00 COVER.qxd:TSJ_Jan-Feb_07_Cover - Tile and Stone Journal

TILING TOOLS
A round up of the
latest in hand & power
tools and workwear
CEVISAMA
TSJ reports
from a strangely
upbeat Valencia
THE LEADING UK MAGAZINE
FOR THE TILE & STONE INDUSTRY
WWW.TILEANDSTONEJOURNAL.COM
FEBRUARY 2009
VOLUME 6 NO2
PORTFOLIO
All the latest in tile
design and accessories
NEWS REVIEW
Statistics and company
news from around
the world
NEW
LOOK
TRANSPORT
How the economy
is affecting the
freight sector

February 2009
Volume 6 Number 2
Editor
Joe Simpson
tandsjournal@aol.com
T: 01580 752404 M: 07885 294814
Advertisement Manager
Andy Turner
andy.turner@kick-startpublishing.co.uk
T: 01892 752440 M: 07811 269157
Spanish Advertisement Sales
Mercedes Varona Alabern
mercedesvarona@ya.com
Calle 136, Parcela 9, Masias
46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
Advertisement Director
Stuart Bourne 01892 752441
Production Director
John Heath 01892 752445
Editorial Director
Alan Bakalor 01892 680816
Circulation Manager
Emily Walsgrove 01892 752448
Designer
Neil Owen 01892 752401
Production and Design
Lorna Dadson 01892 752401
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
Editorial
The Old Corn Store, Heartenoak Road
Hawkhurst, Kent TN18 4DZ
T: 01580 752404 F: 01580 752604
M: 07885 294814
E: tandsjournal@aol.com
Advertising and subscriptions
The Oast, Great Danegate
Eridge, East Sussex TN3 9HU
T: 01892 752400 F: 01892 752404-752405
W: www.tileandstonejournal.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or any information storage or retrieval system,
without the express prior written consent of the publisher.
Tile & Stone Journal is published by © Kick-Start Publishing Ltd
ISSN 1744-4276
CONTENTS
NEWS
CEVISAMA REVIEW: AZTECA P24
TSJ’s Joe Simpson wins top international journalism award,
KBBExpo postponed, Spanish tile sales slump. Iris reopens,
ABK turnover tops Euro 10 million, Porcellan invests and more 4
SPECIALS
Richard Choroszewski explains the global transport market 16
TSJ logs on to www.tradesreunited.org.uk and talks to the
site’s creator, self-employed contractor Richard Williams 22
FOCUS
All the latest in tiling tools and workwear 29
REVIEW
Fear and loathing - plus lots of fun - at Cevisama 2009 24
FEATURES
The Tile Association newsletter 18
BOOK REVIEWS
Books: Chris Blanchett reviews all the latest tiling titles 42
PORTFOLIO
A round up of new tiles, tools and accessories 44
SUBSCRIPTIONS
United Kingdom
£40.00 per annum
Europe
£70.00 per annum
FEBRUARY 2009 TSJ
Rest of the World
£95.00 per annum
3

NEWS & COMMENT
EDITOR’S COMMENT
4 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
“Visiting Cevisama this year was a strange
experience. The empty Level One of the three-tier
exhibition centre, the wide aisles and vacant
spaces in the two remaining halls, and the greatly
reduced number of both exhibitors and visitors
bore eloquent testimony to the parlous state of the
global tile industry in general, and the Spanish tile
sector in particular.
However, it was far from all doom and gloom.
While there were certainly fewer new products on
display than at any exhibition over the last 15 years
or more, some stands proved that the industry is
still capable of striking innovation. Inalco and Ceracasa stood out, but there was
also a strong showing from other Spanish factories like Azteca, Gayafores and
Grespania. Vitra, despite being cast adrift in the wide open spaces of Pavilion 2
Level 2, reported a very positive show; while Genesis experienced a steady
stream of UK customers in Hall 6.
However, what really struck home was the bulldog spirit of the reduced cohort
of UK and Irish tile agents, distributors and retailers who made the trip to
Valencia. One agent described the atmosphere in the departure lounge at the
airport as being like a works outing ... and that was about right. The prevailing
mood seemed to be a determination to get on with life, and enjoy it, despite the
economy and its effect on our industry.
As another agent put it, Cevisama may not have been a vintage show for orders,
but it was great socially. This never-say-die attitude, coupled with the industry’s
on-going technical innovation, may be just what we all need to get through this
sticky period in anticipation of better times ahead.”
Joe Simpson
DMG World Media has announced the postponement of
KBBReview Expo, incorporating The Tile and Stone Show
and FloorStyle, which was due to run at ExCel, London
from 10th to 12th May 2009.
Expo has been serving and supporting the kitchen, bedroom
and bathroom industry in London since 2001 and is
a very successful concept and brand. However, it has
become clear that the current extraordinary economic climate
has meant potential exhibitors are making tough
strategic decisions and they cannot be present at the 2009
show.
