This innovative restoration by S2 Design includes alterations and additions to a heritage significant, Victorian dwelling in St Kilda. See full article on the Argyle project here.
It incorporates a large amount of external cladding, wet area lining, stair treads and furniture made by Replas from UV stabilised plastic, locally sourced and manufactured from over one million HDPE recycled milk bottles and we believe the usage in wet areas of this home is a world first.
The product has been applied in place of wall lining, waterproof membranes and final surface finishes. It’s an all-in-one product that eliminates unnecessary materials thus saving time and costs. As the product is anti-bacterial and rejects the adhesion of calcium, lime, and other common shower screen and tile deposits, cleaning is almost totally unnecessary. Large sheet sizes mean there are no joins to harbor bacteria, which also reduces cleaning requirements.
Images: John Gollings & Melanie Faith Dove
About Replas
Replas performed the first plastic curbside collection in Australia in 1990. Since then, Replas has been on the leading edge of plastic recycling and reprocessing, managing to buck the trend of exporting manufacturing tasks.
The manufacturing process is unique in Australia and has been developed 100% in-house by Design Flow, a private Australian company.
Replas supply 2.4m x 1.2m plastic sheets that are manufactured in Australia from recycled PolyEthylene (PE) and PolyPropylene (PP) thermoplastic resins in any thickness from 6mm to 65mm, in smooth or textured finish and in a range of colours.
Because the sheets are manufactured locally they can be produced to custom combinations of sheet thickness, material and colour.
Unlike timber based sheets or panels, plastic sheeting is tough, strong and durable, will not rot, crack, swell, delaminate, mildew or be affected by termites. The sheets can withstand continuous contact with water and corrosive chemicals that would destroy most metals. UV-stabilisers are added for longer outdoor life.
The consistent properties of plastic sheeting throughout the thickness of the sheet make them ideal for cutting and machining into various shapes. The sheets can be sawn, routed, drilled and machined using standard equipment and tools made for timber. The cut edges will look the same as the faces of the sheet.
