Gulf Construction Online - Hempel battles harsh weather

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Hempel battles harsh weather

Hempel, which is renowned for its durable coatings, offers the industrial-strength Platine, a semi-gloss coating that gives excellent protection to all exterior walls, concrete, masonry, cement and plaster surfaces.

01 March 2009

A HIGH-performance building protection system known as Platine is being offered by the international paints and coatings major Hempel to afford durability, protection and beauty to buildings even under the harsh climatic conditions of the region.

The range comprises “ultimate building protection coating systems”, which have their roots in the company’s long successful history in the marine industry. This range of polyurethane, industrial-strength products is said to convey outstanding levels of protection, durability, gloss retention and colour retention to buildings.
“Hempel’s systems and products have a unique reputation for superior performance under the harshest conditions. These are the roots to the technology that underpins the Platine product range,” says Moataz Kamel, regional marketing channels manager, Middle East (West). “Hempel technology is renowned for successfully protecting steel and concrete on-shore and off-shore, in industrial plants in the energy sector, for containers, industrial storage tanks, bridges and many other areas where steel and concrete are used in industrial and infrastructure facilities.”
“Apart from the outstanding characteristics of industrial coatings, the Platine product range has been enriched with additional decorative features such as attractive colours, superior hiding capacity and opacity, ultraviolet (UV) stability and excellent gloss retention, even under the very harsh Middle Eastern sun,” he adds.
The Platine line consists of Hempathane, which is a polyurethane-based topcoat; Contex, Hempel’s anti-carbonation system that protects both the concrete and the steel reinforcing from the ravaging effects of carbonation and corrosion; and Hempatex, the acrylic topcoat for maximum protection and beauty.

Hempatex
Elaborating on the acrylic topcoat, Kamel says: “Hempatex is a unique semi-gloss coating that gives excellent protection to all exterior walls, concrete, masonry, cement and plaster surfaces. Its advanced formula places it among the best of its generic types both in terms of performance and appearance, as has been proven by the long track record and thousands of references over the past three decades of Hempel’s presence in the Middle East.”
When applied to the exterior, Hempatex ensures a long-lasting coating system due to its high adhesion to the substrate; it affords UV resistance as well as excellent colour and gloss retention; and protects buildings from the impact of harsh climatic conditions.
When applied to the interior, Hempatex has a non-yellowing and high-hiding power while providing a smooth finish; gloss retention and colour stability; and excellent washability.
Kamel continues: “Hempatex is a classic paint system that has been widely used in the Middle East since decades for both new-build structures and maintenance and renovation of existing ones.
“For newly-constructed buildings, it provides maximum protection and a durable coating system. For renovation of buildings, it is the optimum solution because of its high adhesion to various types of primed substrates, re-coatability and ease of application compared to two-component products.”
Hempatex can be used as a topcoat on all types of exterior texture products, which have been applied on surfaces primed with the suitable primer.
The product is available in a wide variety of colours, which can be obtained through Hempel’s computer-aided tinting system, he concludes.
The Hempel Group of companies was established in 1915 with the motto of ‘Quality and Service’, which is still the group’s hallmark. Since then, the group has grown to become a worldwide enterprise comprising three global research and development facilities, 20 manufacturing plants, 47 sales offices and more than 130 stock points strategically in five continents.
Hempel operates within several strategic segments, including marine paints, protective coatings, container coatings, decorative paints and yacht paints.