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Redland Roofing Systems has two new products which merit attention. Landmark is a new range of concrete tiles which promise to be colourfast for up to 40 years. It is an acknowledged problem with concrete, especially when laid on roofs, that the colours wash out relatively quickly, a process hastened by acid rain. In contrast, clay and natural slate roofs develop a pleasing patina.

This has contributed to the downmarket image of concrete. Now Redland believes Landmark will solve the problem. The tile itself is coated with three layers, one of which, known as the integration layer, for the first time fuses concrete with a polymer. Extensive ageing trials have been carried out which show that this coating will hold good for decades. Whether housebuilders will pay the 15% premium Redland is asking remains to be seen, especially as the premium for clay is currently only 20% - although the choice for large format clay tiles is very limited and the cost of laying large format is significantly cheaper. Landmark is available in two formats, a double pantile (in three colours) and a concrete slate (in two).

Redland's other innovation is Rapid Ridge - a tape-based dry ridge system which promises time and cost savings. Redland's existing dry ridge systems have involved buying relatively expensive tile-specific plastic extrusions in 2.7 m lengths. Product penetration has stayed below 10% in southern England.

Homebuilders aren't particularly keen on setting ridge tiles in wet mortar but they don't like paying out £120 or more for dry ridge fixings. Nor do they like the fact that Redland carry six different plastic fillers for six different tile profiles which, by and large, are incompatible with other manufacturers' tiles.

Rapid Ridge has addressed all these issues. At about half the price of the existing dry ridge system, it is cheap enough to be attractive to housebuilders. It is also compatible with every roof tile ever made. And, as its name suggests, it promises speed savings over both existing dry ridge systems and laying ridge tiles in wet mortar.

Setting out the ridge is done in the same way as with the existing dry ridge systems. Battens are fixed to the the top of the ridge with stainless steel batten straps and then the roof tiles are laid tight up to the ridge. At this point, instead of attaching a plastic extrusion over the ridge, you unwind the DryRoll and stick it down over the ridge battens onto the roof tiles on either side.

The tape is made of a fleece material developed in Germany and it is flexible enough to take up the undulations of any profiled tile or pantile. The ridge tiles used with Rapid Ridge - Redland Half Round or Universal Angle - are the same as used with their existing dry ridge system, though they sit 19 mm lower on the roof. At present, Rapid Ridge cannot be used on hips although there are plans to add this capability to the system. It also can't be used where ridge ventilation is required, so room-in-the-roof schemes can only be of a warm roof design.