Car wash with steel construction Wensink

The Groningen (NL) branch of dealer group Wensink has expanded its operations with the construction of a reconditioning department: a new building in which used cars are prepared for sale. This, of course, includes a thorough washing. This is realised in a 35-metre long washbox, which Cleanbuild built. Not only the wall and ceiling panels, but also the steel construction was realised by our team.

Trade magazine CarwashPRO visited the new wash bay together with Cleanbuild representative Nick Elbertsen. You can read more about this great project in the article below.

Cleanbuild: increasing demand for turnkey washrooms

Author: Paul van den Bogaard. Appeared on CarwashPRO on 3 May 2022.

Barneveld-based Cleanbuild is known for its plastic wall and ceiling panels that can be used to clad washrooms, among other things. According to Cleanbuild’s Nick Elbertsen, it is less well known that the company can also supply complete steel structures to build a car wash from scratch. “You increasingly see entrepreneurs or investors buying empty premises and wanting to put a car wash in them. Instead of bricklaying walls that then have to be clad to make them waterproof and dirt-resistant, you might as well build the walls right away with our panels.”

“Instead of bricklaying walls and then cladding them to make them waterproof, you might as well build the walls right away with our panels.” – Nick Elbertsen

12,000 cars

The case of Wensink’s reconditioning department also involved such a large empty space. An existing building next to the Mercedes dealership was purchased to start a new activity with the capacity to prepare 12,000 cars a year for sale. In addition to a workshop with lifting bridges, the premises also contain a body repair department, a photo studio and a tyre street with wheel repair. For the 35-metre long washbox where the whole process begins, Wensink opted for a steel structure with wooden beams to which Cleanbuild panels are bolted.

Apart from constructing a pit, pouring a container with concrete upstands and applying a watertight coating, no major changes had to be made to the premises for the car wash. After installing the steel structure, the floor could be coated, after which Cleanbuild started on the ceiling and walls a week later. These fall over the coated concrete curb to create a watertight construction and a completely smooth wall.

Technical installations

For the steel structure, Cleanbuild chose galvanised H profiles. The fixings of technical installations such as cable ducts, chain conveyors and high-pressure lances were prepared so that there are reinforcements behind the panels and there is no need to drill or grind into the galvanised profiles afterwards. “That way you prevent rusting. We could also have had the construction powder-coated or painted, but we think this is the most sustainable method, which is why this was chosen in consultation with the customer,” Elbertsen explains.

The panels are 25 centimetres wide and 3.5 centimetres thick. At the bottom, they are in plastic U-profiles. With screws, the panels are attached to the substrate. In this case, wooden beams, but plastic tubes are also possible. As screws are screwed into the groove, the next panel falls over the screw holes, creating a sleek, smooth and low-maintenance wall.

In addition to the floor, structure and walls, two overhead doors were installed. The space housed a Varius Takt rollover from Christ. This machine has two separately positioned gantries for washing and drying. When a car is washed, the driver rides in the front of the dryer, while behind him in the washing portal, the next vehicle can already be washed.

“We are very satisfied with the chosen solution and implementation – manager Wensink reconditioning”

Two at a time

According to Christ, this achieves twice the capacity of a normal rollover.
Because two vehicles are treated simultaneously, up to 20 washes per hour can be carried out.
Another advantage is that no ground work is required in addition to disposal. As a result, the Varius Takt can be installed and commissioned within a few days.

“We are very satisfied with the solution chosen and the implementation,” says the manager of Wensink reconditioning. “There were fears that the machine would make a lot of noise, especially when drying, but this is not so bad. It makes a huge difference that it is an enclosed space and the panels block a lot of noise.”

Wensink Groningen, meanwhile, regularly serves as a demonstration site for Cleanbuild. According to Elbertsen, there are many requests for complete washrooms that also require a steel construction.