Property report: From monastery to Kölsch
Botament supplies installation products for historic tile floors in Cologne
More than a dozen restaurants attract countless visitors to Cologne's old town all year round. On the bank promenade, the traditional Haxenhaus zum Rheingarten offers its guests another highlight in addition to a wide variety of food and drinks, because the historic tiled floor of a former monastery chapel was laid in the interior. The approximately 130-year-old, colorfully patterned ceramic tiles were installed with the help of tiling products from system construction experts Botament.
Colourful, diverse and above all delicious: Numerous restaurants and bars with outdoor dining all year round are lined up along the colorful old town promenade in Cologne. One of these is the traditional Haxenhaus zum Rheingarten at the Frankenwerft. For more than 30 years, the restaurant in the old center of Cologne - both in front of and behind its pink facade - has been inviting you to indulgence, hospitality and history. In order to preserve the historical character of the inn, which was first mentioned in a document in 1231, the listed building has been rebuilt and restored several times over the centuries - including between November 2020 and June 2021. In the course of the extensive work, the operators have now decided on another one Clou, because in accordance with the rustic ambience of the two-storey restaurant, a historic tiled floor was relaid in the center of the lower guest room.
Rhenish tradition
The brightly patterned tiles were produced by Villeroy & Boch from Mettlach around 1890 and adorned the floor of a monastery chapel in Erkelenz on the Lower Rhine until 2015. Since the sacred building was to be demolished promptly due to the local lignite mining and the family-run FHW Gastronomie GmbH - operator of the Haxenhaus am Rheingarten - had been looking for a suitable historical floor covering for the interior of the restaurant for a long time, they acquired the tiles in the same year. The ceramic plates were carefully excavated in a very short time and transported to the Rhine metropolis of Cologne, where they were stored until they were used in 2021.
Professional relocation
The floor was laid by the Creativ Design Team from Mechernich (North Rhine-Westphalia), which specializes in tiles, slabs and mosaics. Both the condition of the subsoil on the ground floor of the several hundred-year-old house and the detailed pattern of the tiles - consisting of tendrils, foliage and geometric shapes in different, muted colors - posed a particular challenge in this project. For a high quality and longevity of the space That is why the tiling team around Sven Orbeck and Dirk Zinke chose the tiling systems from the Bottrop-based system construction professionals Botament. The planning of the project and the selection of the corresponding products took place in close cooperation between the team of craftsmen and the manufacturer.
Cologne model performance
In order to lay the elaborate pattern of rectangular, narrow, elongated and square ceramic tiles, the old inn floor was replaced with a new screed. This was first prepared with Botament D11 deep primer for absorbent substrates. The quick-drying primer can be rolled and brushed and reduces the absorbency of the substrate in a very short time. In this way, the adhesion of subsequent applications - such as a filler - is improved. This was followed by the laying of the elastic, thin decoupling membrane Botament DE, which helps to reduce the stress between the rigid ceramic covering and the laying subsurface. Laying in the composite is particularly uncomplicated, because the thin strips can be easily laid out and cut to size with scissors or a carpet knife. After the tile adhesive has been applied, the strips are then pressed on using a rubber roller or float.
Resilient and flexible
The flexible flow bed adhesive M29 HP was used both to fix the decoupling membranes and to lay the sometimes delicate, rectangular tiled backsplash. The high-yield premium adhesive is particularly stable and was specially developed for construction projects with the highest demands on the floor covering. After mixing, the product can simply be poured out of the bucket onto the substrate and applied with a notched trowel. The created surface can be walked on after just six hours.
High-quality material for heavily frequented areas
The historic monastery floor was supplemented on the side with matching colored tiles and finally grouted. Since the choice of the right material determines the longevity of the entire ceramic covering, particularly in the case of heavily frequented areas, those involved in the project opted for the multifunctional joint mortar MULTIFUGE Fine Speed in the shade of sand grey. The water- and dirt-repellent mortar is especially suitable for high-quality, weak and non-absorbent materials and for a joint width of up to ten millimeters. Its fine and smooth surface ensures an even finish, especially with small tiled mirrors and glass mosaics.
The high-tech speed technology developed by Botament reduces the drying time and enables wall and floor surfaces to be washed quickly. In this way, a high-quality, aesthetically pleasing result could be achieved in Cologne in a short time without hindering the further renovation of the historic building. Under the Cologne ceiling and the French cupboards, visitors in the old town will not only be able to enjoy sausages by the meter in the future – but with the help of Botament, they can also take a seat on several square meters of Rhenish history.
Bautafel:
Construction project: re-laying of a historical tiled floor
Client: Haxenhaus zum Rheingarten, FHW Gastronomie GmbH, Cologne.
