We have always imported quality products.

In the past five years we started importing US Paints under a separate division to combat the problems of not fit for purpose products that are now being sold in the New Zealand housing market. These are locally made and imported products.

New Zealand’s Climate & It’s Effect on Paints

NZ isn’t unique to bad weather and in North America they are have more extreme UV, sun, heat, cold and water problems than New Zealand and these products we import don’t fail. Nor do they fail around the world.

Our products are made in USA & Guaranteed To Withstand NZ’s UV

“Before UV-sensitive outdoor materials are marketed and deployed they will have typically undergone long-term testing against UV damage in high UV testing sites like Southern California and Florida (latitude ~30N ). Because New Zealand’s annual UV dose is less than those sites, any guarantee against UV damage that applies throughout USA should also apply anywhere in New Zealand.”

– Dr Richard McKenzie – Niwa Scientist and global expert on Ultraviolet light amongst other notable achievements

Some facts about the harsh climates our products have been used for many years in:
Yuma, Arizona tops the list of places in United States with the most sun. Generally, it’s sunny in Yuma for 90% of the time from sunrise to sunset. In fact, with its typical 4300 sunny hours a year, Yuma achieves the world record for most recorded annual average sunshine vs New Zealand average sunshine hours of 2000 hours.

What are the highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded in the United States?
The lowest temperature registered in the “Lower 48” is -70 degrees Fahrenheit (-57 degrees centigrade) at Rogers Pass, Montana, on Jan. 20, 1954. Rogers Pass is located on the Continental Divide, at an elevation of 5,610 feet. The coldest in all 50 states goes to Prospect Creek, in central Alaska, -80 degrees (-62.2 degrees centigrade) on Jan. 23, 1971. The warmest low: 12 degrees (-11 degrees centigrade) at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii, on May 17, 1979. The nation’s (and the world’s) highest temperature is 134 degrees Fahrenheit (57 degrees centigrade) at Death Valley, Calif., on July 10, 1913. Every state has recorded a temperature of at least 100 degrees. (38.8 degrees centigrade) Fort Yukon, Alaska: 100 degrees (38.8 degrees centigrade) on June 27, 1915; also 100 degrees (38.8 degrees centigrade) near Pahala, Hawaii, on April 27, 1931.

The strongest wind ever recorded in the United States not including tornadoes or hurricanes was recorded at the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire, one of the windiest places on earth. On April 12th, 1934, a wind gust was recorded at 231 mph!

So, when anyone asks us if these products will withstand New Zealand’s weather conditions we believe you only need to read the above to answer this for yourself.

Quality Products

All our products are certified to meet ASTM standards – these are global standards.

ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services. Some 12,575 ASTM voluntary consensus standards operate globally.

Founded in 1902 as the American Section of the International Association for Testing Materials (see also International Organization for Standardization), ASTM International predates other standards organizations such as the IEC (1906), DIN (1917), ANSI (1918), AFNOR (1926), and ISO (1947).

History
A group of scientists and engineers, led by Charles Dudley, formed ASTM in 1898 to address the frequent rail breaks affecting the fast-growing railroad industry. The group developed a standard for the steel used to fabricate rails. Originally called the “American Society for Testing Materials” in 1902, it became the “American Society for Testing And Materials” in 1961. In 2001, ASTM officially changed its name to “ASTM International” and added the tagline “Standards Worldwide”. In 2014, it changed the tagline to “Helping our World Work better”. Now, ASTM International has offices in Belgium, Canada, China, Peru, and Washington, D.C.[1][2]

Membership and organization
Membership in the organization is open to anyone with an interest in its activities.[3] Standards are developed within committees, and new committees are formed as needed, upon request of interested members. Membership in most committees is voluntary and is initiated by the member’s own request, not by appointment nor by invitation. Members are classified as users, producers, consumers, and “general interest”. The latter includes academics and consultants. Users include industry users, who may be producers in the context of other technical committees, and end-users such as consumers. In order to meet the requirements of antitrust laws, producers must constitute less than 50% of every committee or subcommittee, and votes are limited to one per producer company. Because of these restrictions, there can be a substantial waiting-list of producers seeking organizational memberships on the more popular committees. Members can, however, participate without a formal vote and their input will be fully considered.

