With so many glues, sealers, enhancers and cleaners to choose from it can be difficult to know which product to use for which application, so sometimes people just use what is familiar. But it is not necessarily the best solution. Here is advice from some of the suppliers about choosing the right product for the job.

Lithofin makes specialist products for cleaning, sealing, and maintaining internal and external natural and artificial stone, ceramics, porcelain, terracotta, quarry and quartz composite.

Lithofin Products are produced by Lithofin AG in Germany, an internationally recognised authority on cleaning, protecting, and maintaining stone and tile surfaces. Its products are relied upon by professionals and domestic customers alike, who testify to the quality of the long-lasting, easily maintained results they achieve.

So let’s look at some of the specific products from Lithofin.

External Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain tiles are made of fine ceramic materials fired at high temperatures. They are hard wearing and dense. The surface can be matt and often textured to give extra slip protection. But despite the outstanding properties of porcelain tiles, contamination can still adhere to the surface causing marking or staining, so correct maintenance is required.

The three products below will remove most types of contamination.

Lithofin KF Intensive Cleaner  is a light alkaline product that will remove contamination of general grease and dirt.

Test one tile at a dilution of 1:10 with water and apply generously to the tile. Work the product every 1-2 minutes with a stiff deck brush or white pad and after 10-15 minutes (depending on the degree of contamination being treated) rinse several times. If the contamination is lifted, work through the area to be cleaned in small, controlled sections in the same way.

Water can often sit on porcelain and produce salts or water marks. To remove these use Lithofin KF Ceramic Clean. Again, test on one tile in a discreet area. If the joints are cement based, wet them with fresh water. Test/apply Lithofin Ceramic Clean diluted 1:3 with water and work the full tile to be cleaned. Keep scrubbing and activating with a stiff brush and white cleaning pad for several minutes, then rinse.

Some areas may require a second application and others may need extra attention with a stronger dilution to remove a thicker contamination of salts.

Once the test tile is satisfactorily cleaned, work through in small controlled sections of possibly only 1-2m2 at a time.

Lithofin KF Ceramic Cleaner can also be used to test for the removal of stains such as those caused by fertilizer pellets that have fallen on to the paved area or rust from metal furniture.

Lithofin MN Outdoor Cleaner can be used for the removal of contamination such as algae, leaf staining, stubborn tea, coffee and wine stains and coloured bird dropping stains.

As ever, first test this product on one or two tiles in a discreet area. Because of porcelain’s low porosity, Lithofin MN Outdoor Cleaner can be applied neat to the tiles. Leave it for 10-20 minutes, scrubbing with a stiff brush every 1-2 minutes. It can be left working for longer if there is more stubborn contamination.

To finish, rinse several times to remove the contaminated water and product.

External Natural Stone

Stone can be simple to maintain, but how simple depends on the stone’s texture.

More textured stones can be prone to contaminants and dirt sitting in the small pores and capillaries of the stone, which can  lead to the stone looking grubby and requiring deeper cleaning.

It is possible to impregnate stone surfaces for water and oil repellence and ease of maintenance, and you can use one of Lithofin’s natural stone-specific impregnating or colour enhancing sealers for this purpose. But before the surface is impregnated, ensure that the stone is completely dry and released of all moisture. And ensure a test has been completed on a spare stone or in a discreet area to test for suitability and any colour change that may occur.

For thorough cleaning of Natural Stone outdoor areas, Lithofin MN Power-Clean is ideal for an overall deep clean, removing grease and general and ingrained dirt residues.

It is also suitable for an initial clean of newly laid surfaces to remove dusting.

This mild alkaline cleaning product is recommended for all types of natural and artificial stone, including acid sensitive limestones and marbles.

For effective cleaning of patios and outdoor paving, Lithofin MN Outdoor Cleaner is ideal for removing the marks left by leaf and plant tannins, black spores, bird droppings, and other contaminants.

