Blanco Seda
A painting business that combines diligence, high demands and innovative strength.
Francisco J. Rodriguez was born into a family of painters. Fourteen years ago, he founded his own business in Barcelona. We accompanied the Blanco Seda CEO to one of his extraordinary construction sites.
On the way to the construction site, we drive through wide streets lined with magnificent town houses. As we turn the corner into the Barri Gòtic, Barcelona's oldest neighbourhood, the lanes suddenly become much narrower. We walk through an iron gate to enter a residential building. The stairwell is narrow and the lift is more reminiscent of a pneumatic tube. But on the first floor, we find a completely different world: A living space of 350 square metres. Francisco J. Rodriguez, owner of Blanco Seda, receives us on the construction site with two of his employees. How they've managed to get the plasterboard and bags of filler material, the sanding tools and extractors up here remains a mystery. The scope of work performed here is enormous: Walls have been knocked down, moved and new walls installed. In some areas, the floor needed to opened up completely to restore the load-bearing beams underneath. The entire floor has been divided into three residential units accessible from a shared hallway.
Utmost quality as a unique selling point
The hallway leading to the three apartments is painted in anthracite hues. To the naked eye, the wall looks finished. But to Francisco Rodriguez, "this is just the beginning". The Festool surface control light he holds against the wall confirms his assessment. "Rodri", as everyone calls the boss here, is meticulous. Every little detail matters to him. And that is the secret of his success. Blanco Seda is a relatively small business but in very high demand – with employees who want to work like him and with customers who expect the highest quality. At the moment, Rodri is practically drowning in orders. "I'm interested in jobs that challenge me. That's how I grew up and I've kept that sense of curiosity as a painter to this day," he says. "So the projects I like best are the ones that represent a step forward for me and my employees."
Curiosity paired with experience and knowledge
In 2004, Francisco J. Rodriguez set up his own business and has built his own team over the years. New, demanding things entice him. He is diligent and innovative. When he does something, even if it's something brand new, he wants to do it right. That is how he discovered microcement. "From the very beginning, I was fascinated by the fact that you can create sealed, seamless surfaces with microcement that are both beautiful and robust." Rodri tells us that he gathered initial experience working with material from a North American manufacturer until he came across TOPCIMENT in Valencia. "That grew into a relationship in which TOPCIMENT develops the microcement further and I perfect how it's processed. This experience continues to be invaluable," he says, "because the use of microcement requires a lot of experience and knowledge – and the right tools, of course."
For clients – with the architect
These days, Rodri is one of the best in the business and someone you could trust with any demanding paint job – and not just when it comes to microcement. Someone who knows that well is Luca Lancini. The architect from Brescia, Italy, has had his office in Barcelona for years. He has implemented many projects together with Francisco J. Rodriguez, including the current one in the Gothic Quarter. They meet on the construction site and discuss the next steps. Lancini emphasises that doing things "together" is an essential aspect for him: "I work for my clients and together with the tradespeople. As far as I'm concerned, great architecture does not come from the architect's mind alone, but is something we create together." It might well be that Lancini has a good idea, but Rodri's is better. Or vice versa. What matters in the end is the best possible result.
Searching for challenges
Another extraordinary location is "Ancestral Bar", where the pair have all their important conversations. Lancini designed it, Rodri built the counter – with fine microcement, of course. The beauty and robust nature of the material are more than obvious here. The eight complex steps required to create the counter's thin surface are paying off: There are no visible scratches, no cracks and no stains. Over a drink, they tell us about their joint projects, for example one in Berlin, where the Blanco Seda team and its comprehensive expertise were flown in for large-scale microcement works in an apartment. And they talk about what they have in common: The curiosity and the constant search for challenges that will enable them to keep growing. As an aside, Rodri mentions that he fell off scaffolding from a height of 12 metres in 2003. And landed on his feet. Maybe such an existential experience really teaches you what you live or work for. Rodri, it seems, lives for his work. And each of his projects speaks of this fact.
