Smith & Rodger has been manufacturing vanishes and polishes since 1877 from its’ UK home in Glasgow. Today, the company is known for problem-solving products, like Blockade, Flow & Bond and Rocktop. But did you know that today’s modern shellac sealer, Blockade, is based on a formula that the company has been refining since its creation in the 1930’s?
The business started as a manufacturer of varnishes for French polishers to use in the 1870’s. In the Victorian era wood was commonly used for furniture, (before the advent of the flatpack or the popularity of plastic!) and in public buildings such as churches, and so the business had a winning formula (pardon the pun).
During both world wars, Smith & Rodger manufactured paint for the war effort, producing camouflage paint for armoured vehicles. In the 1970’s there was a consolidation within the paint market, and as the larger paint companies began to buy over or replace the smaller companies, as an independent manufacturer Smith & Rodger renewed its strategy of creating specialist and problem-solving niche products such as shellac.
The Blockade shellac sealer primer that you see on shelves today is the essence of the product that Smith & Rodger have been making since the 1930’s; engineered and improved for today’s standards. It is still made using traditional methods in the factory that Smith & Rodger has been in since1902, since it expanded from its original home in the East End of Glasgow.
“The reason Blockade is so popular is that it bonds to almost any surface, but it’s particularly useful for new wood. It seals knots and stops any bleed through. Another of its properties that is loved by the trade is that it dries, fast. It dries in 15 minutes, and you can recoat it in 45, which is great for decorators to be able to crack on with finishing the painting job. “
Blockade is a one coat, high performance shellac sealer primer to:
- Permanently kill stains and odours
- Seal knots
- Cover damage from water, smoke and mould
It provides excellent adhesion to almost all interior surfaces such as previously coated and new wood, plaster, drywall, porous wallcoverings, metal and tile and requires minimal preparation before use. Blockade is quick drying, saving time on jobs that require multiple coats or to be quickly overcoated with emulsion.
Launched in 2018, Blockade is now stocked through hundreds of stores across the UK and Ireland, including Brewers Decorators Centres, Crown and Dulux Decorators Centres, The Paint Shed, TopDec Decorating Supplies, and lots of independent stockists.
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