Medite Tricoya Means Life’s A Beach
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When Ecologic Developments needed a durable, yet environmental solution for the fascias, soffits and bargeboard elements of its custom-designed and handcrafted beach huts, it turned to Medite Tricoya. The extreme durable MDF is providing a sustainable wood-based alternative to other materials, helping to preserve the environmental ethos of Ecologic Developments’ products.
Ecologic Developments produces individual beach huts, beach houses and outdoor rooms for multiple uses. Every detail is honed according to the customer’s requirements, inside and out. The company delivers the product fully finished, to exacting specifications. Crucially, the destined location of many of these creations means that the beach houses and huts are subjected to harsh conditions: high levels of atmospheric moisture and salt, combined with wind loading in often exposed locations.
“Maintenance is a real issue for our customers,” explains Peter Samsom from Ecologic Developments, “A beach house provides a real ‘home from home’ and is the ideal personal seaside retreat – the last thing customers want to do is spend a lot of time maintaining their properties.”
With low maintenance a high priority, the other challenge for Ecologic Developments is to ensure that any durable and low maintenance material is also a perfect fit with the very strict planning permissions needed for the huts and houses lining Britain’s beaches.
Peter says: “You can’t use just any material to construct beach houses and beach huts. Due to the stringent planning requirements, materials have to be both environmentally sound and aesthetically pleasing – blending with and contributing to their natural coastal environment.”
Medite Tricoya is an MDF like no other; because of this it has provided a solution for Ecologic Developments’ dilemma. Produced by Coillte Panel Products from FSC-certified timber, the wood is processed using acetylation, to dramatically alter its chemical structure. Now the resulting MDF provides all the performance benefits of standard MDF, alongside excellent durability because it is no longer susceptible to the effects of moisture absorption.
The material can also be fixed, glued, sanded and painted in the same way as standard MDF, providing ease of working and a highly professional finish.
“Our beach houses, huts and building projects are highly acclaimed, each one is unique,” explains Pete, “We therefore need to ensure that all the materials we use reflect this. Medite Tricoya meets our expectations, we have been using it for soffits, fascias and bargeboards – the areas which receive a lot of exposure to the weather – and, without a high level of durability or very regular maintenance, would deteriorate in the coastal conditions.”
Peter Clifton, Product Manager for Medite Tricoya, says: “The material provides a solution for many creative challenges. Where durability is a prime consideration, Medite Tricoya now gives the opportunity to substitute less sustainable materials for the benefits of a wood-based panel. With Durability Class 2, BBA assessment, full FSC certification supported by chain of custody and EU Timber Regulations compliance, Medite Tricoya blends product performance with environmental reassurance.”
