Some thirty years ago, an entrepreneur with a background in Perlite and a leading horticulturist got together to launch a company with a future as they saw it more allied to horticulture than to construction.
Initially, therefore Silvaperl concentrated on the horticultural market but gradually it was realised that the material had a far wider range of applications in construction, refractories and chemicals, for instance. So the company was split into two businesses – Silvaperl Horticulture and Silvaperl Industrial.
In 1980, the company bought a factory in Lowestoft to continue operating with both businesses. Gradually however, an injection of finance was needed to make the business grow and, in the event, the best offer came from William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd, part of William Sinclair Holdings plc. That was in 1987 and resulted in a move to a larger site at Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. As part of the new arrangement, the horticultural business was incorporated into Sinclair Horticulture Ltd leaving Silvaperl at Gainsborough to concentrate on the industrial side for the development and distribution of Perlite, Vermiculite and Expanded Clay.
According to former director and now technical adviser Barrie Faullkner, “This move gave us a completely new opportunity and placed us in a far stronger position. A large amount of our products go into insulation but there have also been changes. For example, at the beginning, we were involved in every project into which our products were going but now the business has grown to such an extent that most of our work in insulation is distribution through Insulation Specialists.” which is overseen by Guy Sinclair Business Manager and Catherine White Sales and Distribution Account Controller.
Looking more specifically at the products, Silvapor coated expanded perlite is a hydrophobic insulating aggregate. This water repellent, non-flammable, loose-pour insulant significantly improves the thermal performance on masonry walls and floors and is easily installed without special training or equipment for extensions and established properties, especially in stone buildings and conversions. The total functional performance of Silvapor is to minimise winter heat loss and summer heat gain, thereby providing greater comfort at a lower cost. The product protects against water transmission and wind driven moisture penetration and thus assures constant insulating efficiency.
Lightweight concretes and screed made with Perlite, Vermiculite and Expanded Clay are ultra-lightweight aggregates which can be used to reduce loss of heat through floors and also loose-pour applications. All the lighteweight products are widely used for Chimney Lining for New and Retro builds.
“Most people do not know what perlite is or just how far back the use of some of the materials goes – for example pumice and Perlite are generic names created by Volcanic action and were used in their natural state as a construction material in Ancient Rome!
Perlite, Vermiculite and Expanded Clay are a hidden ingredient used in walls, floors and in horticulture. While many people are aware of it in this sense, a much smaller number know of its increasingly wide range of applications in construction. We are the UK’s leading manufacturer of expanded Perlite and exfoliated Vermiculite and we also supply an extensive range of lightweight clays and high temperature cement for use in refractories.”