It works fast and thoroughly with the highly active ingredients providing impressive results. Surfaces can be jet washed initially to remove loose surface debris and then allowed to dry before applying the product. It is ideal for both concrete and natural stone surfaces.

For removing all kinds of rust stains and residues of metal oxides caused by fertilisers and metal garden furniture, Lithofin Rust-Ex can be used on individual areas. Allow it to  work for about 5-10 minutes maximum and then rinse off with clean water.

The reaction becomes visible through a purple discolouration that will disappear naturally of its own accord. This product is suitable for acid sensitive natural stone and concrete surfaces.

If algae is an issue, Lithofin Algex will resolve it. And it contains an inhibitor to stop spores re-colonising the area for 6-12 months afterwards.

This product is self-acting and can be used on surfaces such as natural stone, concrete, quarry tiles and wood, making them thoroughly cleaned and brightened.

If the deposits have turned black, clean the surface with Lithofin MN Outdoor Cleaner.

Spray Lithofin Algex as a preventive treatment a few days after cleaning, and thereafter once a year, to maintain the appearance.

Sealing and Impregnating External Natural Stone

Lithofin’s two external sealers are ideal for protecting absorbent natural and engineered stone surfaces against staining.

Lithofin Stainstop W is a water-based impregnator that largely prevents penetration of water, oil, and grease to make maintenance easier. It is UV resistant and does not yellow, but penetrates the surface to form an invisible film in the materials’ capillaries.

The solvent-based option is Lithofin MN Stain Stop, although surfaces must be fully dry before it is applied, so an eye on the weather forecast is essential.

Lithofin Products are available nationwide and to find your nearest stockist and for further product information visit www.casdron.co.uk.

Lithofin UK’s YouTube Channel

When people want to know how to do something the first port of call is likely to be YouTube, which is why Lithofin has introduced the Lithofin UK channel on YouTube that you can subscribe to.

On the channel, you can watch Lithofin Technical Manager Bob Sewell introducing informative Lithofin UK ‘How To’ videos covering product applications of the Lithofin range for professional results. See for yourself at tinyurl.com/Lithofinvideos.

Lithofin also invites you to go and chat with its team at the Natural Stone Show in London ExCel on 6-8 June 2023. The company will be on Stand F35.

If you need help before then, the Lithofin Technical Support Line is available from 8.30am to 5pm weekdays with Technical Experts available to advise on all your stone cleaning, protection, and maintenance queries. Just call the Lithofin Technical Support Line: 01962 732126.

Part of the beauty of stone is that it just looks better as it ages. But it can benefit from a helping hand to keep it looking its best.

In this case study, we visit a Blue Lias flooring renovation project and discuss the work out by stone maintenance specialist Silex UK using the products of manufacturer LTP.

Original flagstones are a beautiful feature in a period property, but keeping the stones looking their best can be helped by an occasional clean and sympathetic treatment.

In many cases, stones in old properties are laid directly onto the ground, with no damp-proof membrane underneath. This installation method allowed the stone to ‘breathe’, absorbing and evaporating moisture freely through the its natural porosity. 

For a successful renovation, it is essential that this ability to ‘breathe’ is not compromised. That means using the correct treatments and methods.

About Blue Lias limestone

The sediments that form the basis of Blue Lias limestone were deposited in the late Triassic and early Jurassic geolical periods, some 195-200 million years ago. The resulting stone gets its name from the quarrymen’s dialect for layers – ‘lias’. The stone is made up of layers of limestone and shale. It has a distinct blue/grey tinge due to its fossils, ores and iron content. It is mainly found in Somerset and Dorset.

Renovation cleaning

In a Grade II Listed property in Sparkford, near Castle Carey in Somerset, around 100m² of Blue Lias has been laid when the house was built. It formed the floor in an area that includes the side entrance, kitchen and a narrow corridor leading into the main open hall area, including the dining area and lounge.

LTP advised the Silex UK team on the best cleaning and protection method, in view of the stone’s age and environment.

Being in a historic installation, the floor was laid directly on to the earth, without a damp-proof membrane.

