In-house foiling that supports installers

Glass Times talks to Mike Bygrave, director at Roseview Windows, about how buying an independent foiling company has delivered flexibility and some unexpected wins.

Over the last decade, the window industry has seen a shift in homeowner preferences. Smooth white PVC-U windows – once the only option – are no longer the default.

Today, customers want choice, and not just white woodgrain, rosewood or anthracite. From soft greys to bolder, stronger tones, the demand for foiled profiles has exploded. Even black is changing, as black-brown is replaced by true, solid black.

Figures published by Tommy Trinder last year back this up. Of more than 400,000 windows quoted through their platform, just 63% were for smooth white frames. For high-end windows, that proportion drops to 33%. Compare that to five years ago, and the direction of travel is clear.

When the market demands choice, installers and fabricators listen. But this creates a challenge; while demand for foils is growing, the availability of colours doesn’t always keep pace.

Fabricators and installers are typically limited to the foils offered by their systems house. Anything outside of the standard palette is classed as a ‘special’ and must be sprayed, adding time, cost and complexity. For sash windows this is even more challenging, with fewer standard foils available for VS profiles compared to casements.

The Foilit solution

To solve this, in 2023 Roseview acquired Foilit, one of the UK’s few independent foil lamination companies. Having partnered with them for several years for custom foils, bringing Foilit into the group was a natural progression. It was a move driven by practical necessity – but turned out to be a big step forward.

In-house foiling means we are no longer restricted by systems house palettes. We can better respond to changing trends and have expanded our in-house foil range to include popular colours like agate, pebble grey, quartz, and the increasingly in-demand shadow black. With Foilit already set up to laminate Roseview’s profiles, we’re well-placed to produce shorter, bespoke runs cost-effectively and with minimal hassle.

Custom foils

Roseview and Foilit demonstrated this flexibility at the recent FIT Show, where – with Renolit – we featured several custom-foiled windows. Three windows used bold, decorative, attention-grabbing finishes. A fourth showcased claystone; a muted, deep-grained, matt-finish foil that we are tipping as the next trending colour.

But it’s not just about eye-catching show pieces. We have used our capability to improve the everyday products our customers rely on. Our headline Ultimate Rose sash window is available in three different white finishes; two of which – chalk white and crystal white – owe their existence to in-house foiling. Chalk white, in particular, is very popular with homeowners.

As demand for foiled windows increases, trims also need to keep up. Conversations with customers identified an issue with finding trims that match some foil colours, especially chalk white. Few suppliers stock them, and those that do have a limited range and high prices. In some cases, the hassle of sourcing matching trims was enough to stop installers offering chalk white windows altogether.

To solve this, at this year’s FIT Show, we launched our own range of foil-matched trims, available in nine common styles and three finishes. Customers can order white woodgrain, chalk white and crystal white trims in 2.5m lengths alongside their windows, with everything delivered together.

It’s a simple, convenient and cost-effective option that’s only possible because of our investment in Foilit. Feedback from customers at the FIT Show was clear; this is exactly what they need.

Acquiring Foilit and moving foiling in-house has allowed us to improve control, speed and flexibility in an increasingly important area. We’re better equipped to meet shifting market demands, offer more choice, and remove pain points for our customers.

The days of plain white windows are gone. With Foilit in the fold, Roseview is setting the standard for colour, quality and convenience in the sash window sector.