DMG World Media Publishing and Events Director,
Patrick Taylor, said: "The economic downturn has hit this
industry hard and it has become clear that potential
exhibitors do not need the added strain of sustaining a
2009 London show. In the hundreds of conversations
we've had, the vast majority of suppliers and manufacturers
are saying they have made a strategic decision to not
exhibit in London in 2009 and we respect and understand
TSJ’s Editor wins leading
International award
Joe Simpson, Editor of Tile & Stone Journal, has won the
International Media Award for 2008/09 at The Tile of Spain
Awards. The prize was presented by Mr Fernando Diago,
President of Ascer, at the International Press Conference
held in Cevisama on 11th of February in front of an audience
of several hundred journalists from around the world.
The Tile of Spain Awards have three design categories -
Architecture, Design and Degree Project – as well as the
media award. The winners in the design categories are
chosen by a professional jury of architects and interior
designers, from projects entered by the designers.
The media award is different because there are no entries
and no external jury. Several departments of Ascer hold a
meeting and decide the winner of the award from among
the broad spectrum of specialist trade and consumer magazines
and newspapers covering the interior design, architecture
and tiling sectors across the 180 countries to which
Spain currently exports ceramic tiles. The judges consider
the quality and expertise revealed in the journalist’s coverage
of the tiling industry in general, and the Spanish tile
sector in particular. The committee’s verdict was that Joe
Simpson and Tile & Stone Journal has been the best in all
these respects over the past year.
This is only the seventh time that the International Media
Award has been presented by Ascer.
KBBReview Expo is postponed as economic gloom grows
that. KBBReview is now in its 25th year and we've reached
that milestone by always supporting and listening to the
industry."
However, DMG has made it clear that this announcement
does not affect the KBBReview Industry Awards
2009, which will take place at ExCeL on 11th May.
"The KBBReview Industry Awards is the biggest party of
the year and the 2009 event is set to be bigger and better
even than the record breaking 2008," said Taylor. "We are
in the middle of the extensive judging process in preparation
for the event in May and tables are selling fast. The
facilities at ExCeL are world class and the venue should
provide a memorable back drop to a fantastic night."
The decision to shelve Expo came despite a two thirds
increase in the number of pre-registered visitors to the
ExCeL event and follows a trend that has seen many
prominent exhibitions in the UK and Europe shelved in
recent weeks. Both Coverings and Cersaie are currently set
to run in 2009 despite a fall in exhibitor numbers.

Spanish sales in UK fall by over 20%
Fernando Diago, President of Ascer, has
reported that sales of Spanish tiles in the
UK fell by 20.7% between January and
November 2008, compared with 2007.
This took sales from Euro 165.1 million in
the same 11 months of 2007 to just Euro
130.9 million in 2008.
The UK was not the only market in
decline. Over the same period sales to
the USA fell by 38.7%, while Portugal,
Italy, Germany and Saudi Arabia reported
falls of 18.9, 10.5, 6.3 and 4.3% respectively.
However, industry sources have
informed TSJ that the sales performance
of Spanish factories in December 2008
and January 2009 were even worse,
down 23% and 51% respectively. One
factor here is the sudden and steep
decline in the Russian market, one of the
bright spots in 2008 when Spanish sales
for the first 11 months rose 38% to reach
Euro 151 million.
Overall, for the 11 months to end of
November 2008, Ascer is reporting that
Spanish sales declined 3.2% overall to
Euro 2,076. So far around 4,000 out of a
total Spanish workforce of 24,000 have
been made redundant.
Industry sources have told TSJ that of
the 402 tiles kilns installed in Spain, only
166 were running at the end of January.
Unless the economic situation improves
over the next few months, most
observers are predicting string of factory
failures, and a series of mergers and
acquisitions as the industry restructures
in the face of dwindling global demand.
There are similar problems in other producing
nations, with one Italian giant
having temporarily closed down and
many Turkish and Italian kilns lying idle.
Both Coverings and Cersaie have experienced
exhibitor pull-outs, with only 24
Spanish companies currently expected
to exhibit at the US tile and stone showcase
which is set to run in Chicago from
21st to 24th April.
Natural stone clad walls and flooring supplied by Burlington now adorn the interior of
York House, a six storey corporate HQ for British Land near Marble Arch, London.
Specified by EPR Architects, Burlington’s striking silver grey Brandy Crag stone is featured
as internal flooring and skirting throughout the main entrance, reception area
and lift lobbies from ground to fifth floors. In addition, the same stone has been used
as cladding to create a stunning backdrop to the walls of the same areas. Burlington’s
Brandy Crag stone in a sanded finish has been used to create 600 by 300 by 20mm
paving. Skirtings have also been created using the same stone. The wall finishes are
textured and laid in various lengths, widths and heights: tied back to the main structure
with stainless steel brackets. To create a striking visual effect, the stone is fixed in
a random boned pattern with a 10mm offset between courses and a nominal 25mm
cavity width. In addition to 90,000 sq ft of office space, York House also includes
11,000 sq ft of retail space and 22 residential units.
NEWS & COMMENT
PEOPLE Craven Dunnill has promoted
Steve Whitehurst
to Sales and Marketing
Director. He joined the
company in 2007 as
Marketing Director having
worked for H & R Johnson
Tiles for over 20 years.
Waxman Ceramics has
announced the appointment
of Joe Pape to the
position of Deputy
Managing Director, having
held the position of
Operations Director. Pape
started over 25 years ago
as Waxman Ceramics’ first full-time employee.
Instarmac, the manufacturer
of Ultra Tile adhesives,
has appointed Neil
Hawkesford as Technical
Support Manager and
Lucy Choules as the South
East Area Sales Manager
for the Ultra Floor brand.
