The Florida Test: Why ‘standard’ isn’t good enough for our garden sheds

When we talk about the durability of a DESIGA garden shed, we are not just referring to its structural integrity, but above all to its flawless appearance over the decades. To guarantee this, our materials must undergo the industry’s toughest test: the Florida test (Florida cycle).

What is the Florida Test and where does it come from?

In the worlds of architecture and the automotive industry, South Florida is regarded as the world’s toughest ‘open-air laboratory’. The combination of extremely high UV radiation, constant humidity, heat and salty sea air creates a level of stress that is virtually unmatched anywhere else on Earth. The Florida Test was originally developed to test paints and façades under the most extreme conditions. Anything that passes this test is considered to be completely weatherproof.

How is it tested? 3,000 hours under continuous stress

In specialised test chambers, the material is subjected to an artificially accelerated Florida cycle over a period of 3,000 hours. During this process, the panel is alternately exposed to intense UV radiation and humidified. In reality, this 3,000-hour simulation corresponds to decades of weathering in our latitudes.

The benchmark: the grey scale (ISO 105 A02)

The result of this ‘stress test’ is not assessed subjectively, but measured according to strict standards. The grey scale in accordance with ISO 105 A02 is used to assess colour restoration or fading. The scale ranges from 1 (significant change) to 5 (no visible change). The Trespa^® Meteon^® panels used by DESIGA achieve the top rating of 4 to 5 following the Florida cycle.

Why is this test the definitive benchmark?

Most conventional garden shed materials merely meet basic standards, which are sufficient for a short service life. The Florida test, on the other hand, is an endurance test for premium products. The fact that our surfaces meet this standard is down to our patented EBC technology (electron beam curing), which embeds the pigments deep within the molecular structure, thereby protecting them from the destructive power of UV rays.

For you, this means that whilst other garden sheds become dull or change colour after 5 to 10 years, a DESIGA-Cube will still look just as good as it did on the day it was assembled, even after decades. The Florida Test is therefore your guarantee of a maintenance-free appearance and maximum retention of your investment’s value.