Lakes Bathrooms launches new business

July 2009

An invisible coating may seem an unlikely money-spinner, especially in today’s tough market.  But the AllClear® stay-clean coating launched by Tewkesbury company Lakes Bathrooms last year has provided the opportunity for the company to launch a brand new business. 

AllClear Coatings is the name of the new venture and Lakes Bathrooms say that they plan to build on the success of their invisible stay-clean coating in the bathroom industry to expand into other markets.

“Kitchen worktops, windows, mirrors and other household applications are obvious places for our stay-clean coating,” explained sales director Robin Craddock.  “We also realise that there are an almost limitless number of other commercial ways to use the AllClear product, such as to treat car windscreens, in washrooms and other industrial cleaning environments, on hospital surfaces, on glass roofs and other inaccessible architectural features.  The opportunities are endless and we plan to focus on these with our new AllClear Coatings business, a subsidiary of our existing company.”

AllClear is a super-fine, invisible coating that repels water, limescale, dirt and other deposits on any treated surface.  Its hydrophobic quality means that water droplets merge and fall, leaving a streak free surface.  The claimed benefits are that treated surfaces require cleaning only with a cloth and fresh water so the need for chemical cleansers is removed.  This, Lakes Bathrooms say, makes for quicker and cheaper cleaning, improved hygiene and reduced environmental impact.

Application of the coating to Lakes Bathrooms’ shower products is done via a process called ‘vapour-deposition’ in a specialist patented chamber.  The new company will initially concentrate on hand application whereby bottles and kits of the AllClear products are sold in quantity for treatment of various surfaces on site or in third party production. 

“We already have enquiries and interest in AllClear from a range of different market sectors,” said Craddock. “We don’t want to take our eye off our successful existing business so have recruited Leigh Fletcher, a specialist from the glazing market, to specifically drive our coating sales.  This is an extremely exciting time for our business and we’re ready to sieze the potential.”