Hawkesford has 25 years‘
industry experience
including the installation
of sports flooring in venues
used for the 2002
Commonwealth Games.
Choules brings 12 years’
account management
experience at companies such as Porcelanosa. She
will be responsible for developing relationships
with current and prospective Ultra Floor customers.
Kemtile has appointed David Priest to work on
sales and estimating with customers on the East of
the country. Priest is 48 years old and has 20 years’
experience in the flooring industry, the last seven
with a company working primarily in the food and
drink sector of the market.
PCI, part of BASF
Construction Chemicals
(UK), has appointed Ian
Wilson as Marketing
Manager. Wilson. will
continue to head up marketing
for BASF’s
Performance Flooring and
Construction Products division, as well as assuming
responsibility for promoting PCI’s tiling and
flooring adhesives.
FEBRUARY 2009 TSJ
5

NEWS & COMMENT
Iris back to work after closure
The gates of the three Iris factories
in Sassuolo, Fiorano and Viano
have reopened following negotiations
between the owners, trade
unions and public institutions.
This led to a formal undertaking on
the part of Chairman, Romano
Minozzi, not to close down the
company. Following this, 500
workers voted to return to production
after a meeting in the Astoria
hotel in Fiorano.
These events conclude a nail-biting
start to the year for Iris, one of
the largest Italian ceramic groups
with an estimated turnover of around Euro 240 million. At the board
meeting held on 5th January the company’s directors had resolved to
wind up the company voluntarily and appointed Giuseppe Pifferi as liquidator.
This plan did not affect GranitiFiandre. According to figures presented
by Pifferi at this meeting, the company’s sales began to fall significantly
in 2007, plummeting by 30% in the third quarter of 2008.
When the closure plan became public, Italy’s Labour and Social Security
Minister, Maurizio Sacconi, met Minozzi and Pifferi, accompanied by Prof
Enrico Gragnoli. Minister Sacconi declared: “ The Government and the
region will continue to co-operate in the coming days to avoid the
demise of an important industrial resource of the district and of the entire
Italian economy.”
The full extent of any redundancies at Iris remains to be clarified.
Dennis Ruabon is sold by receivers
Wrexham-based Dennis Ruabon, which shut down after being placed in
administrative receivership with a total of 68 staff and about 20 agency
workers being laid off, has been sold according to BBC News on 6th
February. Administrative receivers at consultants Kroll and Co said the
assets had been required by Ruabon Sales Ltd. However the Unite
union said it was ‘in the dark’ about the sale, and local MP Martyn Jones
said he was concerned at a ‘lack of transparency’. Unite claimed workers
had no warning before being sent home by the long-established clay
quarry tile manufacturer. Wrexham Council has offered help to the
workers try to find alternative employment, if required.
The closure came while the company was trying to finalise a restructuring
package. Joint administrative receivers Anne O'Keefe and Simon
Wilson, announced that ‘the sale of the assets of Dennis Ruabon was
completed on 1 February 2008.’ It is unclear whether the company will
continue trading as a tile manufacturer, raising concerns over the future
of the production workers.
A message on the Dennis Ruabon Tiles website stated: "Following the
recent short-term cessation of trading at Ruabon, the business has been
taken over by private investors who have a desire to re-profile the production
activities over the next six months with a view to improving the
operating efficiencies.’ The statement continued: ‘They have retained
key management to assist with this review and funding could be made
available if the plan so requires. In the meantime, the good news is that
stock levels are such that customer service can be maintained during
this time and orders are welcome as usual.’
The company has denied Unite’s claim that the takeover amounts to
little more than an asset stripping exercise.
6 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
Porcellan appoints UK agent
Ian Bradwell has been retained as
its UK agent by the new UAEbased
manufacturer Porcellan.
The company is just completing a
new high-tech porcelain tile plant
in Abu Dhabi. The facility will have
a capacity of 18 million sq. metres
per annum. Jamal Al Ghurair,
Chairman of the Jamal Al Ghurair Group, is behind the project to build
what will be one of the largest industrial centres in the whole Gulf
region.
Sacmi has supplied full production lines that include: modular mills of
180,000 litres capacity, an ATM spray dryer with 200,000 litres capacity,
PH3800 and PH6200 presses and 218.4 metre long kilns, complete with
ground-break integrated energy recirculation system. An automatic TGV
shuttle fleet is used for handling green and fired tiles, plus pallets. There
are nine sorting lines and seven palletisers; all produced by Sacmi
Automation and designed specially for large sizes.
A large part of the 18 million sq. metres annual production will be
glazed and polished tiles, including large sized porcelain stoneware tiles
from 400 by 400mm up to 1,200 by 1,200mm; as well as tiles decorated
with soluble salts, hi tech porcelain stoneware and top of the range
products. Sacmi is also supplying material for the preparation of glazes,
plus an innovative, high efficiency and low consumption system for the
preparation of coloured slips.
Porcellan has introduced a 2009 catalogue that illustrates approximately
20 collections for walls and floor, that are billed as offering market
leading style and the design.
