B&Q does it the Ritec way

Glass at a new B&Q warehouse in Norfolk will stay cleaner longer as a result of Ritec’s award-winning ClearShield surface protection system...

The new store located at the Pasteur Retail Park in Great Yarmouth is double-glazed throughout, with the application of ClearShield converting what would have been high maintenance, unprotected glass into Low-M® (Low-Maintenance) Glass.

ClearShield Glass Protect is a proven glass surface treatment that is not a film or a coating, and is based on the company’s proven polymer technology enhanced with a new and more active catalyst. It ensures higher resistance to corrosion and staining, and glass treated with ClearShield looks newer for longer.  Furthermore, application of this innovative product always makes glass easier to clean without the need for harsh chemicals, and cleaning frequency is cut, on average, by 50%.

CAP Aluminium Systems, specialist contractors to the aluminium glazing and fenestration industry based in the West Midlands, was awarded the contract to supply and install Kawneer curtain walling and automatic sliding doors for the Great Yarmouth B&Q warehouse. ClearShield Glass Protect was then applied on site to all 700m² of glazing.

Unprotected glass can easily become corroded, stained and discoloured making it difficult to see through and difficult to clean and keep clean.  ClearShield Glass Protect provides an ideal solution for all kinds of exterior and interior glazing, including architectural glass, residential windows and doors, and also conservatory roofs, a growing market for Ritec’s customer base. It can be applied either in the factory using manual or fully automatic spraying equipment prior to installation, or onsite for glass already installed.

The treatment is based on a special polymeric resin which provides the surface protection. Applied as a liquid, ClearShield reacts with the glass and becomes an integral part of the surface by forming a protective treatment that is chemically bonded to the surface and measures less than a micron in thickness.

Ian Lord, CAP’s Design & Business Development Director, says, “Applying ClearShield to glass ensures it keeps its pristine state, and that creates a better environment for shoppers as well as saving the retailer money as the glass needs to be cleaned less often. Everybody benefits."

CAP Aluminium, which was founded in 1983, is Kawneer’s largest dealer worldwide, and one of the UK’s foremost fabricators and installers within commercial retail and public sector markets.