The Dimension Stone Committee (C18) of ASTM, the American standards organisation, is developing a new standard to test the resistance of natural stones to freeze-thaw cycles.

Frank Strickland from ASTM says because stone is so variable its resistance to the effects of freezing and thawing cycles is also highly variable.

In the UK, freeze-thaw tests concentrate on the amount of material lost as the result of the testing.

The proposed new standard (WK84902) will specifically examine the changes in mechanical properties of compressive strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength, all widely used in designing installations with natural stone.

The new standard will complement WK81245, which examines the effect of freezing and thawing cycles on the appearance of natural stone.

The procedure described in the proposed test method will determine the effect on the mechanical properties of stones by subjecting samples to 100 freeze-thaw cycles in worst case conditions, simulating decades of potential exposure as part of a building.

Frank Strickland: “Freeze-thaw durability data will be most useful to the quarry producing stone, architects and engineers designing applications, contractors doing installations, and end customers who will be living with the results.”

This effort directly relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #12 on responsible consumption and production.

ASTM welcomes participation by industry in the development of its standards and invites anyone connected to the natural stone industry to join in the development of this standard. You can become a member of ASTM at www.astm.org/JOIN.

About ASTM International

ASTM stands for American Society for Testing & Materials. The organisation is committed to serving global societal needs with the aim of positively impacting on public health and safety, consumer confidence, and overall quality of life. It integrates consensus standards, developed with its international membership, and innovative services to improve lives. It’s stated aim is to help the world work better.

Restricting the importation and use of engineered quartz might have come a step closer in Australia.

On 28 February the work health & safety ministers of all states and territories unanimously agreed with a proposal by Federal Workplace Minister Tony Burke to ask Safe Work Australia (Australia’s equivalent of the Health & Safety Executive) to prepare a plan to ban the products.

The decision follows a warning by the powerful Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union (CFMEU) in November (read the report on that here) that its members would stop fabricating quartz if the government did not ban it by 1 July 2024.

In Victoria, one of Australia’s states, companies already have to be licensed to fabricate engineered quartz. The law requiring licensing was introduced last year. Companies have to prove compliance with safety measures in order to obtain a licence and are required to provide information to job applicants about the health risks associated with exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS). They have to ensure employees are given personal protective equipment (PPE) and training to control risks of exposure to the dust.

Cosentino, the maker of market-leading Silestone quartz, has said in a statement that it believes the regulations in Victoria strike the right balance between improving worker safety, protecting the jobs of 4,500 stonemasons (as well as jobs in the wider construction and home building sector), and still providing consumers with high-quality, sustainable products for their homes and / or businesses.

On 28 February Tony Burke expressed the hope that regulations could be drafted by the end of this year restricting or banning the use of engineered quartz in every state.

He is reported by 7News (and others) in Australia as saying: “If a children’s toy was harming or killing kids we’d take it off the shelves – how many thousands of workers have to die before we do something about silica products? We can’t keep delaying this. It’s time we considered a ban. I’m not willing to wait around the way people did with asbestos.”

However, Safe Work Australia is taking a more nuanced approach, suggesting that there could be a cut-off level for crystalline silica in products and that a ban might relate to dry cutting rather than the material itself.

The manufacturers of engineered quartz have become victims of their own marketing when it comes to silica. They used to like to emphasise the high levels of natural quartz in their products, often claiming they are 95% (or something similar) natural quartz (which is crystalline silica).

It is a bit misleading because that is when components are measured by weight, and quartz is a lot heavier than the resin that binds it together in a quartz worktop. By volume, quartz is often 50% or less of the product.

A cynic might suggest that by simply changing the way the proportion of quartz in the product is presented, engineered quartz could avoid any ban based on the proportion of crystalline silica in a product.

Cosentino has gone a step further by replacing some of the quartz in its Silestone HybriQ+ with glass, which is a different form of silica not known to cause silicosis. Cosentino now prefers to call its reformulated Silestone a ‘hybrid mineral surface’ rather than quartz.

In a statement about the crystalline silica content of its Silestone with HybriQ technology, Cosentino says it contains less than 40% crystalline silica. UK Director Paul Gidley says that is measured by weight.

