Britain's best source of building product and construction news

Fairfax House, an office building, in the heart of Leeds’ commercial district, has been equipped with Decadex - a hardwearing exterior wall coating from Liquid Plastics. The building was undergoing a refurbishment programme. Part of the scheme was to give the dull 4,000 metre square rendered walls a much needed facelift. The new wall coating, however, needed to provide more than just good looks for the 1970s building. It had to be durable and hardwearing, offering years of maintenance-free service. It also needed to be a high build product, capable of covering the thick layer of sharp Canterbury Spa red aggregate. Liquid Plastics’ Decadex, a waterborne exterior wall coating, which is seven times stronger than traditional paint, was used in two contrasting shades of grey to completely change the external look of the building. Decadex forms a resistant, matt and durable elastomeric finish which tolerates substrate movement. The system is designed to provide decorative protection in the most aggressive conditions for at least 10 years. Decadex is claimed to have many advantages as an exterior wall coating because it provides protection against the affects of carbonation in reinforced concrete. It also retains a bright, clean, attractive appearance throughout its design life and will not embrittle with age or exposure to UV light. The product also conatains an active fungistatic system.

Details for Liquid Plastics Ltd

Crown Trade Timonox flame retardant paints helped prevent flames from spreading through a block of flats that set fire in Birmingham. The fire caused extensive damage to the flats, but the Crown Trade Timonox painted areas showed little sign of damage.

Details for Crown

A Housing Association chose StoLotusan, the self-cleaning paint for a major repainting project on 59 homes in Pimlico, London. . The product is said to mimic the natural effect of the lotus leaf, having the ability to repel water. When a building is coated with the paint , water droplets are unable to maintain surface contact, so the rain runs off carrying dirt particles with them.

Details for Sto Ltd

Claimed to be its most advanced water-borne paint to date, Sandtex Trade has introduced Hydrobond. The company says it has been introduced to extend its redecoration cycle through colour retention and substrate adhesion. The Hydrobond formation was developed using EBS - emulsified bonding system - to create a balance between weathering and chemical resistance. Unlike traditional water-borne masonry paint which sits on a layer on the surface of the substrate, polymer particles are absorbed into the pores

Details for Crown

Sand blasting and seismic temperature shifts are said to be no match for Synthatec Premium, marketed as the toughest powder coating in the world. Tested for more than decade in Dubai, Valspar's powder coating is guaranteed to protect exterior metalwork in the UK for 40 years.

Details for Valspar UK Corporation Ltd

Made in Germany, the Beeck range of active silicate paints and treatments for plaster and masonry. The paints are said to integrate chemically with a building's materials to create a permeable, crystalline self-cleaning surface which breathes with the base material: plaster; render; stone; brick or concrete. This is not the impermeable crust of petrochemical acrylic paints which eventually bubble, crack and peel. Because they form a crystalline surface, the company's silicate paints are repellent to surface water, fungi and algae.

Details for Beeck GmbH & Co KG

In order to ensure a long lasting finish, whatever the weather Dulux Trade from ICI Paints was specified as a part of the Butler's Wharf exterior maintenance programme. The high rise development is situated on the River Thames, so a durable finish was essential. Weathershield Smooth Masonry Paint was recommended for the exterior render. Providing up to 15 years protection, the formulation is claimed to offer optimum protection, creating a finish that looks better for longer. Shower resistant within 30 minutes means that exterior decoration can take place on changeable days.

Details for ICI Dulux Trade

Roofing manufacturer Marley Eternit has launched a ground-breaking roof tile coating that will absorb asthma-causing pollutants from the air in UK cities. The new coating, EcoLogic, contains a catalyst that is activated by the sun's rays. This removes nitrogen oxides which contribute to asthmatic and bronchial problems from the air, along with other atmospheric pollutants responsible for smog and acid rain. The company estimates that during its lifetime an average-sized roof with EcoLogic tiles could remove an amount of Nitrogen Oxide equivalent to that emitted by a modern car driving 100,000 miles.

Details for Eternit UK Ltd

Roofing manufacturer Marley Eternit has launched a ground-breaking roof tile coating that will absorb asthma-causing pollutants from the air in UK cities. The new coating, EcoLogic, contains a catalyst that is activated by the sun's rays. This removes nitrogen oxides which contribute to asthmatic and bronchial problems from the air, along with other atmospheric pollutants responsible for smog and acid rain. The company estimates that during its lifetime an average-sized roof with EcoLogic tiles could remove an amount of Nitrogen Oxide equivalent to that emitted by a modern car driving 100,000 miles.

Details for Marley Eternit

Tubular safety solutions specialist, Kee Klamp, has introduced an anti-bacterial powder coating for its Kee Klamp range of products. The coating will help improve the hygienic performance of balustrading, hand-rails, guardrailing and a multitude of other structures constructed using Kee Klamp products. The company has introduced this powder coating to give extra protection for the 500 D.D.A Series and other product ranges. Fittings coated with the anti-bacterial coating will benefit from a supportive defence against the growth of potentially harmful yet invisible bacteria and fungi. This reduces the risk of cross-contamination from surfaces with a high frequency of contact in hospitals and schools. The coating provides a long lasting finish to fittings and is available in any of the 30 RAL polyster powder coatings colours.

Details for Kee Klamp Ltd