The trim’s the thing: huge installer potential for snap-on decorative edge trim

You can be forgiven for not batting an eyelid when a new product comes out of Duration Windows. The Essex fabricator already has a fabulously varied product range – just the thing to shield against a flat market. This versatile family-owned window business, based in Canvey Island, has been established for 19 years. A fleet of 10 vehicles delivers its products to a huge customer base, while a cash on delivery policy has helped keep the business afloat through lean times.

Duration is well known as a fabricator of Duraflex and Rehau PVC-U window systems, and does a nice line in Rehau’s vertical slider. The company is also an experienced fabricator of aluminium systems, including Beaufort, recently also Monarch, and Smart Systems – a popular choice for sliding doors and shopfronts. Duration is also a big noise in secondary glazing, often specified for its sound reducing properties. The company also scores on doors, with its Island range of composite doors, PVC-U high security stable door with seven point locking, and a neat line of roller garage doors, available with automatic or manual operation.

‘Earth shattering’

New product launches are an exciting event for any company, but Duration founder and Managing Director Brian Chelton describes his latest one as ‘earth shattering’. The company’s new trim is a decorative PVC-U profile that covers the sometimes unsightly sealant marks between the brickwork and window. The specially extruded profile snaps on to the edge of the window frame via screws, and can be taken off for cleaning or painting the house. Installers slide their own gasket into the profile, and it then provides a snug fit against the brick work. This is hard to distinguish from silicone, importantly preventing water ingress.

Duration is already offering the product as standard on its Rehau vertical sliders and Island composite door, where the trim’s door stop function prevents slamming and improves sound and thermal insulation. White and woodgrain profiles to colour match the Duraflex range will be next.

Brian Chelton came up with the idea after growing tired of the silicone lines around the windows on his own house. The trim performs this function beautifully, but is finding a huge range of other applications, presenting lots of little opportunities for installers.

Importantly, the product is retro-fittable. Homeowners may also like trim on the inside of their window frames. As shown on the Island composite door, trim around the door frame prevents slamming and improves sound and thermal insulation. Two trims back-to-back make a Dado rail that can be easily removed for painting. ‘Clip on and off trim’ makes a neat skirting board and performs a cable tidy function. Trim against laminate wood flooring allows the required movement for these installations while the gasket provides a flush fit against the flooring. And we’ve not even mentioned the potential in the kitchen or bathroom. Flipper or bubble-style gaskets are used, depending on the application.

The Academy

Duration is showcasing much of its varied product range in a conservatory and series of adjoining rooms on its premises. The new trim is the latest addition to this impressive show area, known as the ‘The Academy’. In a logical but nonetheless generous move, Duration’s customers have access to the Academy to sell the benefits of a range of products, including the stable door, aluminium windows and a range of heating and air conditioning units.

With such huge retro-fit potential, the installer opportunities for Duration’s trim are obvious. Priced at around 69p a metre, Duration could be on to a winner with the new trim.