James Latham Ltd (Lathams), announces the introduction of Weathertex®’s sustainable Selflok Ecogroove Weatherboards to the UK and Irish building products market.
Exclusive to the distributor in the UK and Ireland, Lathams has added Weathertex’s popular Selflok Ecogroove Natural and Selflok Ecogroove Woodsman to its cladding range in response to a growing demand for a more sustainable, but simultaneously natural, option to traditional lapped timber planks.
Not only that, Selflok is also delivering a greener alternative to the carbon-intensive cement-based boards popular in the booming domestic cladding sector, reducing a home’s carbon footprint whilst achieving a robust, resistant and attractive façade.
The engineered boards are ideal for a wide range of external cladding applications and can withstand harsh weather conditions, retaining their aesthetic appeal without compromising on technical performance.
A Natural Performer
Considered a green solution for cladding and facings, both boards contain no added formaldehyde or chemicals; just 97% PEFC Eucalyptus hardwood fibre and 3% natural waxes.
From a visual perspective, Selflok Ecogroove Natural and Woodsman boards possess a characteristic wood grain effect, and each product has its own distinctive attributes.
The Natural board is un-primed and features deep cuts and patterns to show the knots, cracks, and imperfections of the raw and organic timber. Customers can choose to stain the product, or to leave unsealed, allowing a natural ageing process to take place, eventually providing a mellow, weathered finish.
In contrast, Selflok Ecogroove Woodsman features the same face texture, but is factory primed, meaning it can be painted or coated immediately, without pre-treatment.
With the panels measuring 3660mm in length and 300mm across the width with a 15mm groove running straight down the middle, they replicate two 150mm boards, meaning installation time is halved.
Great Outdoors
Hard-wearing, cost-effective, and versatile, the Weathertex Selflok range can be applied internally to any flat or curved surface (with a minimum radius of 2.5m) and can also be used for walls or ceilings. Simple to cut to the required size, both boards are easy to install, by simply overlapping the edge of the next board over the previous one, leaving the full face visible.
Both products are also perfect for horizontal outdoor use, especially in locations with harsher climates, as they can withstand most meteorological conditions without bowing or warping. Furthermore, the low sugar and starch content ensures both of the Weathertex boards also make the material resistant to insect attacks.
A mark of quality and long-term value, all primed Selflok cladding products are covered by a 25-year warranty, while un-primed products feature a 10-year warranty.
Eco-Friendly Exteriors
Selflok Ecogroove Natural and Selflock Ecogroove Woodsman are safe and low-maintenance, as well as being the first range of cladding materials to gain GreenTag™ Platinum, with compliant credits for LEED v4.0.
Commenting on the introduction of Weathertex to the Lathams catalogue, Technical Timber Sales Development Manager Justin Hayward says, “These new cladding boards respond to a number of challenges across the industry, particularly the need to balance aesthetics with longevity, and stability with sustainability. We have a strong commitment to sustainability, particularly CO2 reduction across our product range. When we became aware of Weathertex‘s Selflok range we instantly knew we wanted to have exclusive access to distributing these high-performance products here in the UK, offering one of the greenest cladding solutions currently available.”
Weathertex’s Matteo Bossi adds, “Preserving, protecting, and enhancing the environment is at the heart of our business model, so it’s essential we work with like-minded partners who share our values. Lathams, which has consistently demonstrated its commitment to sustainable business, was an obvious choice to introduce the Weatherboards to the UK and Ireland design and build community. We’re excited to collaborate with them, raising awareness around the Selflok range, and helping suppliers, specifiers, and developers across the industry make more sustainable material choices.”