ABK’s turnover tops Euro 100m
Italy’s ABK Group has reported a consolidated turnover of Euro 106 million
for 2008, up from Euro 98 million in 2007. The good performance is
said to be the result of continuous investments in marketing and
research that have enabled it to increase sales during this difficult period.
The Group, which owns the ABK, Ariana/Valverde and Flaviker/Pisa
brands, plans to create a new factory in Solignano. ABK Group’s
Chairman, Roberto Fabbri, is optimistic for 2009. “We have what it takes
to play a leading role and to address the challenges of 2009 with confidence,
maintaining our existing market shares and our competitive
position compared to rivals,” he said. “In 2009 the company will be taking
part in Mosbuild and Cersaie and will unveil new catalogues featuring
novel products and proposals for customers and end users.”
New tile plant for Haddad Group
Work on a new production unit is almost complete at the Latino Ceram
II factory, part of the Algerian Haddad Group. This is the third line dedicated
to the production of skirting tiles supplied by Siti-B&T Group out
of a total of six lines installed in Haddad group factories since 2003.
These include two lines created in 2003 and 2005 both producing single-fired
skirting tiles, each with a capacity of 2,000 sq. metres per day.
They wee followed, in 2006 with a line for small format tiles with a
capacity of 1,500 sq. metres per day, and two floor tiles plants, in 2007
and 2008 with a combined capacity of 9,900 sq. metres per day. The
newest line. intended for single-fired and skirting tiles. will have a capacity
of 2,000 sq. metres per day

NEWS & COMMENT
Chiltern Marble opens BDC showcase
12th February saw the official launch
of the Chiltern Marble Group’s showroom
at the Business Design Centre,
Islington. Showcasing its latest semi
precious stones and textures, Chiltern
Marble entertained over 50 key clients,
suppliers and press .
The showroom highlights the new
trends for 2009. The biggest talking
point was a wall featuring the
Hydrofinish technique. The result is a
tactile surface with glittering stones.
Chiltern Marble’s natural stone supplier,
cutting edge Italian company
Antolini Luigi & Co, has launched the
process that maintains the original
colour of the stone but offers a choice
of textures.
“We’re delighted with our showroom
at the BDC - it really displays the variety
and quality of the natural stones
8 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
we offer. We were thrilled with the
number of guests that visited our
showroom and from the great feedback
they gave. As we’ve predicted, it
was very apparent that texture is
going to be a big trend this year. Last
night confirmed that this is going to
be a great location for our Protile
Division” comments Annette White,
Marketing Director at Chiltern Marble”.
The ranges showcased were exquisite
granite samples, semi-precious
stones, cool and contemporary engineered
stone ranges from Silestone,
Dupont and Cimstone. In addition,
Chiltern Marble displayed a selection
of high-end porcelain, marble, granite,
travertine and mosaic tiles.
For further information:
0845 5210171
www.chilternmarble.co.uk
EMC Tiles is celebrating its 30th birthday. East Midlands Ceramics opened its
doors for business in January 1979 in a former haberdashers shop on Mansfield
Road in Sherwood. EMC Tiles Managing Director, Barry Slawson remembers:
“There was a backyard with no vehicular access and the original shop floorboards
were worn away by 80 of years constant use, by previous occupiers. We
blitzed it and turned it into EMC’s first retail outlet.” Today EMC Tiles has a
15,000 sq. foot showroom, warehouse and distribution centre on the
Southglade Business Park on Hucknall Road Nottingham, a thriving warehouse
and showroom in Loughborough and the original Mansfield Road shop is now
the select Anglo-Italian Ceramic Tile Centre. Today, the company employs a
total of 36 staff.
MADELEINE HARRINGTON
“Just back from a much
reduced Cevisama, I was
greeted by the news that
both of the London KBB
shows have been cancelled
this year. Now it did not make
much sense to run two
kitchen and bathroom shows
within two weeks of each
other, and there was bound
to be some fall out because of it, but combined with the
fact that Cevisama was nearly cancelled in December
due to lack of commitment, and the number of familiar
faces who had not bothered to make the trip from the
UK, it did make me think about the state of the industry
and what purpose trade shows actually perform.
If you are going to exhibit, there is not much point in
doing so, unless you do it properly, which means not
much change out of £10,000 even for a small stand by
the time the cost of the space, the stand build and the
hotel and travel costs for staff are taken into account.
For anything larger the bill is obviously proportionately
more, so you need to sell an awful lot of tiles, adhesive
or bathrooms to cover the cost. What’s more most
customers do not actually order at a show, preferring to
wait and order at leisure back at the office, meaning it is
very difficult to prove that the stand has paid for itself.
Nevertheless shows do serve a purpose, although what
that is can differ depending on the stage that the
company is at in its development. For a young
company they can be an invaluable way of making
contacts and meeting potential customers in areas
where the business is underdeveloped. For the more
established firm they serve as a sort of mobile
showroom: a convenient way of showing new products
to existing customers and reinforcing the brand
message and presence in the market place, all of which
would often cost more money to do in other ways.
However if the clientele is not going to turn up due to
the economic situation there is not much point in
spending the money on the stand and it is an obvious
place to look when making cuts. Ironically this year,
people might have been more prepared to attend a UK
show as, for most people, it would mean less time out of
the office and crucially in the economic circumstances
less expense. However, that is now not to be.”
