Laminates for Elevator Cabins

Parul Mittal (PM), Greenlam Industries, Ltd. director, shares insights with your author (SSP) on the scope for laminates in the industry and how it has increased with the COVID-19 impact.

SSP:What is the scope for using laminates within elevators and in elevator lobbies? 

PM:Laminates are versatile in terms of aesthetics and can be used in quite a lot of ways. For elevator and lobby areas, Greenlam Industries Ltd. laminates offer a “safeguard plus” technology with health and hygiene features. Their antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal features retard and kill up to 99.99% of viruses and bacteria that come in contact with the surface. Greenlam laminates are proven effective against the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus with 99% efficacy after 30 min of exposure to the laminate surface. They are also resistant to stains, scratches, abrasions, impacts, etc. and are easy to maintain. 

Moreover, many lift manufacturers are using laminates for internal cladding in elevators. Also, laminates’ durability and low maintenance allows them to withstand regular and heavy usage for longer periods. Greenlam also offers interior and exterior wall cladding. For interior façades, Greenlam offers a range of high-pressure compact laminates that have found application in hospitals, shopping malls, airports, educational institutions, commercial spaces, metro stations, railway stations and the hospitality industry. 

SSP:What would be the shades, patterns and textures advisable for such spaces?

PM: The most widely used materials for lifts are metals, because they bring a seamless look and finish to the cabin. However, the world has been rapidly evolving with an outlook toward more designer spaces including elevators. This gives a distinct first impression to visitors. To make the elevator and lobby welcoming and inviting, people have started experimenting with rich textures like Greenlam’s laminates with woodgrain, solid, abstract, metal, stone and marble patterns. Adding color and visual interest lightens the mood and provides a talking point for users. The right graphics can transform the experience into something more fun and instantly lift your mood. 

SSP: With Greenlam introducing laminates effective against SARS-CoV-2, how would this directly benefit users in high-traffic areas like a building’s elevator lobby and within the elevator itself? 

PM: Elevators are crowded spaces and inherently intimate, which makes them all the more important to keep sanitized. With the world adopting an extremely hygiene-cautious lifestyle, healthy living has become a priority, both indoors and outdoors. Moreover, the traditional elevator is the most likely place where an infection may be caught, due to its small area, no ventilation and requirement of touching push buttons. Therefore, elevators are the key breeding grounds for any bacteria or virus. 

SSP: How do these laminates, compared to other surface materials, ensure greater safety to those using elevators and lobbies?

PM: In addition to such statistics as being proven to kill more than 95% of viruses within 10 min, one of the most desirable aspects of using a laminate is affordability. They are also resistant to stains, scratches, abrasions, impacts, etc. They also come with antibacterial protection for everyday use. 

SSP: To what extent are these laminates in synchronization with fire-safety norms? How would they fare in this aspect, compared to other materials used in interior designing?

PM: Greenlam laminates come with very high safety standards. They all have Class 0 (the highest) rating in fire. Also, they are tested for inflammability and we have a BS1DO certificate, the highest industry standard. Lastly, they are tested for direct thermal attack, in which they not only withstand fire, but also help extinguish it to a great extent. 

SSP:With bespoke elevator interiors being a rising trend due to changing aspirations, what are the possibilities for customizing the entire interiors of elevators to demarcate and indicate different wings/floors? What are recommended options in terms of shades, patterns and textures?

PM: Greenlam introduced compact and unicore laminates to serve as scratch-resistant surfaces. When it comes to aesthetics, we have more than two decades of experience in the space. We not only offer textures, colors, patterns and material, we also customize the designs per clients’ requests through our Digital Print Laminates. Another of our lift and lobby products is AFX (anti-fingerprint laminate). AFX laminates are designed to add elegance to lifts, require low maintenance and make the surface nonporous, hydrophobic, and scratch and stain resistant.

SSP: What is the process involved in installing laminates as material to cover elevator interiors? How much time would it take to cover the interior surfaces of a typical elevator, and when may usage be resumed?  

PM: For lifts, laminates are directly mounted on top of metal frames, which is a very simple process. The laminates need to be cut to the size of the cabin, then pasted on top of the cladding. Typically, it doesn’t take more than 2-3 h to make a lift ready with laminates. Then, it may be used after 24 h of drying/settling time.