Before the floor was cleaned, Alastair Niddrie from Silex UK carefully removed salts, flaky residue and paint deposits by hand using LTP Grimex to clean the limestone and remove greasy residue.

Grimex is an intensive cleaner that removes oil, grease, ingrained dirt, water-based paint and old layers of wax.

It is safe to use on all types of natural stone and it can be used at different dilutions to suit the particular project.

Alastair used a 1:3 dilution, applying the cleaner to the flagstones with a broad brush. The treatment was left to react for 5-10minutes, during which time the floor was kept wet with additional solution. It was then agitated with a brush, residue was removed and the surface was rinsed thoroughly with clean water.

LTP Solvex – an intensive cleaner/stripper – can be used alongside Grimex to remove oil-based paint, wax, oil, silicone, acrylic, polyurethane sealer and residual epoxy grout. Like Grimex, it is safe to use on natural stone.

Phase II – protection

Flagstone floors are often enhanced and protected using wax-based treatments, but this is only suitable for a floor laid above a damp-proof membrane and should not be used on a floor without such a membrane as it seals the stone and prevents the passage of moisture and salts through it.

If the stone is not able to ‘breathe’ it will eventually break up. Walls can also be compromised as moisture looks for other ways to escape.

At the privately-owned property that is the subject of this case study, Silex used LTP’s Ecoprotec Colour Enhancing Stone Sealer, a water-based non-film forming impregnating treatment that enhances the surface as well as protecting it from water, oil and grease spilled on to it, while allowing moisture from below that permeates the stone to escape. It also helps to reduce efflorescence.

The first coat was applied after the stone had dried out from the intensive cleaning (after about 24 hours) and before re-pointing. A further coat was applied 24 hours after the stone had been re-grouted and any residual grout had been removed, the final coat covering the re-pointed joints as well.

To ensure a good application into the uneven surface, Alastair applied the treatment with a broad paint brush. Once cured, the floors were buffed using a rotary machine fitted with white pads to give the surface a beautiful lustre. The flagstones were then polished by hand with woollen pads.

A court has ordered that a Grade II Listed pub in Lancashire demolished without permission must be rebuilt with as much material reclaimed from the rubble as possible, reports the Guardian newspaper. 

The Punch Bowl Inn at Hurst Green is said to have been haunted by the ghosts of highwaymen Dick Turpin and Ned King.

An entry on Wikipedia says the inn was originally two 18th century cottages with an eastern portion added in the 19th century and a western portion that was originally a barn.

The walls of the two-storey 18th-century portion were of sandstone laid in watershot pattern with courses angled slightly outwards to shed water. The roof was slate. There were two plain stone door surrounds, one of which was blocked up and the windows also had plain stone surrounds.

The original building was joined to the 19th-century eastern addition by a two-storey single bay structure which appeared to be of similar construction to the 18th-century part. The 19th-century addition was made of larger sandstone blocks and had a moulded stone cornice. It again had windows with plain stone surrounds.

Last year, a trial at Burnley magistrates court found five people guilty of the illegal demolition of the 300-year-old pub in June 2021.

Now a judge has ordered that the pub must be rebuilt at a cost developers have put at £1.5million, and Andrew Donelan, Nicola Donelan, Rebecca Donelan, David Cotterell and Brian Ingleby are required to pay a combined £70,000 in fines and court costs.

During the court case last year the court heard how there had been no need to demolish the building, although the defence claimed the defendants were concerned the pub, which had been closed since 2012, could collapse and fall into the road.

They said they had spoken to the council, Historic England and experts about what to do but “nobody was helping”.

In the years before the demolition, emergency services had been called a number of times when fires were started inside the building.

District Judge Alex Boyd said: “The purpose of these requirements is to protect the building for current and future generations to enjoy.” The ruling to rebuild the pub would act as a deterrent to others considering illegal demolitions, said the Judge.

This is not the first time a pub demolished without planning permission has had to be rebuilt.