Madeleine Harrington is a director of McMullin
Harrington Ltd and can be contacted at
madeleine@mcmh.co.uk.

NEWS & COMMENT
Sophistication in grey
Mapei products have been used in the new office development
for pipeline manufacturer, Wellstream
International, in Newcastle Upon Tyne. Mapei’s Keraquick
adhesive and Ultracolor Plus grout, were used by Durham
Marble & Ceramic Tiles to install 1,600 sq. metres of floor
tiles to the ground floor and atrium area. The floor tiles
were supplied by distributor Tile North East. Mapei
Keraquick, super fast-setting flexible S1 adhesive was chosen
to install Atlas Concorde Alaska 600 by 300mm porcelain
floor tiles, being ready for light foot traffic and grouting
in just 2 to 3 hours. Ultracolor Plus was used for the tile
joints. This polymer-modified, flexible, mould and waterrepellent,
anti-efflorescence grout is suitable for use on
both walls and floors and is available in 26 colours, in order
to suit individual requirements; Colour 113, Cement Grey,
was used for this project.
New website for Instarmac
Instarmac Group plc has launched a new look website.
The company, and its Ultra Tile, Ultra Floor, Ultracrete and
Ultrascape brands, are all represented by this brand new
corporate vehicle that stresses environmental issues, sustainability,
R&D and ‘simplifying the complicated’. The
website was almost eight months in development. The
fresh looking site combines ease of use, simple navigation,
clear messages, and most importantly, the most up-todate
product information. Both technical datasheets and
MSDS are available at the click of a button to download
and print free of charge, with no registration or password
log-in needed. The new website is merely the tip of the
iceberg for the company that has totally modernised it’s
corporate image over the past 12 months.
10 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
NEWS IN BRIEF
According to a recent poll by ProblemSolved.co.uk, the website for reliable, local
tradespeople, 75% of British homeowners will be reaching for their tool boxes in
the next six months, an increase of 35% on the second half of 2008. 54% of those
polled cited money saving as the reason for their decision, with 17% stating that
they are ‘DIY enthusiasts.’ The news spells more bad news for tradespeople
across the UK as the credit crunch takes its toll on the construction industry. The
FMB has reported that 51% of small to medium building firms planned to make
redundancies over the next 6 months.
New data from The Council of Mortgage Lenders graphically illustrates the sharp
decline in mortgage lending activity over the past year. There were 516,000
house purchase loans in 2008, a decline of 49% from 2007 and the lowest level of
activity since 1974. There were 32,000 house purchase loans in December, a
decline of 5% from November and the lowest level since monthly records began
in 2002.
Commenting on the ONS data on new construction orders, which saw new
orders drop almost 9% in Q4 2008 compared with Q3 and 25% from the same
period of 2007, RICS Chief economist Simon Rubinsohn says: "With new orders
falling sharply, it is only a matter of time before this is reflected in a steep decline
in the level of construction output and more job losses in the sector. This highlights
the need for the Government to ensure effective delivery of its enhanced
capital spending programme. Bringing forward capital funding for vital projects
will have the advantage of delivering much needed housing and infrastructure
but will also go someway to preventing an employment crisis in the industry. As
the UK enters a recession it is essential that skills are not lost to the construction
sector as people leave and retrain to take up other jobs.”
The average number of transactions per surveyor showed little fluctuation over
the last three months despite buyer interest rising for the third successive month,
says the latest RICS’ UK housing market survey. The average number of transactions
per agency (over the last three months) is now at 9.9, a small drop from 10.0
in December, and the lowest figure since the survey began in 1978. Interest in
the market continued to pick up with 16% more Chartered Surveyors reporting a
rise than a fall in new buyer enquiries. 10% more Chartered Surveyors expecting
sales to pick up in the coming months, with optimism most visible in London and
across the South of England.-
According to Carolyn Rushbrook, Sales Director for Miller Homes Yorkshire: “The
housing market is always the first industry to be hit in a downturn, but likewise it
is the first to pick up again. The latest figures from the Halifax show a rise in the
price of UK homes by 1.9% in January compared to December. This modest rise
will undoubtedly offer a confidence boost to property sellers and buyers, who
will also gain from the latest interest rate cut.”
A new training centre has opened on the site of Manchester City FC’s former
Maine Road stadium to give local people the opportunity to learn construction
industry skills. Lowry Homes Plc’s housing development in Moss Side, The Maine
Place, is the location for the training centre, which was officially opened by Tony
Lloyd, MP for Manchester Central and Chair of the Trade Union Group of Labour
MPs on Friday 6th February. The new centre will be home to an innovative training
programme delivered by The Manchester College, which will offer 30 training
opportunities for local, unemployed residents, enabling them to take advantage
of two year brickwork and plastering diploma courses.
Following the publication of Rightmove’s housing price index, which showed a
1.2% increase in asking prices, NAEA chief executive Peter Bolton King said: “It is
too early to say whether this increase in property prices, picked up by several
organisations, including the NAEA, will continue. The NAEA believes that it
reflects that, in certain areas, the downturn is slowing and hopefully beginning
to bottom out, as opposed to heralding the end of the housing slump. What is
clear is that if confidence is returning to the market in any form, it is the job of the
Government and the major lenders to try responsibly to sustain it. The NAEA
believes that a complete suspension of stamp duty from the Government, and
increased availability of mortgages from the banks, would achieve this.”

