Corynn Sheridan & Tara Faulkner - PVF Film That is Revolutionizing Metal Roofing - PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of an live interview with Corynn Sheridan and Tara Faulkner from Dupont. You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast. 

Speaker 1:
Welcome to Roofing Road Trips With Heidi. Explore the roofing industry through the eyes of a long term professional within the trade. Listen for insights, interviews, and exciting news in the roofing industry today.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Hello and welcome to another Roofing Road Trips from Roofer's Coffee Shop. My name is Heidi Ellsworth and I'm the president of Roofer's Coffee Shop. And today we are here at road tripping across the country to learn about something really new, innovative, and just so interesting. I'm so excited to welcome Karen Sheridan of DuPont and Tara Faulkner of Metal Alliance to the show to talk about the Tedlar PVF films and metals tiles. Ladies, welcome to the show.

Tara Faulkner:
Hi, good morning. Thank you for having us.

Corynn Sheridan:
Yeah. Excited to be here.

Heidi Ellsworth:
It is. I am really excited to have you both on I'm. I just think the technology behind this new product is pretty phenomenal. I've been watching it and visiting with all of you for a year or so now about this. So I'm excited to share it with the rest of the industry.

Tara Faulkner:
We're really excited.

Corynn Sheridan:
We're really excited too.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, I know this is great stuff. Really great. So before we get going, what I really would like to do is have you both introduce yourself? So Corynn, let's start with you. If you can introduce yourself, tell us a little bit about what you do at DuPont and just a little bit about you.

Corynn Sheridan:
Absolutely. So my name is Corynn Sheridan. I'm the global marketing manager for DuPont Tedlar. So Tedlar is one of the brands under the DuPont umbrella. So DuPont is a global technology and materials company that's been around for over 200 years. And Tedlar is also a long standing brand. It was invented in the sixties. So I work with our partners like Tara from Metal Alliance to bring this technology to the market and Tedlar can be found in a variety of applications around the world. And we'll get more into that later, but again, very excited to be here and be sharing this technology with the roofing industry.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes. Yeah. Very exciting. Tara, please tell us about you and your company.

Tara Faulkner:
Yeah. Thank you, Corynn. We couldn't have a better partner with DuPont. So I actually am a business development manager at Metal Alliance, worked in the metal roofing industry for over 20 years. We sell globally the Tedlar products and we've been working on developing the information into the market for the metal roofing application in the industry.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow. Wow. Okay. This is, I think I know everybody's being blown away, so let's start first with Corynn, with you. Let's talk a little bit more about that Tedlar PVF films. And I would love for you to share the other industries, how it's been used because there is just some really cool applications.

Corynn Sheridan:
Absolutely. Yeah. So Tedlar is newer to the building construction industry, not necessarily new, but newer in the United States, but it has been being used for over 60 years around the world. Tedlar has a long history. It's been used to lend durability and protection to substrates around the world. As I said, since the 1960s. It's a PVF film that stands for poly vinyl fluoride film, which is essentially a very thin pliable film, a very thin layer that is applied to a variety of substrates. It comes in a range of pigmented as well as transparent films. And it's incredibly versatile in the number of applications that it can successfully adhere to and adds a layer of extreme durability and protection to any substrate. So it's been used for a long time in the interiors of planes. That's one of the most common applications. So if you are flying, you touch the side of a commercial air craft. You're very likely touching Tedlar film. So that's used in high traffic areas to keep it looking brand new, highly cleanable blast for a long time.

Corynn Sheridan:
It's also been used in solar panels, cars, walls of hospitals, hotels, restaurants, the outside of sports domes and stadiums, graphic signage, and many, many more. So basically anywhere you need that additional layer of protection and cleanability against high traffic areas, harsh cleaners like bleach and acetone or against extreme weather conditions. So that's what's really applicable here. And what we're talking about with metal roofing and facades. Tedlar offers the protection against UV exposure against weathering against corrosion, a whole host of issues that the outside of building face, the challenges, the outside of building face. So Tedlar has proven decades of excellent protection in these exterior applications. And we have examples around the world of Tedlar films that were applied to metal buildings that look brand new 20, 30, even 40 years later. You could, it looks exactly the way it did on the day of application.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow. So you have, that's the thing that's so cool. This product's been around. It's proven outside and inside, high altitudes, obviously in planes. So you have this track record of already knowing how it's going to perform on the roof.

Tara Faulkner:
Yeah. Yes, and that great and amazing history is really what led us to understanding that this would be a phenomenal application and the metal roofing market.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. So Tara, tell us about that. Tell us about how are you using it and kind of what profiles how's it working?