Carlton Tavern in London was re-built and re-opened six years after being demolished thanks to 5,300 locals, including several councillors, mobilising to persuade Westminster council to take action against the demolition.

A planning inquiry the year after the council had told the owners to rebuild the pub confirmed the decision, ruling that it should be rebuilt “in facsimile”, from the red bricks to the distinctive tiled pub name.

Polly Robertson, a leading member of the Rebuild the Carlton Tavern campaign, said once the Carlton had been rebuilt “to be fair… they have done amazing work. It looks fantastic.”

The pub re-opened on 12 April 2021, the day that Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in England to let pubs and restaurants serve drinks and meals outdoors.

It had last served customers before that in April 2015, when it closed after being denied planning permission for conversion into 10 flats. Two days before it was due to be Listed Grade-II, the owners ordered its demolition.

The Guardian newspaper spoke to James Watson when the pub re-opened. He is a pub protection adviser for the Campaign for Pubs who advised the Carlton campaigners. He told the newspaper: “I never imagined that I would see a planning inspector order a developer to put back what he’d just knocked down, to look exactly as it was. I thought the developer would get a slap on the wrist, a £6,000 fine. But I was flabbergasted. And it has set an incredibly useful precedent: other planning inspectors will remember it – and so will developers.”

On the evening of 8 March, International Women's Day, the Women In Natural Stone (WINS) group  welcomed 60 women to The Building Society in London for the launch of a new mentoring programme.

Tamsin Napier-Munn, Manager & Host of Women in Business at The Business Magazine was the guest speaker, inspiring and enthusing those present.

Co-Chairs of WINS, Becca Cranfield of Athena Stonecare and Tamsin Pickeral of Szerelmey, explained how the mentoring scheme will work.

It has been developed to help connect women in the earlier years of their career in the industry with women who have more experience and can offer guidance and advice.

Any woman in the stone industry, in whatever role, interested in being mentored should contact the Stone Federation, which is managing the scheme, by contacting sara@stonefed.org.uk.

Once Stone Federation has received an application from someone wanting to be mentored, the applicant will be matched with a mentor and an introductory email sent.

From there it will be up to the mentor and the person being mentored to arrange their first meeting, in person or online as they see fit.

Some ice-breaker questions will be suggested to ease the flow of conversation, but it is up to the people involved whether they use these or take an alternative approach. The scheme is very much geared to the requirements of those involved and is not proscriptive.

Both the mentor and the person being mentored will be asked to commit to an initial six-month connection, although it will not be binding and if either party feels it is not working out can end the arrangement at any time.

During the first six months the mentor and the person being mentored are expected to meet at least twice, either in person or online, and should be prepared to communicate by email and/or phone at least once a month.

The mentors come from across the natural stone, architectural and construction sectors. All the mentors are experienced in their professions and well-placed to support and encourage those who want to further their careers.

As well as WINS co-Chairs Becca Cranfield and Tamsin Pickeral, the mentors are: Mirander McCabe, an Associate at Purcell; Iris Chan, Supply Chain Manager at Multiplex; Valerie Bergeron, Director of Business Development Europe at Polycor; Regina Vitorio, Chair of LSI Stone; Nicky Rance, Project Director at Sir Robert McAlpine; Jane Buxey, Chief Executive of Stone Federation; Lisa Nunn, Senior Geologist at FNDC; Lyndsey Gallagher, COO at Gallagher Group; Maria Amparo Asenjo, Associate Director of Mace.

If any other woman would like to volunteer as a mentor, they should contact Sara by email at sara@stonefed.org.uk to express their interest.

With women making up just 14% of the people working in the construction industry, International Women’s Day on 8 March each year highlights the opportunities for increasing diversity in construction.

It is less uncommon these days to see women working in stone companies actually on the bankers, in the machine shops or on-site rather than in the office, but after more than 100 years of International Women’s Days they are still a small minority.

On Women’s Day this year the Women in Natural Stone Group is launching a new mentoring initiative, so that those in the industry can help those new to it develop a career in the speciality.

