Sherwin Williams, owners of the famous Ronseal brand of wood stain, paint and preservative products added a new Trade Range to their product portfolio; 10 Year Woodstain, Ultra Tough Floor Varnish and Crystal Clear Exterior Varnish. New to the market, and with a number of fresh and exciting challenges.

The Challenge

For many years the Ronseal brand has enjoyed a reputation for its product reliability, as illustrated by the company tag line ‘Does exactly what it says on the tin’. In launching their new Trade Range it was important that they could say the same but also prove their additional claim that it achieves quicker drying times and a longer lasting finish. This is why independent testing and assessments were needed before they could take this product to market.

BBA Certification is an important part of our on-going trade strategy – Chris Morgan, Senior Product Manager

For Ronseal, BBA Certification was crucial because according to Chris Morgan, Senior Product Manager at Sherwin-Williams, it gives end users additional reassurance that the products have passed independent testing and deliver on the Ronseal promise.

To keep this promise, the entire Ronseal Trade Range was dispatched to the BBA’s Test Excellence Centre in Watford, Hertfordshire, to be put through its paces in exhaustive testing conducted over a number of months.

As BBA Senior Test Technician David Durrant explained, “each of the 10 products required precise assessment against a variety of standards and performance criteria and, while the number of tests carried out on each product wasn’t unusual, the sheer volume conducted across the entire product range required a versatile and hands-on approach”.

The Tests

“At one point we had more than 400 panels of Ronseal-coated substrate material were being tested,” said Mr Durrant. “Our test technicians had to apply the product to each substrate (hard wood, soft wood, steel etc) in full accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, precisely measuring the exact grammes of paint to be applied at the right thickness and temperature.

Many finishes required one or more coats and most days we had racks of substrates drying and two or three people dedicated to painting more. Almost every member of the team was involved in preparing the substrates at one point or another. It was quite an undertaking.”

Test Regimes

The Trade Range was subjected to a wide range of tests pertinent to each product’s usage (indoor or outdoor), and the substrates on to which either the manufacturer recommends, or the standard requires, they be applied (for example wood or metal).

Assessments included UV aging to assess fading and colour changes; fungal resistance, abrasion and scrubbability, extensibility, tensile strength, cross-cutting, resistance to hard-body impacts, water vapor permeability, gloss, hardness, ease of over coating, slip resistance etc.

“This was a large and challenging project due to the sheer number of test samples that had to be prepared and it drew on the expertise of a multitude of people,” said Mr Durrant, who led the work. “We also had quite a tight deadline to work to. The testing team was highly diligent in meeting the requirements of this deadline while also ensuring the work was carried out with the precision and due diligence that is expected of the BBA.”

The Result

Ronseal Senior Product Manager Chris Morgan said:

“BBA Certification and testing is an important part of our on-going trade strategy. Its major benefit is that our claims are tested and verified by an independent body, delivering the trust and reassurance our trade customers seek when picking a product. Their reputation and quality of work is critical for on-going success and Ronseal is the only wood care brand to have BBA Certification across its full range of products. All BBA Certificated products carry the BBA logo and reference on the back of packs.”

BBA’s expert Test Services can provide a range of test solutions to meet your needs from understanding the characteristics and behaviour of the different materials and elements used within your product, and how they directly affect the safety and durability of buildings when used as part of a system. For this reason, they undergo specific tests to establish the quality levels and to guarantee their adequacy.

Web: https://www.ronseal.com/