NEWS & COMMENT
NEWS IN BRIEF
At Taunton Deane Magistrates' Courts Scott Paul
Davis, 34, of Cotford St Luke was found guilty of
dishonestly abusing his position as store manager
at Topps Tiles, intending to make a gain of £3,130.
Six other offences were admitted and taken into
consideration. Davis received a six month prison
sentence, suspended for 18 months, 150 hours
unpaid work, and was ordered to pay £1,500 compensation.
For three further counts of dishonestly
abusing his position, intending to make gains of
£127.36, £109.20 and £220.11, he received three
months prison (concurrent) suspended for 18
months, plus 150 hours unpaid work on each
count.
Everbuild Building
Products unveiled a wide
range of new products at
the Totally DIY 2009 exhibition
in London. The
main launch of the show
was Plumbers Gold, a new sealant and adhesive
containing Microban, the world’s leading branded
anti-bacterial solution.
Pilkington's Tiles has invested £500,000 at its
Greater Manchester factory, the company
announced in January. Pilkington's has spent the
money on the design and development of product
ranges, manufacturing equipment and a new factory
outlet bathroom showroom at its site at
Clifton Junction.
Mapei has just released its CPD calendar for 2009
and started the season in style at the Surface
Design Show, Business Design Centre, London,
with a Fast-Track Screeds seminar. Mapei will be
holding further seminars as part of the
Construction Services CPD Roadseminar Tour and
the RIBA Roadshow at various locations across the
UK, including Glasgow, London, Manchester,
Belfast and Birmingham. Call 0121 508 6970 or visit
www.mapei.co.uk for details.
In February, Barry Bester, co-founder and nonexecutive
Chairman of Topps Tiles, has splashed
out £300,000 on new shares in the tiles retailer.
Bester, who previously held the positions of Chief
Executive and Head of Business Development at
Topps Tiles, bought two million shares in the group
at 15p each. Earlier this month, Topps Tiles said
sales continued to struggle over Christmas with
like-for-like sales over the period down by over
18%.
Topps Tiles shares fell almost 12% on Tuesday 16th
February after its Chief Executive announced that
one of its credit insurers had withdrawn cover.
Breaking with the tradition of keeping such negotiations
behind closed doors, Matthew Williams, in
an effort to ‘control the information’, released a
statement saying that one of the big three credit
insurers – believed to be Euler Hermes – had withdrawn
cover to suppliers of the specialist tile retail
chain.
12 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
Victoriaplumb has launched a new state of
the art website. Offering advanced search
functionality via JQuery and Live Stock
Functionality, users can type queries such
as ‘showers’ into the search box and a realtime
list of products will be displayed by
relevance. Every product listing shows the
exact number of items in stock.
Developed in-house, Victoriaplumb.com
believes that this functionality is unique in
the online bathroom retailers market.
Based on solid usability testing and Web
Analytics data, each aspect of the
Victoriaplumb website has been created
Powerful P-o-S
Stockists of Weber products will welcome
the extensive new range of high quality
point of sale items for busy retail premises.
Weber’s innovative range of Prep, Fix, Set,
Joint and Stoneset materials, designed for
professional tile fixers, will now be easier to
display with this colourful, high impact
and educational material. New p-o-S
material includes wall friezes, hanging
wobblers, hanging mobiles, poster sets
and leaflet dispensers designed to hold
the handy, pocket-sized brochure for tile
fixers. Further guidance is available in the
Weber Tiling Solutions Handbook.
01525 722169 www.netweber.co.uk
Hi-tech new website from Victoriaplumb
to improve and enhance the shopping
experience of the customer. One of the
most ingenious additions to the
Victoriaplumb website is the new userfriendly
Shopping Cart that allows users to
browse through the site's entire range of
bathroom products without having to be
transferred to another page. The designer
look of the site has been enhanced by a
newly commissioned range of professional
photographic images that have created
one of the most striking Websites in the
online bathroom suites market.
www.victoriaplumb.com
Products from the Mapei range were
specified for the installation of both
ceramic and porcelain tiles within St
Dunstan’s Church in Woking. Architects,
Rooney & McConville of Belfast provided
an architecturally modern design for the
church. A system of Mapei products
including Topcem Pronto screed,
Latexplan levelling compound,
Keraquick and Ultramastic III adhesives
and Keracolor FF grout was selected to
prepare substrates and apply and finish
aesthetically cut Burlington Slate to the
church aisle, pulpit and font areas, high
quality Jerusalem Stone to the remaining
floor areas and ceramic wall tiles in
kitchen and bathroom areas. The tiling
contract was expertly undertaken by
Stone & Ceramic Ltd, London.
Topcem Pronto fast-track screed with
Planicrete additive was used to produce
a bonding coat to the existing floor substrates.
To provide a perfectly flat and
even substrate for the slate and porcelain
finishes Latexplan self-levelling compound
was then applied over the screed.
After laying, the tile joints were then finished
with Keracolor FF water and dirtrepellent
grout, now available in 18 different
colours.

