Hot air rises, so the hot and humid conditions of commercial wet areas are hardest on the ceiling. Even with good mechanical air extraction, ceilings are exposed to heat and steam, and in kitchens they are often subjected to smoke, fumes, grease and airborne food particles as well. This tests not only the surface finish of a ceiling, but also its integrity.

Made in New Zealand for over 30 years, the Fenta ceiling tile is designed to deal with humid conditions and cooking residue. Based on a 4.5mm James Hardie fibre cement board cut to 600 x 1200mm tiles (nominal), they are then coated with a hard, high-gloss UV-cured paint system by Anzal's parent company, Bates Surface Solutions. Bates is New Zealand’s largest coatings applicator for building panel products and a leader in the adoption of UV-cured paint technology.

Designing food preparation areas also means meeting high standards of hygiene and contamination control. The hard, impervious surface of Fenta is incredibly easy to clean and exceeds Clause G3.3.2 of the NZBC. The surface coating is further impregnated with an antimicrobial silver additive to minimise the spread of bacteria, mould and mildew. Fenta tiles meet every current domestic and overseas hygiene regulation when installed correctly.

Fenta replaces poorer forming ceilings

Anzal supplies a lot of projects where an existing ceiling is underperforming — either ceilings with a porous surface, where it is expensive or impossible to maintain hygiene standards, or ceilings that have sagged under the heat and humidity associated with commercial kitchens and bathrooms.

For example, Anzal recently supplied Fenta tiles to replace a large commercial kitchen ceiling at Waikato Hospital. When comparing the lifetime cleaning costs of the previous mineral tile with the small extra capital expenditure for a high-performance, compliant finish, the cost was quickly justified.

Fenta ceiling tiles are suitable for commercial kitchens, commercial bathrooms, changing rooms, laundries, utility areas, healthcare, laboratories.