Salt Bar & Restaurant in St Clair

PaintSmart worked with Salt Bar & Restaurant in St Clair to refresh the restaurant's look. As it involved using commercial grade paints in the kitchen and a team of builders, electricians and other trades, Salt Bar was closed for a week for the fit-out to be completed. As such, the project had a pretty tight timeframe, as some of the paints required a 24-hour drying time between coats.

One wall included heavily patterned feature wallpaper from McKenzie & Willis that was quite involved in terms of hanging. The pattern has an intricate banana leaf that matches the surrounding decor. PaintSmart worked around other trades during the fit-out to have all the walls and the wallpaper finished.

A large part of the project was completing the kitchen, as it required industrial grade paint and was a high shine surface requiring a lot of preparation to ensure the new paint would adhere effectively. As it’s a commercial kitchen, the paint had to withstand high heat, grease, steam and extensive wear. PaintSmart went with a commercial grade oil-based paint to ensure the kitchen would withstand heavy use.

The surface was first extensively cleaned down, and then painted with an oil-based etch to ensure the new commercial paint would adhere. From there it needed two coats with a 24 hour wait time between layers. This required a lot of coordination as, during that time, industrial cookers had to be removed and reinstalled, along with new benchtops and other industrial kitchen equipment.

The finished product is a high-grade paint finish, from the kitchen to the restaurant dining area and bar. The paint in the kitchen is well placed to withstand heavy commercial use and the feature wallpaper in the restaurant dining area adds a unique touch and talking point for any visitors to Salt St Clair Bar & Restaurant.