Jul 21 2005
Sandtoft has launched its latest innovation, the Neo Pantile - a new generation clay pantile that offers the fixing advantages of a concrete tile with the kerb appeal and character of natural clay.
Clay pantiling is a traditional and attractive form of roofing. It remains highly desirable in spite of the specialist skills required and the time-consuming nature of its installation. The traditional clay pantile has seen relatively little product development over the years. However Sandtoft's successfully introduced interlocks to pantiles to improve performance and recently won great acclaim with Arcadia - a ready-weathered pantile with an authentic reclaimed appearance.
While such product innovations have been quickly adopted by housebuilders and helped stimulate growth in the use of clay, they have not fully tackled the main barriers to the use of clay pantiles - the time consuming nature of installation and the availability of specialist roofing skills.
As part of Sandtoft's strategy to make clay more affordable and accessible, the company's design team has developed a groundbreaking new clay pantile that challenges the issues of speed and ease of installation.
Following exhaustive wind tunnel testing and contractor feedback Sandtoft has designed the Neo Pantile, a high performance product that retains all the charm and visual appeal of a traditional clay pantile, along with added benefits of completely flexible and efficient fixings. In short, it's a clay pantile to suit the demands of the modern housebuilder.
The Neo Pantile's unique 'open gauge' design means all of the setting-out restrictions imposed by complicated weather bars and interlocks have been eliminated to allow significantly more freedom in setting the gauge - just like a concrete tile - so its easy for all contractors to lay, not just those with specialist skills. However, the most important feature is the elimination of cuts at ridges and eaves. All of these benefits can dramatically reduce roof completion times on site by up to 30 per cent.
Made from naturally occurring alluvial clay, the new Neo Pantile will satisfy planners and developers looking for an affordable yet natural product from a sustainable source.
Comments Nick Oldridge, Sandtoft's sales and marketing director, "We designed Neo Pantile after long consultations with developers and roofing contractors who showed a clear need for a clay pantile that is as easy to fix as concrete. Contractors who have already trialled Neo Pantile have proved on site that this pantile has not only achieved this goal, but also betters its concrete competitor in terms of enhanced aesthetics, colour permanence and weight savings.
The Neo Pantile has already been well-received following a number of pre-launch trial installations. Roofing contractor RB Watts installed Sandtoft's Neo Pantile at a residential development conversion scheme at Hellasden Mill in Norwich.
Contracts manager at RB Watts, Nigel Medler, comments, "We liked both the overall design of the tile and the finished look of the roof. The adjustable gauge allowed simpler setting out of the tiles, like concrete tiles, and because the Neo Pantile sat flatter on the batten, completion was about 30 per cent faster than it would have been with other interlocking clay pantiles."