Ronseal Trade was formed two years ago and believes it has made a significant commitment with new high-performance coating systems and a range of services to support specifiers – from new build to maintenance.
These include advanced products, enhanced technical specification resources and a nationwide system of support for key merchants and their customers.
Marketing manager Paul Lacey believes Ronseal Trade is distinct and a very different service for the trade user and supplier.
He said: ‘We only came into the market for trade two years ago and we were against established brands.
‘We felt we had to listen to the specifier, and they were talking about the environment and long-term maintenance. The environmental issues were the move to renewable resources, specifying timber rather than PVC, and the general trend toward getting rid of solvents.
‘The other issue was that 55% of specifiers had mandatory rules about woodcare, and they were looking at the total life cost of a building.’
Covering all bases
Mr Lacey added: ‘We are addressing all areas of the market, from specification to professional decoration, with a package of products, technical advice and sales support. We now offer a full range of solvent-borne and water-borne systems, developed specifically for professional decorators, which are exclusive to the trade.’
Earlier this year Ronseal Trade launched Excel 40, a water-borne, semi-transparent coating system for use with Excel 20 prime. Last month it extended its range of wood stain colours for its Excel 30/60 water-borne wood stain coating systems.
The development of those products has centred on the publication of performance standards to BS EN 927 to establish testing criteria for exterior coating systems for wood.
Ronseal Trade developed a new System Guide for specifying wood stains, opaque finishes and varnishes from its range, based on the BS EN 927 standard. It was designed to make the self-selection of the coating materials easy to understand and it works from the specification process of timber type and substrate through to applying the coating systems.
In a presentation for Ronseal Trade, Dr Roy Miller, chairman of the British Standards committee, said: ‘The objective of EN 927 is to reduce technical barriers to trade by providing a quality assurance standard that supports the European market and offers a reliable international reference.
‘It moves away from the current situation of assumed performance based on data supplied by a manufacturer and moves everyone towards assessed performance criteria based on a consistent and ongoing programme of independent testing.’
Mr Lacey said: ‘We wanted to produce a guide which anyone could use to find the right coating system for their specific project. The System Guide is a quick and easy reference, which can be used by decorators, staff on the merchant counters and specifiers.’
TRADA Technology and the Building Research Establishment also took part and, in conjunction with the company, produced content on the problems of timber and coatings, and the specifications and detailing of joinery.
TRADA coatings and treatment specialist Dr Peter Kaczmar said it saw the guide as an opportunity to present specification information in a concise form with practical advice on the selection of materials and substrates.
Mr Lacey said: ‘Until these issues are properly sorted out, there is almost no point in putting a coat on because if the detailing on say a window cill is not correct, there will be a failure.’
Much of Ronseal Trade’s efforts have been directed to water-borne coatings. Legislation to reduce the emission of solvents into the atmosphere has led more and more public bodies to develop a policy on the use of water-borne coating systems.
John Boxall, an expert in timber and construction at the BRE, told a Ronseal Trade presentation: ‘Traditionally the use of solvent-borne coating systems to protect exterior timber has had a variable life expectancy. The composition of the individual coating products may, without ongoing maintenance, lead to cracking and flaking, as the coating becomes brittle with age.
Advances in technology
‘However, advances in the technology behind water-borne coating systems mean that specifiers and decorators can now enjoy many benefits in both application and extended maintenance periods.
‘One key factor is that the resins used in water-borne formulations do not brittle with age and so as a general rule of thumb these coating materials should last up to twice as long.’
For decorators, who traditionally use solvent-based products, the company developed the Excel 45/45 range to meet the need of quick-drying wood stain. Mr Lacey said these products are ready for recoating within six hours, compared with 16 hours for other products.
Ronseal Trade’s latest water-borne product is Excel 40, a semi-transparent (wood stain) coating system, which decorates and extends maintenance periods on new-build timbers for much longer than solvent-borne products.
Excel 40, a semi-matt opaque finish, can extend maintenance periods for up to eight years when used with Ronseal Trade Excel 20 primer. The formulation was designed to give an opaque finish with good flow and an ease of application that limits brush marks. Additives resist ‘chalking’, the surface whiteness common with lower performance coatings.
Excel 40 is available in seven ready-mixed colours and 24 tinted colours, suitable for a range of new house designs.
Excel 20 has ‘stain locking’ properties that minimise the effects of natural water-soluble wood extractives and resins leaching from exterior timbers. It is touch dry in one hour and recoatable in four, reducing scaffolding and labour costs.
The system has been specified by Leeds City Council to overcome frequent redecoration at a group of 1960s maisonettes. T&G cladding between floors required regular overcoating with gloss paint.
The council sandblasted the cladding and applied one coat of Excel 20 and two coats of Excel 40 Teak. Disturbance for the residents was minimised by the quick drying and low odour.
Ronseal Trade also secured a contract to supply Excel 40 to Platt Mill, an exclusive housing development near Sevenoaks, in Kent. It was used on softwood cladding and also the soffits constructed from the hardwood species virola.
Excel 40 was also used on the historic village church of St Mark’s near Worksop, a replica built in 1901 of John Wesley’s Pilgrim Fathers Mission Church.
Ronseal Trade has extended the colour choice further with three new ranges: Landscaping Tones, Heritage Tones and Wood Tones, which contrast with colours found in the built and natural environment. They are influenced by some of the key decorative periods between the 1700s and the 1900s and reflect the latest trends in wood shades.
Red cedar rise
The company has also responded to the increasing use of western red cedar for exterior joinery, by introducing new colours available in Excel 30/60 woodstains.
Western red cedar is particularly specified for cladding, but also decking, fencing and saunas. The new colours – Light Cedar, Dark Cedar and Weathered Cedar – maintain the original cedar or the acquired silver-grey colour.
Mr Lacey said: ‘Our Excel 30/60 wood stain coating system has become extremely popular since its launch because it offers the specifier and user up to six years durability. It is imperative that we match this performance with a comprehensive colour offer, so Ronseal Trade closely monitors colour trends.’