Tara Faulkner:
Sure. So in addition to the phenomenal history and the proven performance based on exposure. We realized that we really needed something in the market for the metal roofing industry that would give us the great performance, the easier maintenance, the incredible exposure for metal roof systems. So right now in the market, we have coil in stock that we utilize for metal roofing manufacturers, whether they be roofers or suppliers to manufacture panel systems with the Tedlar preapplied.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Nice.

Tara Faulkner:
Yes, and those Tedlar panels with the PVF film, they're UL listed, their product approved, they're high velocity hurricane zone tested, and they're a comparable cost to existing aluminum products already on the market. So it really makes them a viable choice and an excellent value for the metal roofing market currently.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And how much are you, how much is out there right now that you've been putting? I mean, this is relatively new, right Tara?

Tara Faulkner:
It is. So the interest in Tedlar and the movement of material is beginning. And we've done projects now, pretty much all over the United States and now moved coil into the Caribbean for production. Some of those projects range from hotels that are exposed right on the ocean, to resorts and hotels in the upper Midwest, to residential applications and both the coastal environments as well as inland.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow. So Corynn, maybe talk just a little bit too, kind of following up on that durability. How does this, you mentioned it can with any type of weather, but what about fading and UV? I loved what you were saying about the plane that it just looks new forever. How does that work? And how's that working?

Corynn Sheridan:
Yeah, so we've done extensive Florida exposure testing. Tedlar's basically working as a superior alternative to protective coding system. So it's giving that extreme level of durability and protection and it's performed extremely well in those long term Florida weathering tests and shows exceptional color stability, gloss retention, and adhesion stability in high UV exposure. Additionally, it has zero key bend flexibility. It's extremely flexible and pliable. So that means that whatever shape that panel is formed to it, you can essentially fold the metal in half and the Tedlar won't weaken or crack, which means that metal substrate is protected at a very uniformed way over time at any shape that the metal panel is formed into. It also has dirt shedding properties, so the roof does look brand new for a long time. Its anti-graffiti dirt shedding in addition to maintaining that level of color and gloss. So you really do get a product that's going to look excellent for decades.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Well, and that works great on walls too. Because when you think about...

Corynn Sheridan:
Absolutely.

Tara Faulkner:
It does.

Corynn Sheridan:
Absolutely.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Graffiti was happening all over the country just, and just dirt and smog and everything else. It makes it sound so bad, but if it can resist that, that's pretty incredible. So what do you, what are you seeing? And you mentioned Tara being on the coast range. And so that comes to mind salt, rust, high winds, hurricanes, all those kind of things. What are you seeing in those coastal applications for performance?

Tara Faulkner:
So because the products are actually tested, not just for the performance of the Tedlar itself, but also tested into the market for performance on the panel system. We see the value on exposure in the coastal markets. And a lot of the questions that we get directly from the manufacturers of this product now is, how well it will it hold up in that environment? And the answer to that is it does have the high velocity hurricane zone testing and paired with the performance of the Tedlar finish, it's such an incredible product for that installation.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. And you're also, as we've been talking about it, Corynn was talking about the flexibility of the product. But the other thing I'm really interested in is too is the resistance of anything growing on it. So I mean, there's a lot of part of the countries we have mold and mildew and black streaks all these things. How does it work with that?

Tara Faulkner:
Yeah. So Tedlar also pairs very well because it is eco-friendly. And quite a bit over the years, we've gone over with contractors about maintenance of metal roofs. So for Tedlar, you do have a product that does not support bacteria growth. So you've got a surface that is excellent for metal roofing application. We also have a non flammable product. It has low smoke toxicity, doesn't support that mold, mildew, or bacteria. And it has a great dense surface is non reactive. So in the environment, whether it be wall panel or for the roof systems, this is really an ideal product for protecting the structures and really easing on maintenance as well.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. Because that's what I'm thinking like service and maintenance and being able to take care of that. What Tara, what are you hearing from contractors who are installing this and how they're kind of talking to homeowners about it?

Tara Faulkner:
Yeah. So the feedback from the field has been excellent contractors in terms of ease of application and installation practice. Whether it be a mechanical project where they have to seam the panels on each seam or whether it's a snap lock or product that is a little bit easier to install in the field. The actual feedback from the contractors installing is ease of application that they have not had difficulty out in the field.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And what, so maybe a basic simple question, but really it's coming preformed with the film on it. So there's not a whole lot of besides getting all the benefits, there's really not a change to installation or anything like that, right?

