Blinds & Shutters - Issue 3/2023

SHUTTERS
What’s wood
got to do with it?
S:CRAFT says there
are alternatives in
the shutter market
If you could have wood for the price of MDF,
wouldn’t you? There are two answers to this
question, and both of them are effectively “no”
Firstly, nothing in our range is purely MDF.
Antigua is more than an MDF, it is a composite
product, and in all S:CRAFT materials, it is
referred to as “Engineered Wood” – and this is
not a fudge. Parts of Antigua are indeed made
from the very best quality, most environmentally
friendly MDF.
It is among the most eco-friendly materials
available, wood composite production involves
very little waste, with up to 95% of every tree
utilised. Made from the wood of rapid-growth
trees, Antigua shutters enable tree
replenishment at an extremely accelerated rate.
The unique engineered stiles are reinforced by
laminated veneer lumber (LVL) inserts made up of
multiple layers of hardwood which are bonded
together with pressure, heat, and polymer. The LVL
inserts strengthen the stiles providing long-term
durability and stability for the shutter panels. Our
manufacturer moved from making a solid wood
shutter to focussing on the engineered wood
product for quality reasons.
This takes us to the second answer –
Engineered wood is better 85% of the time. It’s
tougher, it closes better, it is warp resistant, and
the polypropylene wrap is more damage
resistant, more fade resistant, and more moisture
resistant. Norman® is our manufacturer's global
and vertically integrated retailer brand, so
confident are they in the bombproof nature of
these shutters, they offer a five-year no-quibble
guarantee in the Australian market, with all its
weather extremes.
There are many instances where you might
want to choose wooden shutters; large
installations, special shapes, stain finishes etc, and
of course damp environments call for ABS, but
where you can use Antigua, really, why wouldn’t
you? Nowhere, in any industry, is pure wood
used unless it’s absolutely integral to the product
– in cases where the emphasised grain finish was
required for example. Why would you buy
wood and then paint it white when there are
better materials? Nobody is making pure walnut
dashboards anymore.
Antigua shutters are primarily made from real
wood and are the real deal! They are not
pretending to be something else, they are
authentic, look beautiful, are stable, and most
importantly they will give your customers many
years of trouble-free operation and enjoyment.
On top of this, they are environmentally
friendly. All the wood products used to make
Antigua shutters are responsibly managed. They
are sustainable, recyclable, waste efficient, biodegradable,
and non-toxic. Our factory partner
in China is the only Asian manufacturer to
publish a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
report, a business model which takes account of
the environmental, social, and economic impacts
associated with business activities. Your customer
cares about this stuff, so we assure you that
when you sell Antigua, you can feel confident
you are selling the most popular, and most
proven shutter product on the market.
Produced by the best and most responsible
shutter manufacturer in the world, committed to
socially responsible processes in manufacturing
and forestry.
40 Blinds & Shutters • ISSUE THREE 2023