Manufacturer of sealing and tiling system: Botament GmbH, Bottrop
Execution: Tile, panel and mosaic Creativ Design Team GmbH, Mechernich
Execution period: November 2020 to June 2021
Colourful, diverse and above all delicious: Numerous restaurants and bars with outdoor dining all year round are lined up along the colorful old town promenade in Cologne. One of these is the traditional Haxenhaus zum Rheingarten at the Frankenwerft. For more than 30 years, the restaurant in the old center of Cologne - both in front of and behind its pink facade - has been inviting you to indulgence, hospitality and history. In order to preserve the historical character of the inn, which was first mentioned in a document in 1231, the listed building has been rebuilt and restored several times over the centuries - including between November 2020 and June 2021. In the course of the extensive work, the operators have now decided on another one Clou, because in accordance with the rustic ambience of the two-storey restaurant, a historic tiled floor was relaid in the center of the lower guest room.
Rhenish tradition
The brightly patterned tiles were produced by Villeroy & Boch from Mettlach around 1890 and adorned the floor of a monastery chapel in Erkelenz on the Lower Rhine until 2015. Since the sacred building was to be demolished promptly due to the local lignite mining and the family-run FHW Gastronomie GmbH - operator of the Haxenhaus am Rheingarten - had been looking for a suitable historical floor covering for the interior of the restaurant for a long time, they acquired the tiles in the same year. The ceramic plates were carefully excavated in a very short time and transported to the Rhine metropolis of Cologne, where they were stored until they were used in 2021.
Professional relocation
The floor was laid by the Creativ Design Team from Mechernich (North Rhine-Westphalia), which specializes in tiles, slabs and mosaics. Both the condition of the subsoil on the ground floor of the several hundred-year-old house and the detailed pattern of the tiles - consisting of tendrils, foliage and geometric shapes in different, muted colors - posed a particular challenge in this project. For a high quality and longevity of the space That is why the tiling team around Sven Orbeck and Dirk Zinke chose the tiling systems from the Bottrop-based system construction professionals Botament. The planning of the project and the selection of the corresponding products took place in close cooperation between the team of craftsmen and the manufacturer.
Cologne model performance
In order to lay the elaborate pattern of rectangular, narrow, elongated and square ceramic tiles, the old inn floor was replaced with a new screed. This was first prepared with Botament D11 deep primer for absorbent substrates. The quick-drying primer can be rolled and brushed and reduces the absorbency of the substrate in a very short time. In this way, the adhesion of subsequent applications - such as a filler - is improved. This was followed by the laying of the elastic, thin decoupling membrane Botament DE, which helps to reduce the stress between the rigid ceramic covering and the laying subsurface. Laying in the composite is particularly uncomplicated, because the thin strips can be easily laid out and cut to size with scissors or a carpet knife. After the tile adhesive has been applied, the strips are then pressed on using a rubber roller or float.
Resilient and flexible
The flexible flow bed adhesive M29 HP was used both to fix the decoupling membranes and to lay the sometimes delicate, rectangular tiled backsplash. The high-yield premium adhesive is particularly stable and was specially developed for construction projects with the highest demands on the floor covering. After mixing, the product can simply be poured out of the bucket onto the substrate and applied with a notched trowel. The created surface can be walked on after just six hours.
High-quality material for heavily frequented areas
The historic monastery floor was supplemented on the side with matching colored tiles and finally grouted. Since the choice of the right material determines the longevity of the entire ceramic covering, particularly in the case of heavily frequented areas, those involved in the project opted for the multifunctional joint mortar MULTIFUGE Fine Speed in the shade of sand grey. The water- and dirt-repellent mortar is especially suitable for high-quality, weak and non-absorbent materials and for a joint width of up to ten millimeters. Its fine and smooth surface ensures an even finish, especially with small tiled mirrors and glass mosaics.
The high-tech speed technology developed by Botament reduces the drying time and enables wall and floor surfaces to be washed quickly. In this way, a high-quality, aesthetically pleasing result could be achieved in Cologne in a short time without hindering the further renovation of the historic building. Under the Cologne ceiling and the French cupboards, visitors in the old town will not only be able to enjoy sausages by the meter in the future – but with the help of Botament, they can also take a seat on several square meters of Rhenish history.
Bautafel:
Construction project: re-laying of a historical tiled floor
Client: Haxenhaus zum Rheingarten, FHW Gastronomie GmbH, Cologne.
Manufacturer of sealing and tiling system: Botament GmbH, Bottrop
Execution: Tile, panel and mosaic Creativ Design Team GmbH, Mechernich
Execution period: November 2020 to June 2021