Welcomed by the sounds of chugging machines, we ventured on a quest to find out what is unique about Sealcore composites —an economical product, which is fast replacing wood.
Words Archna Balakumar Photographs Isuru Upeksha
As Sri Lankans, our fascination with wood never stops. When it comes to building our dream homes or property, we love to incorporate excessive overtones of wood. As appealing as these expanses of lumber can be, one cannot argue over the fact that it is hard maintenance, especially in a tropical country. Though wood is indispensable in some cases, the good news is that closer alternatives to wooden doors, decks and door frames are now available. Mascons Group, a pioneering company in the hardware and construction field, after extensive research, has brought the convenience of wooden composites, through their brand– Sealcore, into the country.
On visiting the production unit, we were able to understand how meticulously Mascons produces its cutting-edge construction material. The process begins with the collection of wood waste from saw mills and furniture shops; this constitutes the chief raw material for the composite. Not even a single tree or plank of fresh wood is used, which makes these products completely environmentally friendly. Heaps of the collected wood waste are brought into the facility where they are passed through a series of pieces of equipment and ground to obtain a fine flour. This is blended with PVC, calcium carbonate and a series of other additives which are added to enhance the properties of the resultant composite. The most important aspect of the production is achieving a perfect mixture of the chemicals, since it determines the quality of the end product. A lot of care is ensured at this stage as even the slightest amount of variation could cause drastic changes. The blend of wood flour and chemicals which they call the “formula” is fed into the extruding equipment, which melts and moulds it into a variety of desired shapes, based on their functionality as doors, door frames or deck stripes.
At the painting unit, one could witness how the sheets of colourless composites are painted in a variety of shades and finer finishes are incorporated. Both manual and automated painting is done, depending on customer requirements. Dedicated staff work hard to bring out the minute details which set the Sealcore composites a class apart. The final finished products exhibit immense perfection, making it hard for us to differentiate the products from wood.
Sealcore composites have a certain edge as they possess properties of termite and water resistance making them ideal for the tropical climate of our country. Problems such as splintering are rarely encountered with these strong materials, as they are made to meet a high strength specifications. One can now enjoy a beautiful deck or flooring, without worrying about dents and replacement costs for a long time.
Since their launch in the year 2012, Sealcore composite products have found a growing demand in the country owing to their versatility and ease of use. It is a multi- purpose material that can be used in situations as preferred by builders and architects. The company offers a five year warranty period, within which any number of replacements are made for all their products. Mascons is able to provide such a novel product at a reasonable price, since it is manufactured with locally sourced raw materials, making the product truly Sri Lankan. The popularity of the product is now reaching foreign markets; the company has begun exporting to India and has been supplying to several important projects within the country too.
Mascons Group has the repute of being manufacturers of supreme quality hardware and construction materials for decades and they have reached another milestone with their new line – Sealcore composites.
175, Sri Sumanatissa Mawatha,
Colombo 12
Tel: (+94 11) 2325561
Fax: (+94 11) 2449537