Tara Faulkner:
So you really have a great question too, and a good point about this product. Metal Alliance, when we created this partnership with DuPont, we realized moving it out to the market. It would be ideal if we actually put a coating on it prior to installation. So all of our product on roll, comes pre PVC coated for ease of transportation, pretty much all over or ease of transport all over the United States, as well as the Caribbean. So the feedback that I get from the field is our cost for that product is comparable to other aluminum products with coating and it's already PVC coated for protection and manufacturing.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow, wow. And that flexibility then within that, so they can actually take some of those, the coils or if they get some sheets or whatever, and they can do some of their own forming, roll forming.

Tara Faulkner:
Correct. Yes, so it comes with kind of a protective layer if you will. And this really added to the support that we could give the contractors as well as the manufacturers in the field for great production results.

Heidi Ellsworth:
That's excellent. That's great. So Corynn, let's talk just a little bit more about the cleaning. I loved what Tara was saying because there's so many service and maintenance departments out there and there's a lot of stuff going on. Can you talk just a little bit more about the, how easy it is to clean? But that, and maybe kind of go back even I'm really in interested in that you don't have to do that much cleaning because it just naturally washes off also.

Corynn Sheridan:
Yes, absolutely. So one of the applications I mentioned in addition to these exterior applications are interior. So Tedlar is found in restaurants and healthcare environments on the inside of walls as well. So we had to go through very rigorous stain testing for that. And it was shown to stand up against some of the worst stains possible. Again, I mentioned bleach and acetone, iodine, red wine, lipstick, all of these things wipe clean off Tedlar easily. They don't sit on it, they don't sink into it. So the same thing is true of exterior applications. So, like we said, spray paint, graffiti marker, any of that is going to wipe clean right off of the Tedlar very easily. So in addition to the lower maintenance cost of a building made with metal coating and Tedlar, it lasts longer. So it's not corroding and the dirt's not sticking to it. So you're going to have a building that you need to do less maintenance on and need to replace the parts less frequently on should something happen, especially in those highly corrosive or high traffic environments.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And what about, I mean, I'm thinking, I know this is, and Tara, you're doing tons of this on the coastal things, but even like salt spray. And I'm thinking restaurants too with when you don't you, when you have grease and everything coming out.

Tara Faulkner:
Yeah. So one of the questions that we get the most when meeting with manufacturers, as well as contractors that are currently fabricating the product is how do we do installations? Whether they be retrofit or new construction installations for whole communities that really want to limit the amount of maintenance that they have on their roof systems. So no matter what the environment, this product is ideal for lowering that maintenance requirement. And that's one of the huge appeals for different developments, whether it be residential or commercial that are looking for alternatives to high maintenance products.

Heidi Ellsworth:
That makes sense. That makes a lot of sense. And so because some of those communities they want, well and think about, you don't want a whole lot going on in that roof. Hospitals, schools, special communities where they just don't want retirement homes, I mean, there's, I can see where that would really make a huge difference. What are the, when the contractors, Tara, as your contractors are starting to install this, working with your manufacturers both. What, how are they presenting this to homeowners? Obviously that's one benefit fit, but what are some of the other things that are really kind of catching those home homeowner's attention?

Tara Faulkner:
I think one of the things that seems to resonate with a lot of the contractors, as well as the manufacturers is that this is a premium product in many ways. Because of what it offers in return once installed. But we want, and we continue to support the contractors and understanding as well as the manufacturers that this product is just really ideal for metal roofing application. So we want them not to just see it as a premium product. We want them to see this as a solution type product for metal roofing application.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. And they're looking for those kind of solutions right now and you're hearing it from not just homeowners, but building owners. So on the commercial side of it too. And it sounds like you're doing some really big jobs. What are some of the jobs that you're seeing out there and kind of how, what are the building owners, what's that community saying about it?

Tara Faulkner:
So currently we've been working with, and I was working directly with some customers this morning on some government specified projects and looking at Tedlar as a good option for installation both coastal projects as well as non coastal. And then also we're seeing a huge request and new construction, retro fitting any kind of existing product that customers have had to have a high level of maintenance on for ideal application. So there are many different types of projects that are currently underway with Tedlar. I've just seen just quite a few request come through for both residential and commercial. And then in the last short period, we've seen also more requests for wall application. So the more that the customer base learns about this product and the more they realize the benefits, they seem to realize that there's so many different additional applications into the construction market.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Alright. Wow. So you were saying, you're located in Florida. You also have some production manufacturing going on in the Caribbean. How do contractors from across the country get a hold of this product?

