This year, the Valspar Corp. celebrates 50 years of Fluropon^® 70% PVDF resin-based coatings. Since the flagship architectural coating launched in 1965, Fluropon exterior coatings have reportedly become the industry standard for both metal coil coating and aluminum extrusion applications.

To commemorate its golden anniversary, www.Fluropon50.com will provide information on Fluropon products and specifications, BIM content, blog posts and other news. Valspar also will share notable projects showcasing Fluropon throughout the decades: Aspen Art Museum, 2014; Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, 2011; Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, 2006; Taipei 101 in Taiwan, 2004; Globe Life Park, home of the Texas Rangers, 1994; Tokyo Dome Stadium, 1985; GM Renaissance Center in Detroit, 1977; and the Watergate Towers in Washington, D.C., 1971.

Valspar’s John Kelly remembers it all. President Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House and Kelly was 17 years old in Philadelphia when he started working in the coatings industry. Today, more than 50 years after mixing his first batch of paint, he serves as Valspar’s market manager for metal buildings.

“It’s been exciting to be involved with a product whose first response was ‘What is this stuff?’ to one that became the basis of fluoropolymer specifications as used by architects all over the world today,” says Kelly.

In 1965, Pennwalt’s corporate headquarters in Philadelphia was the first project to feature Fluropon commercially. The building was brown, one of only five colors available at the time. Today, there are more than 50,000 active code offerings from neutral to bright colors, micas, metallics and pearlescent coatings.

With high durability and a large color palette, these field-proven, high-performance, 70% PVDF resin-based coatings are offered in two- to four-coat systems in nearly any formulation, including low gloss, low sheen and solar reflective ENERGY STAR. Meeting the American Architectural Manufacturers Association’s (AAMA) 2605 high-performance exterior specification, Fluropon reportedly demonstrates reliable performance, including resistance to harmful ultraviolet rays, chemical degradation, abrasion and humidity.