It is not only silicosis that can result from the inhalation of dust when fabricating worktops. There are various lung conditions that have been associated with the work and there has been some suggestion that the resin in engineered quartz slabs contributes to the danger of inhaling dust as a result of cutting and polishing them, which might explain why those fabricating it seem to be particularly vulnerable and why silicosis seems to develop rapidly in them.

A report by Safe Work Australia is to be presented to the ministers. It is expected to recommend three actions: an education and awareness campaign; better regulation of silica dust across all industries; further analysis and scoping of a ban on the use of engineered stone.

Safe Work will present a report on the potential ban within six months and will draft regulations by the end of the year.

The ministers will meet again later in the year to review progress.

North American quarry company Polycor is to buy all of the French company Rocamat (subject to various approvals by French authorities) for an undisclosed sum.

The move follows Polycor entering an agreement with Rocamat five years ago, becoming a minority-share holder and taking over operations at five quarries.

It runs the quarries of Chassagne, Massangis, and Rocherons in Burgundy and has the rights for quarrying at Lens in the Gard region.

Taking over the whole of Rocamat, founded in 1857, will give Polycor nearly 30 quarries in France, four processing plants and an additional 160 employees.

Polycor France Holding, a subsidiary of the Polycor Group, has signed a preliminary offer to acquire 100% of the shares it does not already own.

Polycor, which sells its French stones in the UK and is a member of Stone Federation Great Britain, says the move will consolidate its position as a natural-stone industry leader and strengthen its presence in Europe and internationally.

Patrick Perus, Polycor CEO, says: “This acquisition project is a natural step for Polycor’s growth.

“Since its foundation in 1987, and by establishing a long-term vision, we have built alliances with companies that share our values.

“Rocamat’s heritage counts over 170 years of expertise, in addition to a knowledge and mastery of natural stone that is unmatched in France.

“This industry flagship is the perfect ally for the future of sustainable construction materials. The acquisition of Rocamat would allow us to enrich our offering by proposing an even more comprehensive portfolio of products that meet unparalleled standards of quality.”

Stone extracted from Rocamat’s quarries are sold as blocks and slabs, flooring and facades, masonry and carvings.

Rocamat President Jean-Louis Marpillat says the sale will mean “Rocamat can now enter a development phase by seizing the opportunities that the natural and ‘green’ materials market is opening.

“In order to tackle this new area of development, Rocamat is pleased to be backed by a major group within the industry that is capable of financially ensuring the achievement of these new challenges.”

Pierre Brousse, Rocamat’s majority shareholder, adds: “The outlooks for the natural stone market in France call for high-capacity industrial investments. We consider it wise to entrust such execution to the world leader in ornamental stone, which, I am confident, will know better than anyone how to develop the company’s capabilities.”

The Natural Stone Industry Training Group (NSITG), leads training in the stone industry. Funded by CITB and supported by Stone Federation Great Britain, it invites the whole industry to engage with training the workforce. Anyone from the industry is enthusiastically welcomed to participate by contacting Claire Wallbridge (contact details in the box below). At its recent meeting, NSITG heard about a scheme for companies to take on apprentices for the duration of short-term projects.

Natural Stone Industry Group (NSITG) members heard at their latest meeting about a scheme for allowing companies to engage apprentices just for the duration of a project.

Steve Farrow of apprenticeship training agency (ATA) Evolve Apprentices told the group about the work of Evolve, which manages the CITB Shared Apprenticeship scheme and Flexi Job Apprenticeship Agency (FJAA) in London & the West Midlands.

Steve conceded that ATAs in general do not have a great reputation, but said they work well in construction because many construction projects do not last for the full two years of an apprenticeship. So Evolve employs the apprentices and takes responsibility for them and their college placings, and finding them projects to work with contractors for the duration of the project for their on-the-job development.

Steve said one of Evolve’s aims is to increase diversity in the construction industry.

‘Diversity’ is a term frequently used to encourage businesses to recruit and employ people from outside their traditional pool of labour. There has been a lot of research that shows there are considerable benefits to firms of widening the diversity of the people they employ. In construction, most people are male and white. Evolve is trying to broaden that demographic.

Steve said Evolve employs 50 apprentices in London and the West Midlands, and 67% of them do not describe themselves as ‘white British’. He admitted most are male, but not all of them, and said they cover a wide age range. He said 30% of Evolve’s staff are female.

Evolve has identified specialities where there are shortages of apprentices, which includes the stone industry, especially in the heritage sector and roofing.