Tara Faulkner:
So we do have two locations. We are in Baltimore as well as Florida. We have team members that can assist with giving information about the product, as well as helping contractors make purchases. We work directly with those contractors, whether it's assisting for specifications of the product or simply providing information about material that might already be in stock. We definitely help them walk through the process. Most of our contractors actually email requests for pricing as well as information. They send that to orders at metal alliance.com. And we did add to our lineup some additional colors. We added just recently a slate gray as well as a dark bronze finish to already existing lines. And that will be unveiled very shortly into the market. So we've actually realized that contractors are looking for these colors and would like to add these to their requests for projects.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Very cool. And how are the contractors? So they're sending their orders in and they're shipping. Is a lot of this being, as you said earlier specified? Are you seeing a lot of architectural support?

Tara Faulkner:
So we're seeing the specification market increasing a lot of the specifiers are learning about the products, learning about the fact that the final finished profile has the testing that's required and has a lot of the properties that they're looking for. And so that sector we're seeing an increase in people requesting the information so they can specify. Most specifications are written so that they will accept an equal or alternative. If that is the case, there are some projects where we've actually worked with the specific job to see if we can provide material for that job as an alternative for installation. So we have seen an increase in that.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, that is really, so Corynn, what are you seeing from the DuPont side? I mean this has to be pretty exciting to bring a product that's well known into a whole new industry. What is some of the feedback and that you're hearing from the folks over there at DuPont?

Corynn Sheridan:
We're very excited to be growing with the building and construction industry. It's a great application for Tedlar. And as I've mentioned, we've seen that in other parts of the world. Tedlar was recently installed on the Shanghai Formula One Circuit Stadium. It's in all these big applications and we're starting to really see that as we work with Metal Alliance to grow its press since in the U.S. That there's a ton of interest and enthusiasm for something that can offer a 50 year warranty with no coastal restrictions. That's kind of really premium product in the market like Tara mentioned. So we're excited to be bringing this solution to the U.S and the Caribbean, especially in these coastal areas.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. Wow. That this is great. This is great. Well, Tara, any other notes that you would like to share with the audience that out there about what you have going, which is pretty exciting?

Tara Faulkner:
Well, we definitely encourage a lot of the contractors as well as the manufacturers to reach out to us and get samples of the product so that they can have something to show their customers and prospects. We really want them to be able to see the film, see the application, and be willing to learn a little bit more. So that it, they're able to answer firsthand a lot of the questions that their customers may have. But I definitely think that with the superior protection and the performance of this product, they're just unlimited amounts of projects that Tedlar could be applied to in this metal roofing market.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And I've seen you, both of you, I've seen it several shows. So you're, I'm sure going to be at some of the upcoming shows on this summer and into the fall.

Tara Faulkner:
We will. And yeah, we plan to show the new color that we have at the next shows coming up. And again, answer any questions too, that the customers may have about any projects they have that are moving forward.

Heidi Ellsworth:
That's great. Corynn, any last thoughts?

Corynn Sheridan:
No, I, this is great. Thank you so much, much Tara and Heidi, for going through this. We're again, as I said, really excited that we're bringing this solution to the market and Metal Alliance and certainly the team at DuPont. We are happy to keep providing information. I know this is something new for a lot of contractors to be working with. And we have tons of cases and success stories and are happy to help kind of walk through the installation and the process and understanding how this product can work for you.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. What I love, what I'm hearing is also that it's not that different from their normal installation. Just being aware of a few little things probably, but overall, it's the same thing but you get this great performance, this great new product that's been proven for the last 60 plus years.

Corynn Sheridan:
Exactly.

Tara Faulkner:
No special tools and a lot of support. And we really look forward to talking to our customers about the projects that come.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, I can't wait. And I'm telling you everybody out there, you can see a lot of those projects as they're coming about because DuPont and Metal Alliance both have directories on Roofer's Coffee Shop. You can go in there, you can check out the case studies, you can look at all the information, it's great. So easy place, and then that gets you to them so you can order some of this great material.

Corynn Sheridan:
That would be great.

Tara Faulkner:
Yes.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes, that would be great. Well, ladies, thank you so much for being here today on this roofing road trip. Really, really cool progressive technology that I guess isn't that old, but, or is well proven, but is really kind of making a splash into the industry. So thank you again so much for sharing everything about this product, and I'm going to encourage everybody out there to look you up to go to your directories, to get to your sites, to really see how cool this is.

Tara Faulkner:
Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

Corynn Sheridan:
Thank you.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Thank you. Thank you for joining me and thank you all for joining us on this Roofing Road Trip. As you know, all of our podcasts are on Roofer's Coffee Shop under the read list and watch navigation, and you can always find this on your favorite podcast channel. Just be sure to subscribe and get those notifications. So you don't miss a single road trip and we'll be looking for you again the next time on Roofing Road Trips. Thanks and have a great day.

Speaker 1:
Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave a review. Thanks for listening. This has been Roofing Road Trips with Heidi from the Roofer's Coffee Shop.com.