As of 2015, ASTM has more than 30,000 members, including over 1,150 organizational members, from more than 140 countries.[4][5] The members serve on one or more of 140+ ASTM Technical Committees. ASTM International has several awards for contributions to standards authorship, including the ASTM International Award of Merit (the organization’s highest award)[6] ASTM International is classified by the United States Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Standards compliance
ASTM International has no role in requiring or enforcing compliance with its standards. The standards, however, may become mandatory when referenced by an external contract, corporation, or government.[4]

In the United States, ASTM standards have been adopted, by incorporation or by reference, in many federal, state, and municipal government regulations. The National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act, passed in 1995, requires the federal government to use privately developed consensus standards whenever possible. The Act reflects what had long been recommended as best practice within the federal government.
Other governments (local and worldwide) also have referenced ASTM standards.[7]
Corporations doing international business may choose to reference an ASTM standard.
All toys sold in the United States must meet the safety requirements of ASTM F963, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, as part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). The law makes the ASTM F963 standard a mandatory requirement for toys while the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) studies the standard’s effectiveness and issues final consumer guidelines for toy safety.[8]

Our Ranges

ZAR Exterior Stains
www.zar.co.nz
If you want to stain your house and don’t want to see the painter for 15 years – ZAR Stain is the product for you.

Eterna-Kote Silicone Roof Waterproofing
www.eternakote.co.nz
Silicone Roof paint with a lifetime warranty. Repair your roof rather than replacing it. Saves time money & the environment.

Drylok Masonry & Basement Waterproofing
www.drylok.co.nz
The number one masonry product in the USA to withstand 15 PSI on your exterior or interior basement. It can also be used to waterproof the exterior of your house and also to paint the inside of your swimming pool

Please don’t rely on us to make your decision. Google our products and see what people say about them – just make sure they are reputable websites.

You will also note that, unlike a lot of our competitors, we supply all data sheets and Material Data sheets about our products. This is because we believe it is important to be transparent about what we do. We want our customers to have all of the information the require to make an informed decision.

Also, our labels tell you everything about our product. New Zealand regulators deem a lot of information not necessary, for whatever reason, to be supplied to the consumer. I would be wary of people who don’t supply technical data information about their products. Also, I am sure after the continuing problems with leaky buildings and not fit for purpose products that this will change over the years.

One final point – back in the early 1990s when I imported American food and sold it to all the major supermarkets in New Zealand including Foodtown, Big Fresh, Countdown, New World, Pak n Save etc we were told we were not allowed to print US nutritional information on the packaging by the New Zealand food standards regulators.

Now, you won’t find any product allowed to be sold without this information on it.

How to Stain Your House and Deck With a Stain That Will Last

Does your house or deck stain look a bit worn and faded?

Are you sick of having to re-stain every few years?

Are you looking for a lasting alternative?

Solid Stains provide that alternative. A Solid Stain protects and beautifies the wood surface and lasts for a longer period of time than traditional stains.

Poorly maintained wood become susceptible to deterioration. Exposure to sunlight breaks down the lignin holding the wood fibres together resulting in a gray surface that is not able to hold a finish. Water can be absorbed and cause rotting of the boards which can potentially compromise the structure beneath.

You can safeguard your surfaces and avoid these problems by maintaining your house and deck with a Solid Stain such as Zar, which is made in the USA and is now available in NZ.

The great benefit of Solid Stains such as Zar is that they are specially designed with 100% acrylic resins and a unique alkyd blend to provide a long-lasting colour coating that protects and shields against sun, rain, snow and salt air.

The self-priming formula results in a product which is easy to apply, resistant to peeling and beautifully accentuates the woods texture.
Best of all… Solid Colour Stain is really made to last.

Before you next Stain your house or deck, check to see what warranty the manufacturer offers. Then compare it with the warranty on a Solid Stain. For example, Zar Solid Stain comes with a 15 year manufacturer’s warranty on house surfaces and a 5 year manufacturer’s warranty on deck surfaces.
Just think of the time and money this will save you!

Most stains have a very limited life and seem to be needing to be continually recoated – this comes at great expense through not only product cost, but also time and labour costs.

Many people tire of this endless cycle of having to re-stain their house and deck. They finally give up on stains and paint their house instead, losing the beauty of the wood’s texture in the process.

Now there is a stain that you can apply and then leave for many years while you get on and enjoy life! Solid Colour Stains are made to last.

Explore our website to find out more about Zar or to purchase online