High-quality PVDF (polyvinylene difluoride) coatings which offer excellent weathering resistance give the US-based Valspar Corporation  a competitive edge in the fast-growing Middle East market, says Amaro Gomes, a spokesman for the company.

Fluorine-based architectural coatings offer an exceptionally high performance and economy as opposed to polyesters, acrylics or epoxies, he claims.
Setting high standards of quality is the driving force behind the corporate policy of Valspar Corporation, which was established in 1806. The firm ranks among the 50 oldest companies in North America and is one of the top five global paint companies. Its Middle East operations in the UAE, cover the Gulf, Turkey, Egypt, India and Pakistan.

The company boasts one of the broadest product ranges in the industry. These include Fluropon coatings which have earned a reputation in the Middle East because of their durability. Describing the product, Gomes says, ''Fluropon coatings are a designer's dream and globally used on architectural aluminium, where structural beauty and rugged durability with little maintenance are required.

''Based on a minimum of 70 per cent Kynar 500 resin, Fluropon was the first fluropolymer PVDF coating commercialised in 1965.  Extensively tested in South Florida and various other test fence sites around the world, Kynar 500-based coatings fully meet and exceed the 10-year weathering performance requirements set by AAMA 2605, the stringent and highly respected global specification in the paint industry.

''The carbon-fluorine chemical bond gives PVDF coatings their stubborn resistance to withstand the irreversible fading and chalking caused by damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation, urban grime, salt spray, acid rain, wind-driven sand and environmental degradation.''

Fluoropolymers are revolutionising the paint industry with long-lasting solid, metallic and pearlescent colours, he adds. ''Valspar blazes a trail of success in the region with high credibility and an ever-growing list of prestigious projects and satisfied clients and architects where quality is of paramount importance,' he says.

Gomes acknowledges that competition is getting stronger and the market is flooded with cheap alternatives offering long-term guarantees, but the high levels of UV radiation and harsh environment prevailing in the Middle East region is taking a heavy toll on these coatings and exposing their poor weathering resistance.

With local stocking in Jebel Ali Free Trade Zone and computer colour-matching facility available through a select network of licensed applicators, Gomes says ''gone are the days of limited colour choices and long lead times of procurement from Europe or US.''

Valspar high-performance PVDF coatings can only be applied by those approved and licensed applicators which can consistently meet stringent quality parameters. Currently there are six applicators of Valspar coatings in the UAE, with Al Abbar Aluminium being one of them. There is one applicator each in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt and Turkey.   Valspar's commitment to the Middle East region can be judged by some of the recent prestigious projects using its top-of-the-range architectural PVDF coatings:

''We do not compromise on quality and long life integrity,'' says Gomes.
Kynar 500-based coatings are now globally recognised for the long-term economies they provide, which is a boon to architects and clients in fighting coating degradation in the harsh environment of Middle East and tropical regions around the world, he concludes.