A guide to selecting the best ceiling tiles for hygienic commercial environments
Written by
14 October 2024
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4 min read
When it comes to setting the standard for commercial kitchens, food factories, bathrooms and laundries, it’s crucial for a ceiling to be moisture-resistant, washable, hygienic, durable, antimicrobial and fire-resistant.
Hot air rises, so the hot and humid conditions of commercial wet areas are hardest on the ceiling. Even with good mechanical air extraction, ceilings are exposed to heat and steam, and in kitchens they are often subjected to smoke, fumes, grease and airborne food particles as well. This tests not only the surface finish of a ceiling, but also its integrity.
Bates Surfaces has been manufacturing hard-wearing solutions for commercial kitchens, dairy plants and freezing works ceilings since the 1970s, and launched *Fenta Ceiling Tiles in the early-2000s, which has become a benchmark solution for hygienic commercial environments.
“The main qualities Fenta offers are hygiene, durability, lifespan, fire rating, water imperviousness, and cleanability," shares Bates Surfaces CEO Andre Bates. "Project managers have returned to us decades later during factory refurbishments to reinstall Fenta, impressed by its durability from the initial installation.”
A durable, washable UV-coated surface
A commercial environment with strict hygiene requirements, such as a freezing works, food preparation premises or dairy factories, has two qualities that make selecting the right ceiling tiles crucial: high humidity and need for cleanability.
Andre says these are the qualities to look for when specifying ceiling tiles for commercial environments, as well as environmentally-friendly manufacture. To this end, Bates Surfaces has made one significant change to the original product, shifting from solvent-based urethane coatings to UV-curing polymer coatings.
“It means our site is 100% solvent-free and VOC-free, so we’ve got a very high environmental grade, but what it also does is allow you to manufacture a very tough and durable product, even tougher than the one that we replaced it with.”
The UV-curing process which uses patented UltraLight Technology – a UV curing process that coats products with a finish of premium quality and outstanding durability – is similar to the one manicurists use for gel nails, which means rather than waiting for the coating to dry, it is cured instantly with UV light.
But that’s not the only benefit; the UV coating has a bio-silver additive in the topcoat, providing antimicrobial properties within the coating, killing off mould, bugs and bacteria. The silver additive has been successfully tested on over 50 different organisms in over 2000 applications.
The importance of moisture resistance in ceiling tiles for hygienic environments.
A commercial environment with strict hygiene requirements, such as a freezing works, food preparation premises or dairy factories, has two qualities that make selecting the right ceiling tiles crucial: high humidity and need for cleanability.
“Fenta’s fibre cement backing (which is waterproof) and the coating (which is water impermeable) means that the water and the moisture can’t impact the strength of the board. It’s a more durable solution than painted plasterboard. In fact, Fenta is often used to replace existing commercial kitchen ceilings that don’t last the distance,” shares Bates.
Many hygienic environments require regular and thorough cleaning, and Fenta’s tiles, which are able to be gasket-sealed into a grid system, can be cleaned down regularly with high pressure hosing.
“The tile is completely impervious to water,” shares Andre. “You can immerse it in water and it’s not going to change, whereas if you took a plasterboard hygiene tile or a mineral fibre hygiene tile (which might be priced slightly cheaper) the may deteriorate pretty fast.”
If Fenta is used with a gasket-sealed system it also provides an airtight environment, increasing air quality, which is crucial in spaces with a high medical or hygiene requirement.
New looks in hygienic ceiling tiles
Fenta ceiling tiles have been available in a white gloss finish for many years, which has a high light reflectivity value, meaning architects can use less lighting in a room if they specify Fenta tiles. The tiles are available in 4.5mm, and can be specified with an optic brightener (for special run sizes), which further increases light reflectivity.
Recently, Bates Surfaces has extended the stocked range, adding a white satin finish and a black gloss and satin finish. There’s also a new digital option which means ceilings can be completely customised with a printed image sealed with a clear UV-cured polyurethane coating.
“The Fenta Digital option means you can have any colour or pattern you want,” shares Andre. “We’re also doing special colour runs, and you can get the grid system colour-matched with powder coating from Dulux.”
Find out more about Fenta ceiling tiles from Bates Surfaces
*Fenta ceiling tiles are a trademarked product of Bates Surfaces.