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Hamilton’s expanded Paintables service delivers highly durable, colour-matched wiring accessories with accurate colour reproduction.
Personalised Paint Perfection
Consumer demand for personalisation continues to grow in all aspects of our lives. Today there is an expectation that products and services will meet our exact needs – if an available solution doesn’t tick all our boxes, we want to customise it simply and cost-effectively and make it our own. And if that’s not possible, we’ll find another supplier that can make it happen. Hamilton Litestat provides bespoke solutions to fulfil these customer demands, including its popular Paintables colour-matching service.
Accessories can be painted to blend in with a colour taken from a wallpaper, or to contrast it with a hue from the room’s soft furnishings. Popular colours are heavily influenced by the paint manufacturers, so Dulux’s Colour for 2021, Brave Ground, is set to have a major impact on the finish of wiring accessories in current interior design schemes. The company is giving the designer the ability to make every flick of a switch feel unique while ensuring ease-of-ordering and minimal hassle for wholesalers and installers.
“We pride ourselves on going the extra mile to ensure a client’s vision can be executed, and our Paintables service is helping deliver that with accurate colour matching to interior design schemes,” explains Gavin Williams, Sales & Marketing Director at Hamilton.
“Today, people expect options to be tailored to them, and Paintables delivers just that in a simple and cost-effective solution. We’ve seen demand double in the past 18 months, and to keep ahead of the market have increased our capacity for this service at our Bristol facilities.”
Hamilton has long offered colour-matched switch plates and sockets from its factory at Mere but with this rapidly rising demand it has relocated and doubled the size of its Paintables Department, which now sits at its headquarters in Bristol, delivering a 40 per cent reduction in current lead times.
The Paintables service is a powder coating process and is available on Hamilton’s popular and versatile Hartland CFX and Sheer CFX plus the recently launched Hartland G2 and Sheer G2 collections - a screwless push-to-fit face plate that exudes refinement, but without the designer price tag! All four collections which offer a wide range of functionality and configuration options. So, whether a customer wants a USB switched socket in BS 114 Rail Blue, so it blends seamlessly with a deep on-trend wall colour, or a Wide Rocker Switch in RAL 6000, a leafy green to complement a jungle mural feature wall, it’s possible quickly, simply, and cost-effectively.
Colour choice & matching accuracy
Whether you want to precisely colour match the wall, or perhaps choose a contrasting colour to tie in with soft furnishings, anything is possible, and gives a polished, coordinated finished. “Whenever we are at events, our display of Paintables products draws the attention of visitors and really captures their imagination about what’s possible,” adds Gavin.
Hamilton recommends using colour reference systems RAL, British Standards or the Natural Colour System when looking to exactly colour match with the Paintables service. These standards can be accurately reproduced during powder coating. And with RAL having 1,625 options and the Natural Colour System having 1,950, you won’t be short on choice! In addition to the vast colour possibilities, Hamilton’s Paintables is available in gloss, matt, and even a metallic finish.
While Pantone is often the go-to colour referencing system used by many designers, its accuracy is limited when trying to colour match using a powder coating applied to metal. Pantone inks are specially formulated to work on paper, with very little white being used in the ink make-up because much of the lightening effect comes from the paper when it absorbs the ink.
“To ensure our clients get the best possible colour reproduction and match to their interior design scheme, we always recommend using RAL, British Standards or the NCS colour systems,” explains Gavin.
“Pastels and muted Pantone references can on occasion be achieved but bright colours are more difficult, which makes it unsuitable for this service.
Gavin adds: "Feasibility of Pantone reference requests will need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis and we would recommend pre-production test samples, which can impact budget. We highly recommend using the other colour reference systems to achieve a dependable result, and avoid unnecessary hassle and cost.”
Flawless Finish
Once a colour is chosen, say RAL 1016 Sulphur Yellow (right), the switch plates and sockets are cleaned and prepared before being powder coated. Powder coating makes use of pigment and resin that are statically charged and sprayed onto the electrically grounded surfaces of the wiring solutions. This results in a high-quality finish, ensuring the paint adheres evenly and the colour is consistent.
The paint coating is then cured in an oven, resulting in a finish that is far more durable than other paint options. It is resistant to chipping, scratching, and fading, which is particularly important for wiring accessories due to the amount of wear and contact they receive.
Should it not be possible to select a colour ahead of time, Hamilton also supplies primed plates for painting on site. However, as the plates will not go through Hamilton’s curing process, they will not be as durable as those powder coated at Hamilton’s in-house paint facilities.
To discuss adding a little colour in your next project, contact the Hamilton team on [email protected] or call +44 (0)1747 860088.
As a supplier to the building industry, Hamilton’s London Showroom is open and operating on an appointment-only basis under strict government COVID-19 guidance. To book an appointment email [email protected]
