Available in thousands of Benjamin Moore colors, SCUFF-X is the next generation of paint for high-traffic interiors. Able to withstand dings, scrapes, scratches, tough scrubbing, and more, the latex paint is available in matte, eggshell, and satin finishes.
i+s talked with Benjamin Moore to discuss the thoughts behind SCUFF-X.
interiors+sources: When was SCUFF-X developed?
Benjamin Moore: SCUFF-X was launched nationally across the United States on May 31, 2017.
i+s: How did the name for SCUFF-X come about?
BM: The name was a natural fit as we looked to develop a scuff-resistant product that could both resist scuffing and allow for minimum maintenance once applied.
i+s: Who designed SCUFF-X?
BM: SCUFF-X was developed for professionals by a team of experienced chemists in the Benjamin Moore Research & Development facility in Flanders, NJ, in collaboration with the brand/product development team based in Montvale, NJ.
i+s: What was the inspiration behind SCUFF-X?
BM: While most challenging decisions in many interior spaces are related to color and design, there are additional physical demands in high-traffic areas. Every day in high-traffic commercial environments, there are multiple opportunities for the walls to be rubbed, marked, stained, and scuffed, by impact or people traffic. We knew about these challenges and wanted to provide a solution that met the needs of architects, facility maintenance, property management and commercial painters in the most challenging spaces.
For many years, the best solution to paint high-traffic commercial areas or facilities has been to use “highly scrubbable” paints that can stand up to repeated washing and cleaning such as pre-catalyzed epoxies, waterborne catalyzed epoxies or two-component coatings. Unfortunately, these coatings are NOT resistant to scuffing and this is the main reason why these areas need to be constantly maintained, cleaned, re-touched and ultimately, repainted.
i+s: What was the biggest hurdle in bringing SCUFF-X to life?
BM: In developing SCUFF-X, we wanted to ensure the product met the below criteria and characteristics – none of which were available in the products available on the market at the time:
- a one-component latex paint that’s easy to apply and use;
- low odor, so that spaces could be painted while operations continued;
- low emission of VOCs;
- fast drying for minimal disruption.
i+s: How was the response to SCUFF-X?
BM: Since launch, the response from professionals has been overwhelmingly positive. Facility managers, maintenance professionals, architects and commercial painting contractors have been eager to test SCUFF-X in their establishments, with great success. This product is so innovative and revolutionary and is opening many doors for Benjamin Moore.
i+s: What was the most impressive project SCUFF-X found its way into?
BM: The first major test for our scuff-resistant paint was conducted in the fitting rooms of one of the busiest retailers in New York City. The women’s fitting room, located on the first floor in the middle of Times Square, at this particular retailer was historically maintained and retouched weekly because of dark marks on the white walls that included scuffs, stains, rubs from handbags, marks from hangers, rolling racks, and lipsticks. We actually had their facility manager apply SCUFF-X and he was very pleased with the low odor, easy application, and coverage of the product. We told him not to maintain the walls painted with SCUFF-X for four weeks and when we came back to see the results, the walls remained in pristine condition inside rooms and in main hallway. At this particular point, we knew for a fact that we had a breakthrough product that exceeded all of our expectations.
Since launch, SCUFF-X has been specified in high-traffic retail locations, hotels, corporate spaces, healthcare facilities and more.
i+s: What is your hope for SCUFF-X?
BM: We hope that SCUFF-X continues to grow within the commercial and professional segment. Our vision is to see this product being applied in every high-traffic public and commercial spaces because the effectiveness of the scuff-resistant technology prevents scuffing in the first place, resulting in minimal maintenance and disruption.
i+s: Are there any changes to SCUFF-X on the horizon?
BM: As the team at Benjamin Moore continues to work on new and innovative technologies, we are exploring opportunities to expand the sheen selection and optimize properties to offer professionals even more options.
i+s: What’s something people don’t know about SCUFF-X?
BM: SCUFF-X is the first scuff-resistant paint in the industry, truly the first of its kind! The proprietary scuff-resistant technology is so innovative that it prevents scuffing, minimizes maintenance and retains its high-quality appearance for a long time.
The only similarity between SCUFF-X and competitive products designed for scuff-resistance is that they are used in the same environments. Everything else is different – from the technology, to the superior scuff-resistance, long-term durability, single component vs. two components, ease of application, thousands of colors and full sheen assortment including Matte, Eggshell and Satin.
