Shelter-Rite Architectural Fabrics with Tedlar^®
Polyvinyl Fluoride Film

Tedlar^® Provides Unmatched Protection for Shelter-Rite Fabric Structures

This aquatic center in Singleton NSW, Australia features an outer membrane of Shelter-Rite® fabric protected with Tedlar® that allows the facility to remain open in all weather conditions.

Shelter-Rite fabric coated with Tedlar® provides protection from the elements in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. This pavilion houses hospitality and meeting space on an Indian reservation.

This 21,000 sq ft Indian Gaming Pavilion with attractive accent pattern provides a comfortable environment for thousands of visitors. The stressed membrane structure uses opaque Concord Cream Tedlar® to resist the constant blazing sun of central Arizona.

Valley Athletic Club in Henderson, Nevada, which accommodates four tennis courts under the air-supported structure protected by Tedlar®.

This multipurpose sports complex in Guanare, Venezuela will keep 7,000 fans comfortable for basketball. Its huge clear span tension membrane roof is Shelter-Rite fabric with bright white Tedlar® PVF film.

Quick construction and a durable cargo storage facility were the objectives met by Seaman Corporation's Shelter-Rite fabric with Tedlar® for this United Airlines structure in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Challenge Service Stations in New Zealand clearly stand out from the competition. The distinctive look is created by white canopies of Shelter-Rite fabric with Tedlar® PVF film.

DuPont™ Tedlar^® is in the same polymer family as Teflon^® and has proven itself in demanding applications such as awnings, outdoor signs, solar collectors, roofing, exterior truck/trailer panels, highway sound barriers, and commercial building panels for more than 30 years. Well known for its durability, inertness, cleanability, and easy-care attributes, Tedlar^® is inherently flexible and contains no plasticizers. It provides a clean, slippery surface that naturally resists dirt and is essentially "self-cleaning."

Benefits of fabric structures that use Shelter-Rite with Tedlar^® include:

• Dirt resistance
• Slippery, gloss surface
• Bonded to the PVC-coated fabric, not a liquid coating
• Greater thickness for longer life
• Chemical resistance
• Inherently flexible
• Strong bond to the fabric substrate
• Choice of translucent, bright white, or a selection of colors to meet your needs

Fabrics Look New Longer

Tedlar^® is inherently flexible with a high tensile strength. It contains no plasticizers and won't attract dirt or dry out like PVC. It remains flexible over a wide temperature range even under very cold conditions (-60°F) and it retains a high degree of flexibility and strength as it weathers.

The dirt resistance of Tedlar^® is unmatched. It functions as a self-cleaning system as typical airborne dirt is commonly washed off by rain. If soiling occurs, a commercial cleaner can be used to restore the surface to its original appearance.

Tedlar^® provides fabric structures using Shelter-Rite fabric with a chemically resistant surface deterring atmospheric pollutants, acid rain attack, mildew, graffiti, and even bird droppings. Tedlar^® provides an excellent chemical barrier even in highly industrialized areas.

Shelter-Rite PVC-coated fabric bonded with Tedlar^® is weather resistant. Color and gloss are retained over extended periods and typically outperform other surface coating options including acrylics, urethanes, and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF).

The best news is long life for your structure. The protective Tedlar^® layer not only starts out much thicker than liquid coating systems, it erodes at a much slower rate. After extended periods of outdoor exposure, Tedlar^® still protects the fabric vs. alternative surface coatings, which may have eroded away (see Figure 1). For more complete information on comparative performance of surface coatings, read the report, Architectural Fabric Top Finish Performance, A Comparative Study.

Figure 1. Comparison of Surface Protective Finish in Accelerated Weathering Study

Note: This simulation shows that Tedlar® protective film not only starts out thicker than any of the other protective coatings, but retains superior thickness long after the others eroded completely.

All the results in this document were obtained using commercially available PVC-coated fabric. Weatherometer tests were performed by DuPont at their testing facility in Wilmington, Delaware.