Materials

High Grade Polymers

Once installed high grade polymers are designed to be indistinguishable from plaster (or in the case of some exterior mouldings, from stone). They have a similar texture and the same detailing in the mould. Unlike plaster (or stone) though, they are lightweight, not brittle and pre-primed to require just one coat of paint. This makes them much quicker and easier to install, and easier and cheaper to transport. Product costs usually work out cheaper than an equivalent plaster profile (although not necessarily with some of the more Premium mouldings) but you should always save significantly on the installation time. They represent the vast majority of what we sell.

Toughened High Grade Polymer

In some areas impacts are more likely. For example, at floor level. For this reason we use a toughened material that can withstand the wear and tear of these areas even better than traditional materials. You still retain the smart, unblemished finish of other products, but with the additional benefit of greater impact resistance.

Low Grade Polymers

Low grade polymers are generally polystyrene, although not the horrible bobbly stuff from the 1970’s. They are hard to beat on price, are lightweight and pre-primed to need just one coat of paint. Their surface is designed to replicate the look of plaster. They are less dense than the higher grade polymers, and with the exception of our Polystyrene Plus range, tend to have more rounded edges.

Flexible Polyurethane

Flexible polyurethane can bend backwards and forwards on itself and so can be used on curved walls. Flexible profiles have exact match sister products in standard materials to use on straight sections. In the case of railing it can also bend up and down on itself, like on an archway.

It is critical that you do not bend flexible products any tighter than than the minimum radius we quote for it, as this will pull the product out of shape, and possible damage it. You will find the minimum radius for each flexible profile by clicking through to it’s individual product page.

We recommend that you only use the flexible options where you need them, and the standard material on straight sections, as flexible options are more expensive. Their finish is the same as the high grade polymers, designed to replicate the look and feel of plaster.

Useful Information