A problem is that many companies operating in these sectors do not have projects lasting long enough to cover an apprenticeship and the companies are, therefore, reluctant to take on apprentices that they might not be able to keep fully employed for the duration of a two-year apprenticeship. Many specialist contractors also have relatively small workforces and are reluctant to lose any of them for the college training that apprenticeships require.

However, firms can find themselves obliged by Section 106 agreements to provide employment and skills initiatives if they want to win a tender, so Evolve’s solution is to employ the apprentices itself, taking away all the administration and responsibilities that it involves, including college places, and fit them into various projects as required.

If there is no job to move them on to, Evolve will continue to employ them until one becomes available, so that the apprenticeship continues. It also takes responsibility for them when they are attending college courses.

Steve said Evolve covers its costs of paying the apprentices, providing personal protective equipment (apart from site requirements such as hard hats), and its administration fees by charging host companies that offer the apprentices positions to cover the costs for the duration of the project.

Of course, a host company will want to be sure an apprentice will fit in with its team and the way it works, and work experience and trial periods can be arranged before a firm commits to taking on an apprentice. Placements are normally expected to last between three and 12 months.

It is a good way of introducing people to specialities and many of Evolve’s apprentices are recruited by the companies they are placed with before the end of their apprenticeships. “We’re happy about that,” said Steve.

For more information about Evolve go to evolveuk.org.

Independent stone consultant Robert Merry has answered a call from ‘Our Future Health’ to take part in research to identify health risks. He believes one way the construction industry could reduce ill health in it is by de-stressing the way it works. 

I am now officially a guinea pig for the nation. ‘Our Future Health’ has invited me to join research to identify future health risks such as  dementia, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Apparently I have been randomly selected to take part. I question whether I want to know the potential risk of dying, and when, and from what. Still, when the nation calls…

At my age there is a lot for the researchers to get their stethoscopes into.

Firstly, there’s the on-going prostatitis that comes in two flavours – acute or chronic. Then there’s the bakers cyst and the arthritic knee. The 30-year-old anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) operation now needs doing on the other knee as well. Also two shoulder / neck sprains / ricks or whatever you want to call them – left and right.

From the exercise regime provided by the NHS physio to fix the shoulders, I appear to have strained my oesophagus, leaving me with something called ‘Globus’.

To improve health I started drinking an additional litre of water a day, thinking this would be good for flushing out infections and keep the system in good order. Instead, I can’t sit through a movie now without having to find a loo. I have officially joined the old man brigade.

I have remodelled working practices by reducing the long hours sat at the computer. I have reviewed my sitting position and bought a second hand desk with adjustable height from the local office clearance warehouse. I can now work from kneeling (usually when I’m chasing payment) through to fully standing up on my hind legs (mornings only).

All of this is particularly galling as I have lost two and half stone in the past two years. I exercise regularly, am careful what I eat and drink and have reduced my cholesterol from dangerously high to normal without taking any statins. Round of applause please.

So what is my secret to having a long list of niggling health issues? Old age for one. Checking with male friends of a similar age I discover we all have similar failing bodies and functions. There is also a communality in our working lives. Working in construction, we all experience or have experienced high levels of stress. Not that this is a sole cause, but I think there is a correlation between stress and some illnesses.

Interrupted sleep, churning an issue over and over in my internal monologue often results in physical symptoms – upset stomach, mysterious aches, fatigue, as well as poor mental health, leading to rash decision making (like that ill-advised email) and risk-taking that can put me in danger.

It’s common knowledge that working in construction is stressful. Men are three times more likely to commit suicide than the national average. There are two suicide-related deaths every day. The contributory conditions experienced in construction are well documented: short-term contracts, job insecurity, long hours, lengthy commutes, sometimes living away from the family, impossible timescales, unrealistic budgets, unending snagging and late payment.

For many in management roles there is the added burden of responsibility, not just for the project but also for the livelihoods and welfare of your staff working on it.

The ‘macho’ culture stops us talking about stress, which can bury the problem even deeper. This same culture has historically prevented the industry from creating more roles for women, and the male dominated statistics still reflect this, even though there are a lot more women in the industry nowadays than there used to be.

There are many organisations offering assistance and counselling specifically for this industry – Mates In Mind (www.matesinmind.org) and The Lighthouse Club (www.constructionindustryhelpline.com) among them.