And to mark International Women’s Day, Kay Rizouki, Assistant Project Manager of stone and conservation specialist DBR London Ltd, talks about her experience of the industry.

Kay has a background in civil engineering, joining DBR as Assistant Project Manager at the Liberty of London restoration project. She has a BSc in Civil Engineering and an MSc in Structural Engineering & Design. Here, she answers some questions about her move into construction and the stone industry.

Q: How did you get into the construction industry?

Kate: I completed my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in civil and structural engineering and applied to work as a site engineer for a year before deciding to work as a construction manager.

What is a typical day in your job like?

I start at 8am and quickly skim through unread emails for a few minutes to make sure I am up to date. The most important part of this short task is that any operations that I need to organise for the rest of the day are sorted first thing. Then I go for a walk around site to make sure the right job tasks are being prioritised and ensuring health & safety is being practiced.

Normally my walk ends with a to-do list for my colleagues and myself. I then get on with Teams calls and on-site meetings to discuss design and delivery. Throughout the day, I will keep checking-in onsite to ensure everything runs smoothly, which involves a lot of telephone calls and WhatsApp group messages!

Towards the end of the day, site operations would have been completed and I get a good opportunity to close out my to-do list through some quiet time in the site office.

What's your favourite project among those you have worked on?

My favourite would be my current project at the Natural History Museum, which is a one-year, £10million-plus restoration and conservation project involving the replacement of roofing, glazing, flooring, M&E, and terracotta cleaning & repair works – an extremely interesting project that keeps on giving and is perfect for DBR.

Do you feel women are fairly represented in the industry? Have perceptions changed?

I believe there has been an increase in the number of women working in construction over the past 10 years and I think that events that promote 'women in construction' play a big role in this. I have witnessed this by attending events and seeing influential posts on LinkedIn, which both play a huge role in giving a more fair and accurate representation of women's achievements in construction.

How could the industry attract more women?

By practicing gender-equal opportunities in each and every construction company. By hosting and attending 'women in construction' events, which will give the company an opportunity to meet women working in the field and be able to witness their achievements.

What are your views on events like International Women's Day?

This is such an important event because as women who work in construction, we can share our experiences to enable younger females to believe that, actually, their gender should not limit their opportunities and career options.

What's the one piece of advice you would give to women thinking about pursuing a career in the construction industry?

Give it a go. You never know until you try! I was a little nervous at first, but I turned out to enjoy it very much.

If the stone industry does not take advantage of the opportunity carbon reduction in construction offers it will lose out to materials that do – and concrete and steel are already heavily promoting their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.

To make sure stone stays in the loop, it needs to be proactively involved in activities such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) current consultation on the second edition of its influential Whole Life Carbon Assessment for the Built Environment.

The methodology is currently endorsed and adopted by several governments, leading industry bodies and supranational organisations including the World Economic Forum.

RICS is now updating its ‘standard’, which aims to provide a consistent approach to calculating whole-life carbon emissions in the built environment.

It is more ambitious than the earlier version as it covers all built assets and infrastructure, throughout the whole built environment life cycle, from production of materials to construction processes, uses, and the disposal or recycling of built assets over their entire life cycle.

RICS says it is only by accurately measuring and recording carbon emissions that the construction industry can work towards meeting Net Zero goals that attempt to avoid the worst effects of global warming.

Carbon reporting and accounting should be a priority across all sectors because it is increasingly relevant to clients, investors and property managers, who are already looking for property with a reduced carbon footprint, partly because it reduces energy bills.

The built environment accounts for 43% of all man’s greenhouse gas emissions. Significantly reducing that makes a big step towards Net Zero in 2050.

The RICS ‘standard’ aims to enable the industry to offer reliable and comparable data on carbon output, which will help it to set and meet targets and improve its ability to reduce harmful environmental impacts.

And with moves like the Future Home Standard (FHS) now just two years away, with its requirement to cut carbon emissions from new homes by 75-80% compared with current regulations, time for action is running out.

