Valspar Celebrating 50 Years Of Fluropon® Coatings

Minneapolis, MN – The Valspar Corporation is celebrating 50 years of Fluropon® 70 percent PVDF resin-based coatings. Since the flagship architectural coating launched in 1965, Valspar’s Fluropon exterior coatings have become an industry standard for both metal coil coating and aluminum extrusion applications.

To commemorate the golden anniversary, Fluropon50.com has been launched to provide information on Fluropon products and specifications, BIM content, blog posts and other news. The site also showcases notable Valspar Fluropon projects throughout the decades. The list includes the Aspen Art Museum, 2014; Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, 2011; Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, 2006, Taipei 101 in Taiwan, 2004; Globe Life Park, home of the Texas Rangers, 1994; Tokyo Dome Stadium, 1985; GM Renaissance Center in Detroit, 1977; the Watergate Towers in D.C., 1971; and more.

The new Fluropon anniversary website includes examples of prominent Fluropon projects through the decades. Among them are the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit, built in the 1970s and pictured  above, and the Tokyo Dome, built in the 1980s.

Valspar’s John Kelly remembers it all. President Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House and Kelly was 17-years-old in Philadelphia when he started working in the coatings industry. Today, more than 50 years after mixing his first batch of paint, he serves as Valspar’s market manager for metal buildings. “It’s been exciting to be involved with a product whose first response was ‘What is this stuff?’ to one that became the basis of fluoropolymer specifications as used by architects all over the world today,” says Kelly.

In 1965, Pennwalt’s corporate headquarters in Philadelphia was the first project to feature Fluropon commercially. The building was brown, one of only five colors available at the time. Today, there are more than 50,000 active code offerings from neutral to bright colors, micas, metallics and pearlescent coatings.

With its high durability and large color palette, these field-proven, high-performance, 70- percent PVDF resin-based coatings are offered in two- to four-coat systems in nearly any formulation, including low gloss, low sheen and solar reflective ENERGY STAR. Meeting the American Architectural Manufacturers Association’s AAMA 2605 high-performance exterior specification, Fluropon demonstrates reliable performance including resistance to harmful ultraviolet rays, chemical degradation, abrasion and humidity.

Along with its high-performance coatings, The Valspar Corporation supports architects and designers with its industry-leading technical expertise, color-matching and sustainability resources, responsive customer service and high-priority lead times. Learn more at Fluropon50.com.

About Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings

Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings delivers a full range of high-performance coatings in polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), silicone-modified polyester (SMP) and polyester formulas, designed to meet the most demanding environmental requirements while providing protection against weathering and pollution. The Coil Coatings Division is part of the Sherwin-Williams Performance Coatings Group, which supplies a broad range of highly-engineered solutions for construction, industrial, packaging and transportation markets in more than 110 countries in the world. Founded in 1866, The Sherwin-Williams Company is a global leader in the manufacture, development, distribution and sale of paints, coatings and related products to professional, industrial, commercial and retail customers. For more information about Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings, visit  coil.sherwin.com.