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SPN AUG 2012 LinerPools
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
On site Extreme lining fitting by Plastica
Plastica have been an established liner manufacturer since 1976
In the early days customers could choose from any colour as long as it was blue, blue or aqua (which is also known as blue with a green tinge!) and this used to be the spectrum of colour swatches displayed to prospective pool owners in showrooms everywhere. In the 21st century if a customer wants a pink liner with a lime green dragon emblazoned on the pool floor then it is not completely beyond the realms of possibility, but possibly far beyond the realms of good taste! Historically things really started to hot up in the world of pool liners when new patterns started arriving from the late 70s onwards. The arrival of American imported liners, displaying a myriad of patterns and tile band effects, during the 90s,
thicker 30 thou liner (Germany always favoured the thicker 60 thou (1.50mm) reinforced site lining material and had relatively few pre tailored ‘bag’ liners). This process culminated in 2012 with the withdrawal of 20 thou liners from the UK market by all of the major liner manufacturers, once stocks have been exhausted. Until the late 80s/early 90s printed liners were protected by a thin clear PVC layer that was laminated onto the printed surface of the material. This method served as excellent protection against physical abrasion and chemical attack on the pool liner. Unfortunately it had two unwanted side effects. First, the laminated layer, as with all PVC was hygroscopic, meaning it had a tendency to
“Today’s liners may not actually have been designed and signed by the likes of Dolce & Gabbana or Stella McCartney but funky new patterns, motifs and even personalised finishes have glammed up liner choices...”
spurred UK manufacturers to develop their own unique ranges of patterns. This was closely followed by European material manufacturers increasing their range of ‘off the shelf’ patterns and colours. In short, the range of colours and patterns available to the UK market increased enormously during this period. It is interesting to note that even after all this time, with all these changes, the most popular liner designs are still Mosaic, Marble and Plain Blue!
Over the same period there has been a steady move from predominantly 20 thou (0.50mm) to 30 thou (0.75mm) thick liners. Historically the North American market was dominated by thinner (18 thou and 20 thou) liners whilst the European market, led by the French, favoured the
absorb water. This resulted in the material taking on a ‘milky’ effect rendering it visually unattractive. The second problem was a tendency for the protective layer to peel off – i.e. delaminate. This was not only visually unacceptable, but meant that the exposed printed surface was now unprotected against physical and chemical attack. To combat this, material manufacturers (Renolit – then trading under the Alkor name) developed a new system of print protection – lacquering the surface. This soon became the industry standard and has recently been improved further with the introduction of multiple layers of lacquer for extra protection. Vinyl liners have up until now been vulnerable to four main areas of attack:
•Physical attack from behind the liner – rough screed, stones etc.
•Microbial attack from behind the liner – leading to staining.
•Chemical attack from the pool water – leading to bleaching, wrinkling etc. •UV attack from sunlight – leading to premature ageing, fading etc.
The technical improvements concerning lacquering as described above have made significant inroads into dealing with the last three problems listed. In addition, new products have arrived such as Alkorplus 81059 metal remover. This removes dissolved metals from the water, preventing the reaction between these metals and the gases caused by microbial activity beneath the liner. It is this reaction which causes most staining in pool liners. The increased use of felt and foam underlays have helped reduce the problems of physical attack from behind the liner.
PLASTICA’S ‘EXTREME’LY HIGH STANDARDS
Plastica Limited has a range of liners for both above-ground and in-ground pools. Over the past 40 years the company has grown to become one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of swimming pool liners. Based in the South East of England, the company’s reputation for high quality, competitively priced products is based on its knowledge and understanding of the wet leisure market and its friendly, helpful staff. Plastica’s modern, 100,000 sq. m. factory in St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, manufactures a variety of goods that includes pool liners that are made to the highest, quality-assured standards using the most up-to-date materials and manufacturing techniques.
All Plastica in-ground liners are manufactured from Alkorplan material.
The material complies with proposed European Standard EN 15836-1 and patterned material has protective lacquer coatings.
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