Those products that make life easier in the workshop and provide a professional look to your work are progressing all the time. NSS reviews some of the latest products and offers.

If a European manufacturer came up with a product that was half the price of competitive products, it would tend to be viewed with suspicion, whatever it was. Yet when the product comes from the Far East it is expected to be just as good when it costs half the price.

Of course, there are reasons why products from China and elsewhere in the Far East are cheaper than Western products, not least because labour is cheaper. Cheap labour effects the price of everything – including energy and transport.

But the Far East competes in world markets for many of its raw materials, so when the labour content of a product is not great, is it reasonable to expect finished products that are so much cheaper than their European counterparts will be of the same standard?

And it is not just that they might be inferior, but that they can be inconsistent, either because quality control is lax or because the manufacturer has deliberately changed the formula in order to cut costs after the initial sale.

One of the latest areas where cheaper products from China have proved not be up to standard is glues used by stonemasons.

Some stone companies have been reporting lately that their Far Eastern glues are getting thinner and taking longer to cure. Quite how strong they are when they are cured remains to be seen, but if the adhesive is being replaced by thinner, the strength of the bond must at least be in doubt – and certainly doubts are being expressed.

It would be ridiculous to tar all Far Eastern manufacturers with the same brush but it does once again emphasise the security of buying products under a brand that has a reputation to protect.

So let’s take a look at some of the latest developments by the brands often used in the stone industry, wherever they might be made.

First, the market leader: Lithofin. Casdron Enterprises Ltd (Lithofin UK) is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and is making the most of the occasion for some promotional opportunities – although it warns they will be available for a limited time only.

One of them is the Twin Pack Promotion (pictured right). These are limited edition trial size packs offering care and maintenance products for perfect looking tile and stone surfaces – but they are only available while stocks last.

Lithofin MN Wash & Clean is the regular cleaning product for use specifically on all natural stones, whatever the finish. This concentrate contains active maintenance components specifically designed to support and enhance the effect of protective treatments.

Lithofin MN Power Clean is for deeper cleaning. It can be used diluted with water and used with a white emulsifying pad to remove more ingrained contamination and efflorescence build up.

You will be able to find more about this promotion on the Lithofin stand, F19, at the Natural Stone Show at ExCeL London, 30 April-2 May.

Fila, meanwhile, is celebrating its 70th anniversary. The surface care specialist was founded in 1943 by brothers Guido and Pietro Pettenon and the family is still the guiding hand behind the company. Today, Beniamino Pettenon is its President.

This year has also seen Fila reach another milestone: its products are now recommended by more than 200 floor manufacturers worldwide.

The company likes to maintain a balance between traditional family values and modern business practices and Fila today has six branches globally and a sales network that supplies products and expert advice to more than 60 countries.

In the UK, Lisa Breakspear, this country’s Sales & Technical Director, says: “To be able to celebrate both our 70th anniversary and a new trading milestone in the same year is incredibly special. We pride ourselves in providing a complete ‘360° solution’ for our clients, rather than simply supplying products – and we’re looking forward to striving towards even bigger milestones in all areas of our business.”

Latest product launches include PW10 Rising Damp Protector, a water-based solution applied to the back of tiles before installation to stops salts, tannin and metals from rising through the substrate to the tile surface, whilst allowing the material to breathe.

The best-selling MP90 sealant has been produced in a water–based formulation that is being launched at the Natural Stone Show (Stand F39). It will join Fila’s ‘Green Line’ surface care range that now includes 17 products. It is LEED-compliant and suitable for use on food contact surfaces.

In this magazine last month we reported on the association formed between stone wholesaler The Marble & Granite Centre and Dry Treat, a product developed by an Australian chemist to treat stone in order to keep contaminants out. Stephen Pike, who owns the Marble & Granite Centre and is highly respected for his knowledge of all aspects of stone, says Dry Treat is the best product he has come across for treating stone. That is why he wanted to sell it.

Consumables are generally supplied to the trade through wholesalers such as

D Zambelis, the Waters Group, Stonegate, Apex Grange, Combined Machinery Supplies, Harbro, CRL Stone, Pisani and others.

Those of them that are supplying consumables (ground anchors, blasting stencils, polishing pads and the like) to the memorial masonry trade have had reason to be grateful in the past few years when the construction side of the industry, especially worktops, has been suffering – but we will return to the memorial side of the industry in a future edition of this publication.

Away from memorials, Waters Group has had a hit in the UK and Ireland with Gorilla Grip seam setters for joining two slabs of stone – and it will introduce a new version at the Natural Stone Show.

Gorilla Grips are perfect partners to the Phantom seam setter and Integra adhesive that Waters sells. Many of Waters Group customers are using the combination every day and testify to their contribution towards producing seams that are level every time.

In the middle of last year Waters introduced the Polishing Pro System. This kit returns a mirror-like finish to damaged surfaces, saving you so much time and money. It is all you need for the rapid repair of light scratches and blemishes on the surface of workshops in granite or engineered stone. The inventor will be on Waters Group stand at the London Stone Show giving live demonstrations.

There’s the hint of a new polishing product from D Zambelis at the Natural Stone Show, as well. Although at the moment it is only a hint because the product is being tested.

D Zambelis has a good reputation for solving problems rather than creating them and does not introduce products without checking them out thoroughly beforehand. The new product is specifically for use on black granites to address the problem that they are not always as black as they might be, especially after they have been used for some time. Zambelis says initial trials of the new product are promising and it could be taking its place alongside the ICR range that the suppliers currently sell, notably the sealer AntiDrop. AntiDrop is favoured by a lot of fabricators because it is down-to-earth, economical and does not leave an oily finish on which fingermarks show.

A product that stone companies are starting to sing the praises of is Wet & Forget.

Developed in New Zealand, Wet & Forget is for removing lichen and algae from stone without killing all the other plants and animals with which it comes into contact. It is non-toxic and practically pH neutral.

It is supplied as a concentrate that is diluted with water and can be wiped, sprayed or poured on with impugnity. It works on paths, walls and memorials (and is especially good for lawn memorials because it does not kill the grass around them).

It works as the name suggests – you apply it (in dry conditions as it will just be washed away by rain) and forget about it.

It can take a few days or even a couple of weeks if the growth is severe, but pretty soon green stonework has stopped being green. The stone is not sealed or clogged by Wet & Forget, so it continues to perform in the way it always has, except that it no longer supports algae, lichen or mould.

Finally, just to mention that Saint-Gobain Weber has introduced an App for its Love Weber Rewards scheme that you can use on your Apple tablets and phones.