built up and extensive client list since its original genesis in the 1970s.
They are licensed installers of Isocrete K-Screed (incorporating underfloor heating, while they are approved installers of Flowcrete Epoxy Resin systems, Sto Render & EWI systems, Dryvit Render & EWI systems, Gyvlon Screeds, Cemfloor Liquid Screeds, Mapei Screeds, K Rend and other scraped renders, Weber Rend and EWI systems.
Clarke Contracts have supply their services to a large number of industries including education, housing and accommodation, retail and leisure and healthcare to name just a few.
As stated, they are specialists in plastering and floor screeding as well as epoxy resin and specialist floors.
Having started out as plastering contractors, Brendan Clarke and his brothers built the business over the years. Brendan now runs the business on his own, but has never forgotten his roots and they are still to this day one of the main plastering contractors in Northern Ireland.
Their portfolio is vast to say the least as their work has been part of some very distinguished projects both in the north and south of Ireland as well as the U.K.
“We started off on a small scale and just built up the business over the years. When we were established as plastering contractors, we started to branch into floor screeding and we developed a good reputation in this area also over the years,” said Brendan.
As well as hand applied plasters, Clarke Contracts provide the option of machine applied plaster. Spray applied plaster offers the builder and client a more flexible option to rendering as it overcomes the problem of material access without compromising any attention to a premium finish.
One of the secrets to their success has been the ability to move with the times through continued investment and embracing both new technology and methods.
“We have adapted accordingly over the years and it is a matter of having too or you will be left behind. We have always invested in the business and that has allowed us to maintain a high standard of work which has earned us many contracts over the years.
Concentrating on the latest technology available, we are able to provide a wide range of services – From machine applied render finishes to External Wall Insulation Systems in the plastering sector and from Pumped Proprietary Screeds to Liquid Screeds and Epoxy Resin Finishes in the flooring sector.”
Brendan is in no doubt that the best form of advertisement is through word of mouth as he stressed that you are only as good as your last job.
“We have developed a reputation for producing high quality work and customer satisfaction is our ultimate target on every project, from there word certainly filters through and it’s the best form of recommendation to get.”
Another reason why Clarke Contracts are regarded so highly in the industry is their client list which includes some of the top building firms in Ireland and the U.K.
Sisk, PJ Hegarty, John Paul Construction, Collen Construction and Walls Construction are just some of the clients on their books. Project wise, Clarke Contracts more recent ones include Capital, Docks, Hannover Quay, Centre Parcs, 10 and 40 Molesworth Street, NRH Dun Laoghaire, Trinity Hotel and Donnybrook House.
“We are very busy at the moment. The majority of our work is down south and we are pleased with the way that the business is going currently.”
Commercial Finance Manager Conor Kelly revealed that they learned a lot from the recession and they now choose their customers more wisely.
“We don’t take on any jobs that are too risky. Everyone gets paid on time now and it is a better way of operating. My role is to get money in and pay our bills and you have to be very stringent when doing this.”
Conor added that a major focus in the company is on health and safety which they take very seriously and are meticulous about.
“Health and Safety is a huge issue for us. We have our own H&S officer and we would have the Safe-T cert. We are audited on a regular basis and the whole industry has become a lot tighter in this respect. The main contractor expects a high level of health and safety everything has to be in order.”
Brendan had the last word when he revealed that he was pleased with the direction the business has been going for the past few years.
“We a bright future throughout the UK and Ireland, with many successful contracts now completed over the last number of years – showcasing our range of services and commitment to high standards and in turn promoting the company to a growing range of main contractors.”
CONTACT DETAILS:
Clarke Contracts
Plastering & Flooring Ltd
BALLYMENA
89 Bann Road
Rasharkin
Ballymena
Co. Antrim
Northern Ireland
BT44 8SZ
+44 (0)28 2954 0191
+44 (0)28 2954 0401
ABERDEEN
3rd Floor
Riverside House
Riverside Drive
Aberdeen
Scotland
AB11 7LH
+44 (0)1224 392 421
LONDON
+44 (0) 20 3096 6006
DUBLIN
+353 (0) 1 556 3308
GLASGOW
+44 (0) 1 556 3308
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, May, Vol 5 No 5
