BRAZIL - Duratex  takes the lead again and is the first company in Brazil to offer coated wood panels (MDF and MDP) and laminate flooring with antiviral and antibacterial protection.

This  innovation occurs at a very important time, considering that the pandemic we face made us reflect on our relationship with the home.

Home became an office, a school, a space of recreation and rest, and transforming it into a healthy place has become critical to preventing the spread of viruses, germs and bacteria in environments.

With this in mind Duratex at the time became the first brazilian company to offer antibacterial protection in coated wood panels and laminate flooring by way of the Protekto technology, an additive developed by a company specialized in nanotechnology, which produces and creates solutions with intelligent materials. On this development Duratex carried out a project to identify a solution,which by adding silver ions also enhances the antiviral effect of wood panels and laminate flooring.

The product was tested and approved in independent external laboratories, following recommendations by the National Health Surveillance Agency - Anvisa, ISO21702 and EN14476 methodologies with 99% of viral inactivation in the first minute and reaching 99.9% in a few minutes. The research continues to further explore the topic and verify results.

“When we were impacted by the pandemic, we started a wide-ranging research work to evaluate the performance of our Protekto product and we noticed that it was not enough to face the pandemic”, explains Renata Braga, marketing manager for Duratex products. “For this reason and believing that we are responsible for offering the best solutions aimed at people's well-being, we decided to invest in this project, and we intend to start production immediately so that this protection reaches the market as quickly as possible”, she says.

Currently, Duratex offers in its portfolio more than 100 patterns of coated panels (MDF and MDP) that provide beauty and sophistication to furniture, in addition to 10 lines and more than 50 patterns of laminated Durafloor floors. All products are produced with the exclusive Protekto antibacterial technology and will have an antiviral extension. This protection creates a barrier that eliminates the growth of microorganisms, not allowing them to settle on the products, keeping them clean longer. In this way, the products remain hygienic, contributing to keep the environments even healthier. In addition, Protekto protects the panels against stains and bad odors caused by mold, maintaining functionality and extending product life.

The new technology will be applied in the products of the Durafloor laminate flooring lines, as well as in the products of the coated wood panel lines (MDF and MDP). Production is expected to start next month.