NEWS & COMMENT
Larsen sponsors Irish rally
Irish-based construction chemical
company Larsen is the main
sponsor of this year’s Circuit of
Ireland Rally. Being part of this
prestigious and historic motoring
event for the first time is an
exciting prospect for the company
which has had connections
with Formula Ford in the
past. Ulster Automobile Club Chairman and Clerk of the Course
Nigel Hughes said at the press launch:. “On behalf of the Ulster
Automobile Club, it is with great pleasure that I welcome Larsen
Building Products on board as the new title sponsor of the Circuit
of Ireland Rally. The event will be known as the Larsen Circuit of
Ireland Rally”.. The two day event will take place on the 11th and
12th of April..
Left to right: Declan Wright, Peter McGill - (Larsen), Gerry McCumisky (Driver), Nigel Hughes (UAC)
Tile Market goes into CVL
Staff at the Irish-based Tile Market stores were told that the company
was being placed in creditors' voluntary liquidation in late
December 2007, according to a story in the Irish Times dated 31st
December.
In a letter to staff, company director Jim McMullan said the move
was necessary due to financial difficulties. "Due to the company's
financial difficulties, the company is unable to make payments to
you relating to any monies that you may be entitled to due to the
termination of your employment." McMullan told staff that they
had received all outstanding wages in their final pay. He said additional
claims for holiday pay, redundancy pay and notice pay
would be dealt with by the liquidator.
The headquarters of Tile Market is in Lurgan, Co Armagh, but it
has more than a dozen outlets in the Republic of Ireland. Accounts
for Lomac Tiles (Ireland) Ltd, which traded as Tile Market, show that
it had a pre-tax profit of €258,671 in 2007, down from €523,930 in
2006. The company has been in operation for more than 30 years.
Visitors to Northern Print will
now be able to feast their eyes
on an exquisite new piece of
artwork when they ‘spend a
penny’ at the North Eastbased
centre for contemporary
printmaking thanks to the
vision and support of local
architects Mosedale Gillatt.
Cumbrian artist Paul Scott‘s
ceramic tile artwork, called
Willow Creek, was unveiled to
coincide with the opening of
the Society of Wood
Engraver’s 71st Annual
Exhibition, which runs from 16th January to 21st March. The
installation - made up of over 450 porcelain glazed tiles - celebrates
the rich ceramic heritage of the Ouseburn Valley. “Our
building was given a new lease of life by MGA, who won two
Lord Mayor’s awards in the process, but in a former life was part
of Woods Potteries that had at some time made the Willow pattern
pottery, so this new installation is certainly very apt,” said
Anna Wilkinson, director at Northern Print.
14 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
JOSS THOMAS
“A stone floor is only ever as good as the
installer. In a credit crunch, cut backs are
inevitable. But cutting back on quality – be
it product or installation – can have a
dramatic effect on a company’s reputation
and on its future. The bottom line is that
stone floors are meant to last, and last –
from this recession to the next!
In many ways, this provides an opportunity
for the ‘good guys’. Companies that cut
back, attempt to complete the job in half the time, and replace good
materials for bad will, inevitably, suffer the consequences. Now is the
time to add value, not take it away.
So, having created a good subfloor, how do you ensure that you
provide the very best installation? It may sound obvious but, like most
things, it’s all in the preparation. For example, if you’re installing above
underfloor heating, make sure that it’s been properly tested and
turned off. And, check that the property’s owners are aware that it
needs to remain off throughout the installation. Before you start laying
tiles, take the time to thoroughly shuffle to ensure a good spread of
colour and add value by suggesting creative options in terms of run of
pattern; decorative opportunities are often missed in haste.
Corners should never be cut when it comes to adhesive; it should
always be good quality and compatible with your subfloor. Timber
subfloors, and those with underfloor heating, will need a flexible
adhesive and grout. A suitable membrane, like Ditra Matting, can also
be used to stabilise the floor and compensate for any movement. In
addition, white adhesives should always be used with paler coloured
stones to prevent discolouration.
During the planning stage, invest time in grout selection, placement of
expansion gaps (around a room’s perimeter and between rooms) and
remember to recommend accessories: good finishing can turn a
satisfactory job into a show case. Throughout the installation, make
sure that sufficient time is allowed between each stage, e.g. that one
coat of sealant is applied before grouting and a second coat
afterwards, to prevent staining. And, that the floor is properly cleaned
before the application of sealant, to ensure that dirt and marks don’t
become laminated between the sealant and the stone.
Finally, although there’s huge pressure to keep costs down, make sure
that you recommend the correct maintenance products. Acidic
cleaners can damage sealants and undo a great installation in the
sweep of a mop; leaving behind a complimentary bottle of
recommended cleaner could serve to your advantage, in more ways
than one!”
For more information, please contact Indigenous on 01993 824200
or visit www.indigenousltd.com

TRANSPORT
Shippers and forwarders are being offered recordlow
all-in rates on Westbound Asia-Europe traffic
by shipping lines battling overcapacity. However in
my view these are one off deals that will quickly disappear
once the ships begin to fill up again.
Speaking to clients, shipping lines and other forwarders
congregating at the recent Cevisama tile fair, it became
clear that it is a buyer’s market, and anyone brave enough
to venture out and order material from the Far East is getting
great prices on both the product and on the freight.
These deals will not last.
The inflation measure for the UK has just been published
at the time of writing and this points to a decline in inflation
but not to the extent that was expected.
