Lucite International enables brighter colours that last a lifetime to the home building market

5 Jul 2004 Southampton, UK

Home owners are now able to choose a far wider range of colours for their houses than ever before, due to the enhanced weathering performance capabilities of Lucite International’s acrylic-based capping material, Lucite® TufCoat®. In a market that has largely been based in the US, rich, dark colours have not been successfully used on home exteriors, fences, decking, window or door frames because they tend to fade over time when exposed to sunlight or adverse weather conditions. But this is set to change with new material advancements and as the market spreads globally.

Lucite TufCoat is now able to offer a much wider range in the colour palette to homebuilders with the assurance that the colours will not fade or change over time whatever the local climate. In the past, cladding and house trim manufacturers such as Owens Corning in the US were unable to offer colours with a light value (L) of 50 or less without the fear of yellowing or lightening. But Lucite TufCoat acrylic capping resin has been engineered for advanced performance against weathering and the environment, which results in exceptional durability and colour retention.

Lucite International has already been successful in using colour as a key differentiator for its products aimed at the home interiors market; Lucite Ice hand basins in contemporary shades and Perspex for furniture and lighting installations featuring state-of-the-art LEDs for complex colour combinations. Europe has been a strong influence for the use of acrylic in interiors. However, the US has led in the exteriors market and, with the increasingly global aspect of business, there are signs that the American trend for exterior cladding is spreading to Europe. Lucite has been at the front of bathroom design in Europe and is now well positioned to be able to deliver on the design wishes of architects and home builders outside the US.

One of the largest US housing development companies comments: “With Lucite TufCoat we can now provide homeowners with a greatly increased range of colour options. Today’s consumers want choice - rich tans and blues, dark greys, burgundy, and forest green – they want to express their taste and individuality through their homes. Until now the exteriors of houses in regions where weathering is most severe were unable to have the colours that people really want. TufCoat has changed all that and made bigger choice a possibility.”

Lucite TufCoat is an integral capping layer manufactured with the base substrate and eliminates any possibility of peeling or flaking. It has the added benefit to homeowners of being virtually maintenance free, when compared with the need to paint wood or fibre cement board to protect it.

The TufCoat capped siding replaces traditional wood or fibre cement sidings or trims on houses, which has a positive impact on the environment. A combination of the excellent aesthetic qualities of the acrylic-based material and the high performance in adverse weather conditions has led to greater flexibility in the appearance of homes.

Andy Clelland, from Lucite International, comments on what this means to the market: “More and more people are dictating how they want their home to look. The extensive choice of colours and texture that we can offer them through Lucite TufCoat fits their requirements as it has the added benefit of the most durable material available for siding, accessories and trim items.”

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