3 minute read
Bathroom Innovations
FINALLY, AN MDF FOR USE IN BATHROOMS AND OTHER WET ENVIRONMENTS!
MDF is a great product, popular for its flexibility in use, strength and cost. The one drawback for KBB installers is that it has always been vulnerable to damp and humid conditions. Standard MDF absorbs moisture and expands, meaning that any room
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with high humidity has been off limits, until now.
'MEDITE TRICOYA
MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME (MTX) is a genuine gamechanger, completely impervious to water and humidity; so much so, that to demonstrate its validity, visitors to the recently held Ecobuild exhibition in March were intrigued to see blocks of MTX floating in a tank of water. More impressive, was the fact that the blocks had been immersed in water for three weeks, outside in all weathers, with absolutely no effect on the dimension, performance or appearance of the MDF.
This extraordinary performance is down to the unique patented manufacturing technique, which involves treating every particle of wood fibre in an entirely sustainable acetylation process. This results in an MDF board which can be cut, machined and treated just like standard MDF but has complete dimensional stability in all conditions.
It now means that kitchen and bathroom installers can use an MDF product, safe in the knowledge that they will not receive unnecessary call-backs to deal with later.
CASE STUDY Since its launch to the wider contract market, the reputation of MTX has grown as evidence of its performance builds. As long ago as 2014, an episode of popular TV programme, Grand Designs, featured a project by Tracy Fox and husband Steven who set out to use unexpected products in novel situations. Loving the texture and surface finish of MDF, Tracy used the raw, stained product extensively in kitchen cabinets, and a stairway.
During the programme, Tracy raised the issue of the two wetrooms in the house, lamenting that she could not use MDF in those because of the issue with humidity. It was the programme’s presenter, Kevin McCloud, who suggested using MTX, having featured the formaldehyde-free, durable board in his “Kevin’s Eco Find of the Month” column in 2012.
Following up on the recommendation, Tracy got in touch MEDITE SMARTPLY and Product Manager Peter Clifton was able to reassure an initially sceptical customer about the performance of the product, although admittedly it had not been used in this specific application at the time.
Encouraged by what she heard, Tracy made extensive use of the
MTX board in both wet rooms. In one, she decided to keep the original surface texture, using a simple black stain to colour the board, but otherwise using no surface treatment or protection. MTX boards are dimensionally stable in any conditions, but the panels were installed with expansion joints to cater for movement in the supporting framework and the joints were filled with black mastic.
In the second wetroom, MTX was used as a substrate with tiling applied directly to the board using standard adhesive, which proved to be a problem-free process. “We used a high-quality adhesive and every tile is still holding fast after 18 months” was Tracy’s conclusion.
This case study, combined with other project successes, has encouraged the company to roll out MTX to the KBB industry for the very first time. It appears to be a genuine game-changer.
Final word goes to MEDITE SMARTPLY’s Peter Clifton who said, “This extraordinary product is certainly confounding expectations and proving that, finally, there is an MDF product that can be used in wet areas where it is guaranteed to retain its performance over the long term.”
For more information on MTX, email info@mdfosb. com, visit: www.mdfosb.com/ en/medite-tricoya-extreme/ products. Or see more of the actual Grand Design here.
