Vinyl Color & Grain Inc. plans to invest $3.5 million to expand its plant to meet demand for its specialty coatings for vinyl and other materials.
The Kinsman, Ohio-based firm now operates in a 40,000-square-foot facility. Owner and President Bill Demas said the company expects to add 15,000 square feet of space by early March and another 60,000 square feet by July. It also will install another five process lines and related equipment, Demas said in a telephone interview.
Vinyl Color needs extra space to accommodate its recently launched Impersonator series of coatings that simulate wood, marble, granite and other materials. They are especially well-suited for coating vinyl products, the firm said. Demas said the coatings are more effective than laminate films since they adhere better and allow cold-temperature processing for fast throughput.
Demas established Vinyl Color in 2000 after more than two decades of experience as a process engineer. One of the first problems the new company tackled was producing a thermally insulative coating for vinyl that allows for dark colors on vinyl siding and similar products, and that helps keep indoor temperatures down in hot weather. That led to the firm's Thermal Insulator coating system. Key to solving the insulation problem was developing adhesion technology for coatings on vinyl. The company patented the technology and now uses it in a range of coatings suited to vinyl and other plastics and metals.
Vinyl Color's other major product class is its Guardian Protective series of clear hard coats and chemically resistant finishes. The coatings can be used to complement Impersonator coatings or used alone to provide surface strength and graffiti resistance.