Waregem, Belgium—Unilin Technologies and Kastamonu Entegre have extended their licensing cooperation to include the waterproof technology Unicoat. With this new agreement Kastamonu becomes the first flooring manufacturer in Turkey to sign a license agreement for the coating technology developed by Unilin. With the adoption by Kastamonu, the Unicoat technology will now be used by some of the largest players in the industry in North America, Europe and Asia, according to Unilin.
The water-repellent coating, branded under the name Unicoat, seals the edges of wood-based flooring panels to avoid swelling, while also preventing liquids to penetrate between the joints. Unicoat protects the floor from spills beyond the standard requirements set by the generally accepted norms.
“We have been looking for the right technology to create waterproof laminate flooring,” said Yusuf İleri, technical director at Kastamonu. “Unilin has been our preferred partner for flooring technologies for years and we are happy they offer the perfect solution. With the implementation of Unicoat we can offer more durable, waterproof products to our customers. We are working closely with Unilin and their partners Schiele and PTS for the smooth integration of the coating into our production line.”
Kastamonu is set to launch products incorporating the technology by February 2023 and said it is planning to make the new products available both for export and the Turkish domestic market.
“Unilin and Kastamonu have been close partners for many years,” said Floris Koopmans, sales director at Unilin. “They are great supporters of our click systems. Therefore, we are more than happy we could also offer them a solution to make their laminate products waterproof. After the many years of R&D and the use of the Unicoat solution within our own group, it is great to see one of the largest manufacturers of laminate flooring in the world, Kastamonu Entegre, is now also at the forefront of innovation by adopting this innovative edge coating technology. We believe this partnership is the next step toward a more waterproof future for the laminate category.”