Chemical companies continually strive to find better ways of fixing, sealing, cleaning or otherwise enhancing stone and the growing range of engineered products being adopted by the stone industry. Here are the latest.
Fila is now supplying its best-selling Fugaproof grout protector in a new spray applicator that makes it easier to use. The remodelled treatment is free of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and provides quick, safe and effective protection, sanitising grout and preventing water and stain penetration.
It is suitable for all tile installations, including natural stone, and can be used with all types of cementitious grout.
Unlike traditional solvent-based aerosol treatments, Fugaproof’s spray pumps the protector directly on to the grout line without atomizing particles, so it does not form a mist that contaminates the air.
The water-based, odourless treatment is safe to apply and does not alter tile or grout appearance. And, being water-based, it can be applied when residual moisture is present for faster application.
After applying, absorption can be improved by rubbing the treatment into the grout. Residues are then removed after five minutes and tiled areas can be walked on or used after eight hours.
As well as preventing water from being absorbed by the grout and stains forming, Fugaproof makes cleaning easy.
Fila Fugaproof is part of Fila’s award-winning Green Line and is GEV-EMICODE EC1Plus certified. It is available in a 500ml applicator, which will treat up to 300 linear metres of grout.
Discover Sprint Iridium, a new epoxy acrylate adhesive from ICR, represented in the UK by machinery, tools and consumables supplier D Zambelis. This is a new formula adhesive that works as well with man-made products (such as Dekton, Lapitec and Laminam) as it does with natural stone. It delivers exceptional adhesion with speedy hardening. Iridium is being made in three colours that will be part of D Zambelis’s regular stock by Christmas.
Stonegate sources its products from across the world and works with its suppliers to bring stone companies in the UK the latest innovative products. Currently they include the Seam-It range of adhesives, available exclusively from Stonegate.
Seam-It is the latest generation of perfectly colour-matched adhesives for the stone surfacing industry.
Seam-It is formulated from MMA acrylic, giving the glue a significantly stronger bond on natural and engineered stones than traditional polyester glues. This makes Seam-It perfect for use with the latest innovative surfaces such as Dekton, Neolith, Laminam and Lapitec.
The Cosentino Group, which makes Dekton, has stress-tested, approved and now recommends Seam-It for use with Dekton due to the strength of the bond and its resistance to water, scuffing, UV light, impact and high temperatures.
Tekton is one of the toughest materials around so consumables used in conjunction with it need to live up to that standard.
Also exclusive from Stonegate in the UK is the specialist Federchemicals range of high-quality chemicals specifically designed for use with stone.
Federchemicals has been at the forefront of developing chemical products for stone since 1963, always crafting its products with performance firmly in mind.
New BAL DPM is a multi-purpose, one-coat damp-proof membrane, primer and moisture vapour suppressant that provides an impenetrable barrier against damp and moisture vapour on floors AND walls up to 98% relative humidity (RH).
It can also be used as an easy two-coat waterproofing system allowing the controlled passage of moisture vapour to protect both the adhesive and the tiled surface.
It is not only resistant to water, but also chemicals, grease and pollutants, and can be used on interiors or exteriors in any of its roles.
As a one coat primer with aggregate, it kicks into touch any problems with tiling on to difficult substrates, aiding adhesion to steel, masonry and flooring grade asphalt.
It can be used on sand:cement screeds, power floated concrete and existing tiles. It can even be used on anhydrite screeds with up to 87% RH, so less waiting around and speedier tiling.
Also new from BAL is Rapid-Flex One, a high-performance S1 tile adhesive that provides fixers with superior qualities to get the job done on time and on budget.
Fast, strong and flexible, BAL Rapid-Flex One has 30 minutes open time and 60 minutes working time but is still ready to grout in just 3 hours. And it comes with BAL’s unique 25-year written guarantee.
Now also available from BAL is Pourable One, which the company says is an improved alternative to BAL Stone & Tile PTB. It is a white-only floor adhesive ideal for fixing large format tiles and natural stone on to interior or exterior screeds. It is suitable for use on most substrates and with underfloor heating. It is especially recommended for tiles / slabs of uneven thickness such as slate, and difficult backgrounds which could cause traditional adhesive to crack or de-bond. It sets in three hours whether it is laid in a bed 3mm thick or 25 mm and can be used in dry or wet (wet rooms and swimming pool bases), for interior and exterior applications.
Mapei celebrates its 80th anniversary this year and at the Cersaie tile exhibition in Bologna, Italy, in September, it focused on design and colour, featuring photo shoots with Marie Claire Maison in collaboration with Cristina Nava Studio. Mapei recreated two settings at the exhibition to show visitors that Mapei products are no longer purely functional and high performance but can be a design feature to enhance the setting in which they are used.
Products include masonry mortar for exposed-finish walls, coloured finishes to decorate and protect internal and external walls, cementitious products to form seamless floors and wall coverings, and coloured ‘set the mood’ grout lines from 50 different colours (and a transparent version) divided into five different ‘set the mood’ collections. The ‘moods’ are called Serene, Traditional, Natural, Romance and Glamour, to help designers and clients recreate just the right atmosphere that they seek.
New products on show included Mapeguard WP 200 waterproofing, an alkali-resistant waterproofing and anti-fracture membrane comprising a waterproof sheet sandwiched between two layers of non-woven fabric. This forms a perfect bond for the adhesive between the membrane and the substrate and between the membrane and the tiling, allowing stones or ceramics to be installed securely.
Mapei also showcased new solutions for urban furniture and features which join the Mapestone products for installing and re-building decorative stone road surfaces. Mapestone Joint is a polyurethane binder for sealing grout lines between blocks, paving bricks and cobblestones and Mapestone Joint Cleaner is an odourless cleaner specifically for removing residues of Mapestone Joint.
This is Paul Hollander of Integra Adhesives, sold in the UK by Waters Group, with the new Stone Bonder, a super flexible, dripless, non-sag, low shrink, hard surfacing adhesive designed especially for the nearly seamless bonding of natural stone. It has been added as a better way of glueing stone than Surface Bonder, which had been used previously.
Stone Bonder is a two-part methacrylate that will not yellow over time.
Combined automatically by the applicator at a ratio of 10 parts resin to one part activator, Stone Bonder has a working time of 10-to-15 minutes, with 5-to-10 minute de-roping, or trimming time so excess glue can be removed from the stone slab without ripping the adhesive out of the joint or damaging the surface of the stone.
It achieves nearly 90% of its ultimate strength in 45-to-60 minutes at room temperatures.
Stone Bonder offers a combination of high strength, stiffness, and toughness as well as the ability to bond almost unbreakably to a wide variety of hard surfaces or inorganic materials.
Stone Bonder comes in 15 colours to match natural stones but Waters Group keeps 150 colours of surface bonder in stock and they can be chosen using the Integra Adhesives App, which also calculates how much you need.