Ballauff has launched a Solarwood product with a reflective pearlised coating applied to one side of the pinoleum blind to significantly reduce heat absorption into the room and offer customers a better performance.

It is an excellent marketing tool for customers to the consumer throughout Europe and the UK.

“The interest in Solarwood has seen sales improve substantially in the UK, resulting in a larger share of the conservatory market for Ballauff,” says Gerald Arding of Arding Marketing.
The coating can be applied to natural pinoleum, to any of the colours in the Ballauff Collection or indeed any of the bespoke colours supplied exclusively to customers as well as the 120 coloured finishes available through the Little Greene Paint Company.

The result is an enhanced reflective surface that will cut the amount of heat transmitted through the blind and give an increased shading effect, cutting out further unwanted glare. Heat build-up in conservatories is a constant problem for homeowners in the summer so anything that can be done to further reduce the effects will be very welcome and becomes an important selling point when you’re trying to clinch the deal. Also, during the winter months, Solarwood is very effective at keeping the heat in the room.

Natural wood is always very popular in home furnishings and research has shown that a significant number of consumers prefer the untreated look of pinoleum, especially when combined with the dappled shading effect it gives. Wood is a good installation medium, favoured by many blind retailers and, whilst the solar reflection figures for wood on its own are not excessive, the absorption figure is usually high with the transmittance figure relatively low. With the addition of a coordinating pearlised coating, consumers can now choose their preferred product – pinoleum – safe in the knowledge that the technical specification is as high as that of any comparative product.

A further advantage is that the Solarwood pinoleum blinds are easy to clean and the wooden slats completely protected against dirt and suchlike. This allows Solarwood to be used safely – and conveniently – for all blinds in a conservatory, including those awkward shapes in the roof, and makes it particularly suitable for use in commercial locations such as offices, waiting rooms or retail outlets. Solarwood is appropriate for all window blinds within the home as the coating is suitable for wide width fabric as well as for pinoleum supplied to make up into vertical blinds.

Ballauff, as the original manufacturer of pinoleum, places considerable emphasis on R&D to ensure that its products remain the best available on the market. Ballauff’s pinoleum is therefore one of the few woven wood fabrics on offer which is available as roller, roll-up, roman or vertical blind fabric and the coating just ensures that the product proposition gets better and better.

• Balluff