The current edition of the RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment for the Built Environment is used in the early design stages of many building projects and continues to influence government policy.

In the UK, a Net Zero Carbon Building Standard is being created with the intent to incorporate the RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment Professional Standard’s methodology to assess up-front, embodied, operational, user and whole-life carbon.

RICS hopes governments in other countries will also adopt the standard as they tackle climate change impacts, with the second edition acting as a catalyst for wider adoption.

Ann Gray, RICS President, says: "RICS calls on the global built environment community to engage with this crucial consultation on Whole Life Carbon Assessment.

“The built environment contributes significantly to global carbon output, and RICS is committed to supporting the real estate industry in meeting the challenge of net zero head on.

"Our greatest asset is our members; their knowledge and experiences are second-to-none. This consultation is a historic opportunity for all of us to shape the sector's response to the global challenge of climate change and make a profoundly positive difference to our planet.

"The international scope of this consultation will enrich the breadth and diversity of insight we gain.

“This is important as we recognise that nations and their respective built environment sectors are at different stages in their response to the climate crisis.

“The global nature of our consultation will ensure that the final output is capable of adoption around the world while retaining its role as the principal methodology recognised in the UK.”

To find out more and add your comments, click here. 

On 8 March 1723 Sir Christopher Wren died in his 91st year. He was the architect behind the rebuilding of London in Portland limestone after the Great Fire of 1666, and to mark this tercentenary the Square Mile Churches of the City of London are holding a year-long education and conservation programme about Wren's work.

Wren300, as it is called, is supported by a £241,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and contributions from the Royal Academy of Engineering, The Linbury Trust and the London Fire Brigade Museum.

Wren is best known as the architect of St Paul’s Cathedral, where today he is buried under a gravestone with a Latin inscription, part of which translates as: 'If you seek his memorial, look about you.'

And look further than St Paul’s, because Wren also had responsibility for the rebuilding of 50 other churches in the City of London after the Great Fire as well as many other buildings.

His tercentenary is being marked by the churches with a year-long programme of conservation, heritage, and musical activities intended to be of interest to children and adults alike.

It includes school pupils building a replica of the dome of St Paul’s, a ‘Wrenathon’ of choirs across the City of London and a series of workshops run by stone and conservation specialist Cliveden Conservation on construction techniques and sustainable construction materials inspired by Wren’s work.

To introduce the tercentenary programme to the Press, on 6 March Harry Mount, the architectural historian and editor of The Oldie magazine, led a walking tour of Wren’s London, visiting four of Wren's churches, starting and ending at St Stephen's Walbrook. Paul Slade was there for Natural Stone Specialist.

Honorary Patron of Wren300 Square Mile Churches is architect Lord Norman Foster of Thames Bank. He says of the project: “Sir Christopher Wren was one of our greatest ever citizens. I admire him not only as a great architect but also as a surveyor and manager who, remarkably, came up with a plan for rebuilding the City only days after the Great Fire. What is even more extraordinary is that he succeeded in carrying it out, supervising the rebuilding of 51 churches, including St Paul’s Cathedral, where he used a completely new architectural language not previously seen in England. His influence continues to this day.”

Annie Hampson, who Chairs the Wren300 programme, says: “Wren300 is a celebration of an extraordinary and prolific career that occurred at a changing point in British history and transformed our architecture.

“The Great Fire of London decimated the City and Wren brought his pragmatism and skill to the rebuilding of the City Churches, providing him with the expertise and knowledge to achieve his greatest masterpiece in the rebuilding of St Paul’s.

“The Wren300 project provides a range of activities that will ensure these Churches are better known and appreciated, that they are an enriching experience to all who come to them, a learning resource for young people living in and around the City of London and a lasting legacy that will ensure their survival for generations to come.”

www.Wren300.org

As Joe headed off for visits to three of the World’s major tile exhibitions he contemplated the trends he was expecting to see.