Clearview Midlands August 2014 - Issue 153 | Page 28

INDUSTRYNEWS

EXTERIOR FOILS – BEWARE UNSUITABLE
IMITATIONS, SAYS RENOLIT
Inferior imitations of
RENOLITs world-leading
exterior foils are appearing in
the UK market, RENOLIT has
warned. Primarily laminated
on cladding and roofline
products, these foils will fail
when exposed to weather and
sunlight, causing problems for
installers and home owners
alike.

In recent months, a growing
number of RENOLIT customers
have made the company aware
that these products were being
installed in the UK and marketed
as suitable for exterior application.
Having weather tested samples
of these components in their in
house laboratory to DIN EN513
(as specified in RAL 716) the
results prove that these films are
completely unsuitable for exterior
use. In their tests the products
failed to achieve even 1300
hours of artificial weathering
before displaying unacceptable
signs of colour variation, which
is considered to equate to less
than two years’ exposure in a UK
climate, with the samples then
becoming almost completely
destroyed in the equivalent of
less than three years (see photo

1). Furthermore, customers of
RENOLIT have provided photos
of UK installations using this type
of foil that have experienced full
product failure, reportedly within
two years of installation (see
photo 2).
RENOLIT, therefore,
recommends that fabricators and
installers check the source of their
foiled products before installing
at a customer, to prevent costly
repairs in the near future and
damage to both their and the
industry’s reputation.
Exterior laminates are
continually exposed to the
environment and require
specific components within
their formulation to be able
to withstand weathering and
degradation over time. At
RENOLIT they extensively

test all exterior laminates,
both internally and externally
to ensure real performance
targets are achieved. All
RENOLIT EXOFOL effects
are manufactured and tested in
accordance with the accepted
industry standard - RAL 716,
which requires a minimum
performance of 10,000 hours of
artificial weathering (equating to
over 10 years in a UK climate)
without excessive colour fade or
visual defects.
www.renolit.com

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