There is also a study published by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) called Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment, which is free to download from tinyurl.com/CIOBmentalhealth. It offers examples, statistics and further contacts if you want to know more.

If you get passed thanking your lucky stars you haven’t got a list of ailments as long as mine, then you might want to give some thought to looking after yourself and your staff this year.

Finding ways to de-stress from the grind of construction could be a worthwhile ambition for the year ahead.

At last year’s Cersaie in Italy I was asked repeatedly about that show’s main European rival, Cevisama in Spain. For 30 years Cevisama has brought the tile world together in Valencia each February, but the perennial fixture in the trade’s calendar has been profoundly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. 

When The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in 2020, Cevisama was a casualty, with the 2021 edition initially postponed and then cancelled altogether. 

The rise and fall of Covid-19 cases allowed Cersaie to re-open its doors in 2021, albeit under a severe health test regime and a 50% fall in visitor numbers due to travel restrictions. But the fact that it took place primed the Italian event’s return to something like normality in 2022 when it attracted nearly 100,000 visitors, only 20% below its all-time audience peak.

Cevisama, on the other hand, sadly always seemed to be on the wrong side of the coronavirus curb and the event was not held in 2021 or 2022. So when the doors to Cevisama #39 open in Valencia on 27 February this year, it will be more than three years since Cevisama #38. 

The 38th Cevisama ran from 3 to 7 February 2020. It attracted 92,000 visitors, with more than 21,000 from overseas.

My chats at Cersaie indicated that many in the tile trade doubted whether Cevisama could recover from the pandemic shut-downs. This view was underlined by the additional twin blows of clay shortages and spiralling energy prices, both results of Russia invading Ukraine.

For Spain, Brexit is potentially an additional drag factor because the UK has traditionally been one of Spain’s top three tile export markets.

So it is particularly positive to report that the latest news from the event’s organisers is that almost 400 direct exhibitors – and more than 500 brands – will be showcasing their latest ceramic and porcelain floor and wall tiles this year alongside bathroom equipment, natural stone, and other related construction sectors.

Make no mistake, this is not a complete return to the good old days. Unless there is a last minute change of heart, which seems highly unlikely, the show will not feature Pamesa, one of Spain’s major players. A long-time loyal supporter of the show, the absence of this major group’s extensive portfolio of powerful brands leaves a significant hole.

The current catalogue of exhibitors also excludes any of the Porcelanosa brands. This is less surprising because Porcelanosa has generally chosen to plough its own furrow, holding a series of events at its impressive headquarters near Villareal to coincide with Cevisama.

Inevitably, this detracts from the show as Porcelanosa is, without doubt, one of the highest profile and most aspirational tile brands in the world and its events always draw a crowd.

Thankfully, a number of Spain’s other leading tile brands will be exhibiting at Cevisama. The list includes such renowned names as Peronda, Roca, Baldocer, Keraben, Grupo STN, Aparici, Apavisa, Schluter Systems, Raimondi, Fila, and Cevica... there are more.

It should be celebrated that, despite the challenging market conditions, so many factories continue to see the Valencia event as the leading trade fair for the Spanish ceramics sector. As such, Cevisama remains closely aligned to the mission of Ascer, the Spanish ceramic tile manufacturers’ association, to take the ‘Made in Spain’ message to every corner of the world.

Carmen Álvarez, Cevisama’s Director, says: “Thanks to the support of the Valencian Regional Ministry of Sustainable Economy, in 2023 we will be investing €1million in Cevisama through the most powerful promotional campaign in our history, inviting thousands of VIP buyers from target countries in the sector to come to the event. This initiative will more than meet the expectations of buyers from all the firms in the ceramics and bathroom industry taking part in the fair.”

The buyers already invited include Spain’s own distributors and the main dealers from foreign markets where ceramics have a strong foothold or excellent growth potential, which includes the UK along with the USA, Germany, France, and Canada. Major trade visitors from the contract channel who are product opinion leaders and project developers are also on the target list of the €1million spend.

In 2023 Cevisama will be hosting the best Architecture Forum it has put together in years, featuring three top architects, including the latest two Pritzker Architecture Prize winners: Francis Kéré, who won in 2022; and Anne Lacaton, the 2021 winner. The triumvirate’s third member is UK heavy hitter David Chipperfield, one of the creators of the highly acclaimed Veles e Vents building in Valencia’s Marina.

