When Gerald B. Payne founded United Gilsonite Laboratories (UGL) in 1932, his big ideas were just that – big ideas. Soon enough, though, ideas became a reality. Hard work and commitment to the finest quality products available made the difference, and today, nearly 90 years later, these principles continue to guide UGL every day. While the competitive landscape in home improvement products has continually evolved, UGL has continued to invest in research and development, the best in raw materials and production practices, and most of all, in listening to its customers.
ZAR Platinum PRO Translucent Urethane Finish is just the most recent example of the UGL commitment to innovation, top quality, and responsiveness to a loyal and ever-expanding customer base. It's much more than a finish, bringing better components and processes to life. ZAR Platinum PRO offers durability and ease of application and maintains its vibrant color and good looks through years of sunshine and rain, heat and cold. The premium product for those who want the best in interior or exterior finishes, an investment in ZAR Platinum PRO provides confidence, particularly when a variety of options in structural stains and finishes crowd store shelves. Choosing the right product for the job at hand is often a complicated task, and UGL is there to guide the customer through the process, saving time and money while offering consultation and helpful hints that lead to successful project completion.
Listening and Responding
The introduction of ZAR Platinum PRO began with a simple conversation, and this unique product was developed from the bottom up in a very organic way. "A customer that manufactures utility buildings came to us several years ago and asked UGL to develop a product that would satisfy a need based on a specific request," explained Jeff Brooks, UGL sales and quality specialist for the last 15 years. "This product would help them increase productivity in the arena of finishes that they utilized. At the time, there was no translucent urethane finish that could be sprayed on a nonporous primed substrate in one coat, drying in 30 minutes.”
"This innovative product allowed our customer to not only save in material costs, going from a two- or three-coat system, but also increased productivity by decreasing the amount of time needed in the drying process before the trim is ready to be tacked on the buildings and sent out the door," Brooks continued. "Platinum PRO is a versatile finish that can be used in the interior as well as the exterior. The key to this product is that, unlike simple stains, it leaves a finish. Therefore, Platinum Pro can be applied to ceilings, walls, doors, horse stalls, and more! Inside the home, the polyurethane component helps give the look as if someone applied one coat of interior stain and two coats of polyurethane to the interior of a log or timber home. It provides a high-end, elegant look in either a rich or low lustre sheen option."
Accepting a challenge, rising to the occasion, and exceeding expectations – all part of Gerald Payne's legacy and instilled in the core values of UGL – have shone through with the development of ZAR Platinum PRO. For generations, people and purpose have made the difference. The UGL team decided to explore other possibilities with ZAR Platinum PRO and made incredible discoveries.
"Although its inception is rooted in spray applications for nonporous, pre-primed surfaces found in the utility building industry, we continued attempting to find the boundaries of this unique and unconventional product's application," Brooks commented. "So, we began testing the effectiveness of ZAR Platinum PRO on wood, applying the Platinum on rough sawn wood, as well as d-log siding, and exposing them, positioned horizontally for moisture to gather and for direct sunlight to test the durability of the finish."
Then, kicking it up a notch, they even applied a well-known and often used oil base log and siding stain on a piece of d-log, let it dry for three days and brushed the Platinum PRO directly over it. Of course, it was possible that this would create adhesion and failure issues on multiple fronts. "It has been two years with the Platinum PRO applied directly over an oil base stain, and the surface looks like it did the day it was initially applied," Brooks noted.
From there, UGL's laboratory and other independent laboratories conducted tests that supported these results.
Platinum PRO Performs
Practical experience counts, and ZAR Platinum PRO delivers. The product provides excellent adhesion on new construction as well as over existing coatings that are in acceptable condition…clean, dull, and dry. Remember, the topcoat will be only as effective as what's underneath. Platinum PRO is a surface stain with strong inhibitors of the sun's harmful UV rays along with excellent fade resistance. Platinum PRO incorporates all inorganic pigments in its finish for outstanding color retention; it's not simply a stain, but a finish as well, a protective finish that is more impervious to mold or mildew growth than penetrating stains, allowing the finish to maintain its natural beauty over a longer period of time.
Platinum PRO is a fast-drying finish with a low odor that provides the professionals who use it with larger windows of opportunity to complete jobs. This is a real enhancement considering the importance of available work time during periods of frequent wet weather conditions. Oils need a much longer block of dry weather in order to cure properly. The finish provides a natural look on the interior as well as exterior surfaces, and Platinum PRO is available in 10 ready-mixed colors and two sheen levels (low-lustre and rich-lustre), eliminating the need for tinting to maintain color uniformity.
"Conquering the 'sag factor' has been a great achievement," Brooks advised. "It won't run down the surface like other spray or brush products with lower viscosity. So, it provides more margin for error than thinner products that you have to build up with more coats. With Platinum PRO, you don't have to do that. This product is the consistency of honey, and one of the first bits of feedback we received simply said that Platinum PRO was smooth, not messy when rolling out a ceiling, and it won't run off your brush. That's one of the things people love about the product."
With a single coat spray application, a gallon of Platinum PRO covers a generous amount of surface, drying in 15 to 30 minutes. It's ideal for use with various surfaces, including wood, faux wood, engineered wood/composites, fiber cement, vinyl, fiberglass, metal, hardboard, veneer, and plastic/PVC. The product is recommended for vertical surfaces rather than horizontals that are subject to foot traffic and abrasion, such as flooring or decking.
Value and Versatility
Professionals choose Platinum PRO time after time. Since its introduction, the product has proven itself through ease of application, the right balance of viscosity and color retention, indoor and outdoor usage, and the best return on investment among finishes in the industry. UGL, along with its tradition of excellence, its dedicated research and development process through testing and affirmation, and then in long-lasting service, stands behind Platinum PRO with a robust warranty. Experience the best value in high-quality finish in today's marketplace.
Choose with confidence. Choose ZAR Platinum PRO.
See also: ZAR's 7 Day Maintenance Tips
