Crown Trade Steracryl

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Whilst the number of fatalities caused by MRSA have fallen sharply over the last couple of years, outbreaks of hospital acquired infections are still rife and never far from the media headlines. At a time when every health trust in the land is waging a war against so called Superbugs and other harmful micro-organisms Crown Trade is launching a new range of high performance anti-bacterial coatings that could provide a very useful weapon in their armoury. Brand Manager Debbie Orr reports….   

Going into hospital is not something we look forward to, and nowadays we have even more reason to fear a spell on a medical ward because of the prevalence of MRSA, C-Difficile, Streptococcus and other bacteria which find hospitals ideal breeding grounds. Thankfully, healthcare providers have now all put infection control at the top of their agenda and are seeking ever more effective ways to keep their patients, staff and visitors safe from harm.

Given that many bacteria, including MRSA, can live on dry inanimate surfaces for months on end, there’s an incredibly strong argument for using anti-bacterial  decorative coatings as a matter of course in all hospitals (and other healthcare environments such as clinics, doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries, walk-in health centres, etc) as part of a holistic infection control programme.

Anti-bacterial decorative coatings are improving all the time as paint manufacturers find new ways to incorporate well-established, proven anti-microbial additives into their most advanced coating formulations. As part of its new Steracryl health and hygiene coatings range, Crown Trade has introduced two antibacterial coatings based on the very same silver ion technology that is already relied throughout many hospital environments, providing anti-bacterial protection in mattresses, textiles, wall cladding panels, furniture surfaces, flooring, curtains, door handles, bandages and surgical equipment.

Crown Trade Steracryl Anti Bacterial Scrubbable Matt and Durable Acrylic Eggshell both incorporate SteriTouch antimicrobial additives which are proven to reduce populations of harmful organisms such as MRSA, E-Coli, Salmonella and Listeria.

Unlike some other anti-bacterial solutions on the market, our hygienic coatings do not contain triclosan, a controversial anti-bacterial agent which is registered as a pesticide in the US and has been linked with various health scares. Our bactericide is not organic. It will not leach out of the paint film over time, or wash or wear off, even under rigorous NHS prescribed cleaning regimes. It is based on the sterilising properties of silver which were understood as long ago as 400BC, as we know from ancient writing by Hippocrates who discussed its healing powers in wound care.

Efficacy testing (insofar as anti-bacterial performance is concerned) has been conducted by SteriTouch according to the internationally recognised tests, JIS Z 2801:2000. Crown Trade has carried its own successful field trials to test the durability, scrubbability and appearance retention of these products in a variety of healthcare settings and both products have been shown to extend redecoration cycles, which will help cash-strapped health trusts to stretch their maintenance budgets further.

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Like Crown Trade Clean Extreme Scrubbable Matt, the new Steracryl Anti-Bacterial Scrubbable Matt and Durable Acrylic Eggshell coatings are intrinsically stain resistant and boast a Class 1 Scrub rating. Indeed when ‘scrub tested’ according to ISO 11998, Steracryl Anti-Bacterial Scrubbable Matt lost less than 5 microns of film thickness after 200 cycles, representing a 400% increase in resistance to wet scrubbing compared to conventional vinyl matt.

These two new hygienic coatings will be available for use in healthcare environments, and their anti-bacterial properties and tough and durable finishes also make them ideally suited for use in all sorts of food preparation areas where hygiene is a top priority and regular and rigorous cleaning of surfaces is required.

Both coatings will be initially launched in a White and Pastel colour range in a 5 litre pack size. Completing the new Steracryl range will be a new Mould Inhibiting Durable Acrylic Eggshell which has been specifically formulated for use on all broadwall and wooden trim areas that are subject to disfiguration by mould.

Steracryl Anti-Bacterial Scrubbable Matt Delivers at Caithness Maternity Ward NHS Highland is one of the health trusts to have field-trialled Crown Trade Steracryl Anti-Bacterial Scrubbable Matt. The Maternity Suite at Caithness General Hospital was selected as an ideal area to assess the durability and appearance retention of the new paint as the delivery rooms are subjected to scrupulous cleaning from floor to ceiling after every single birth takes place. Two coats of paint were applied back in 2009 and now many months later, despite the punishing cleaning regime, the decor still looks “as good as new”. Eric Green,  Estates Manager for NHS Highland said: ““From a maintenance point of view, any coatings we use not only have to be based on well proven technology, they also have to be supremely durable in order to withstand our intensive cleaning regimes. We’ve trialled Crown Trade Steracryl Anti-Bacterial Scrubbable Matt in our maternity ward at Caithness General and found that after repeated scrubbing with cloths and cleaning fluids, the walls still have their flat matt ‘just painted’ finish and there’s no sign of soiling at all. “Ideally we’d like to see this type of paint used more widely. It’s not just helping to create a healthier safer environment for patients, staff and visitors….from an economic and practical perspective it’s making the cleaning and maintenance task easier for our staff and helping to extend our redecoration schedules.“

 

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