As Carmen Alvarez says, the confirmation of Chipperfield, Kére, and Lacaton assures the forum is a world-class event.

She also says that Cevisama remains committed to inviting other leading figures from the world of architecture to the fair and giving them a unique forum for discussion and learning. “The fair is definitely going to be a hit with all the clients, exhibitors and visitors participating in the event,” she says.

As a time-served flag waver for ceramic tiles, I certainly hope the 39th Cevisama lives up to the advance billing. Dedicated exhibitions are a great source of vitality and energy in the sector. If ceramic tiles are going to continue to convince the world’s interior designers, architects, and home owners that they are a supreme surface solution, they need Cersaie, Coverings, and Cevisama to continue their missions of the past three decades by championing innovation, showcasing trends, providing a stimulating forum for international business, and disseminating news about the best developments in installation.

Given the resurgence of interest in small formats, colourful patterns, rich glazes, 3D forms, and the artisanal aesthetic – all strengths of the Spanish ceramic tile sector – it might just be that after three void years Cevisama finally has timing on its side.

More at: cevisama.feriavalencia.com.

New products for 2023 from three of the major worktop product suppliers stick to the natural look of stone.

Mostly the new designs are variations on white marble, although Cosentino has been a bit more adventurous with its Dekton Pietra Kode, a collection developed with designer and architect Daniel Germani.

The carbon-neutral Dekton surfaces of Pietra Kode are the third collection from Daniel Germani. His previous ‘Industrial’ and ‘Chromica’ collections for the brand were inspired by an industrial aesthetic, while the seven designs that make up Pietra Kode are influenced by the natural stones of Vicenza, travertine, and Milan’s Ceppo di Gré.

“For this collection, I spent a lot of time decoding each stone’s history in Italian architecture and reimagined them in a contemporary design with all of the benefits of Dekton,” said Daniel Germani.

“Pietra Kode is a collection that showcases luxury in the small, understated details. It’s designed with the future in mind and compliments any space in a way that won’t go out of style.”

From Lapitec come five new additions to the Musa collection.

Lapitec, made in Italy to a formula that is free from crystalline silica, comes in jumbo size ‘full body’ slabs – that is, with the veining going throughout the product rather than being printed on, as it usually is on other brands of sintered stone and ceramics.

This full body characteristic is emphasised by the new designs that join the Musa collection. From the softness of Bianco Serena, with golden veins on a chromatic base tending towards ivory, to the rigour of the grey texture of Bianco Atena, the new colours offer five more interpretations of the white marble theme.

Marcello Toncelli, at the helm of the brand developed by Breton, well known for its stone processing machinery and quartz manufacturing lines before it developed the process of making Lapitec, says: “Lapitec does not use inks or petroleum derivatives. That’s why the range draws on earthy tones, in white, black and grey in different shades.

"Research never stops at Lapitec and these five new colours are designed to meet the demands of the kitchen market in particular, which is of fundamental importance to us and an integral part of Lapitec’s development strategy for the coming years.”

And the latest in marble look ceramics from CRL Stone come in MDi (Minerals, Design, innovation) surfaces from Spanish company Inalco.

These 20mm thick, large format slabs are said to be eco-friendly thanks to water-based inks and glazes, the use of 35-45% recycled materials and 100% re-use of water in their manufacture, saving up to 10million litres of it a year (compared with using it once only). Nearly all the waste minerals from the manufacturing process are also recycled.

Inalco is in Alcora, a Spanish town with a long tradition of making pottery. It became particularly famous in Britain thanks to the Royal Porcelain & Pottery Factory that opened there in the 18th century.

The body of the MDi material colour matches the surface decoration to provide visual continuity, while the veining is printed on the sides as well as the surfaces.

CRL Stone says these new products, produced exclusively for it by Inalco, respond to the trend for nature-inspired surfaces in kitchen design with bold patterning that exudes a timeless elegance fitting into any setting.

In fact, says CRL, all the advantages that make the surface so suitable for use in the kitchen also make it ideal for use in bathrooms and outside.

The intense white background with contrasting veining looks stunning over large areas of worktops and splashbacks, but can also be used in conjunction with contrasting shades to move up a gear.