The shipping lines have found, meanwhile, that dropping
their rates to near zero out of the Far East have not
actually filled their ships and they are looking at other
measures in order to make these services viable once
more. Steps they are taking involve reducing capacity and
oil consumption by taking vessels out of service, slowing
down their cruising speeds and consolidating multi services
into fewer groups, and vessel sharing. Several Lines
have ceased trading.
The Channel Tunnel re-opened fully in mid February
after running at reduced capacity for more than five
months since the fire. The cause of the blaze, yet to be
announced, has set the tunnel back an estimated £60m.
Freight has drifted away and, in the current climate, the
Tunnel operators will find it difficult to attract traffic
back unless they reduce their prices significantly.
The recent weakness of Sterling has given a boost to our
UK manufacturing base. All three major UK-based tile
manufacturers - BCT, Johnson Tiles and Pilkington’s - have
seen an increase in enquiries from overseas buyers who
are wishing to take advantage of the weak Pound. The
global market for buying of discretionary products such as
tiles remains weak and with worldwide overcapacity
(resulting in record closures of kilns, productions lines and
indeed whole factories in Italy, Spain and Turkey), our
home based manufacturers are still finding it very tough
out there, but they have seen further positive signs in the
reduction of commodity and energy costs and with UK
and Ireland-based distributors and retailers wishing to
avoid gambling with foreign currency purchases.
French and Spanish road hauliers are beginning to call
for state support, as their situation is arguably worsening
compared to their UK cousins. Appeals are increasing
in intensity and strike action is being threatened in
both countries as the latest figures show bankruptcies
in the sector in France increased by more than 90% in
the last 12 months and 85% in Spain, triggered by high
fuel costs and the deepening economic crisis.
We are getting reports that there are thousands of HGVs
parked up because of a lack of backload traffic; drivers
who either hitchhike back or are given lifts by other drivers
at the end of the week, leaving their vehicles empty
16
TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
Transport in transition
Neptune’s Richard Choroszewski explores the forces that
are affecting the price and practice of tile transport.
several hundreds of kms from their base and who go back
to them on Mondays. Many of the smaller independent
haulage firms employing less than 10 staff are laying off
up to half their workforce and trying to sell trucks on a second-hand
market that has lost more than 30% of its value
in the space of a few months.
Spain has taken the lead by announcing a series of
measures aimed at reducing business costs in the road
haulage sector. These include the postponement for
two years of payment of all employers' national insurance
contributions, and a reduction of around 4% in
contributions covering work-related accidents and illnesses.
The French are expected to follow suit with similar
measures, while UK hauliers can only dream about
getting anything from our own Government.
While shippers look on with envy at how freight rates
have dropped in the last 12 months from South America,
The Far East, Asia and Middle Eastern ports. Freight rates to
and from many parts of Europe are still uncomfortably
high in comparison. Some token measures have been
taken but have hardly been noticed in the UK due to the
weakness of the Pound. And there are signs that more
and more lines are beginning to take an interest. When we
can ship a full load container from mainland China to the
UK for 1 to 200 Pounds less than what we can achieve
from Spain then it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure
that the carriers are seeing an opportunity.
So, if you take anything at all from this article, then do
keep a close watch on your freight costs. Almost certainly
these should not be the same as you paid two months
ago or last year.
CONTACTS
Alberti & Santi UK
albertiesanti.net
0845 521 2343
Banks and Lloyd
banksandlloyd.com
01625 531100
Britaly Fastrack
britalyfastrack.com
01276 683900
Calibre Forwarding
calibrelogistics.com
01322 421500
Ceramic Logistics
ceramiclogistics.com
01823 335666
F S MacKenzie
fsmac.com
01744 755544
Neptune Shipping
nsa.com
01579 386000
TDG UK
bradship.co.uk
01274 395224

TTA NEWSLETTER
Tile Fixing Standard published
After several years of revision work, British Standard 5385, the code of
practice for fixing wall and floor tiles, has been completely revised and
published. The last two remaining sections, Part 4 (special conditions
including wet areas, under floor heating and chemical attack) and Part 5
(natural stone and agglomerated stone tiling and terrazzo) were published
last month.
TTA members wishing to obtain copies should contact the TTA office
for details of how to order their own copies. All previous editions of BS
5385 Parts 4 and 5 have now been superseded and withdrawn.
TTA Awards 2009
A record number of nominations have been received for the 2009 TTA
Awards. Judging is now underway and the shortlist in the 21 categories
will be announced in March.
With the Awards Dinner fast approaching now is the time to book your
ticket for the TTA Awards on Saturday, 25th April 2009 at the Hilton
Birmingham Metropole, National Exhibition Centre Birmingham.
Headlining the event will be Siren. Siren is a unique, energetic and
dynamic female string quartet featuring four of London's top string players.
The girls are all graduates of the Royal Academy and Royal College of
Music in London and are also versatile singers and musicians
There are still a few places left in the Golf Challenge, which is taking
place in the morning on the PGA Course at The Belfry.
TTA have arranged special accommodation rates at the Hilton and to
book your place, type - www.tiles.org.uk/events/dinner09.shtml - into
your browser. This will take you to the TTA website where you will find
full details and booking forms.
Stop Press
The Association has been able to re-negotiate hotel room costs with the
Hilton. The cost for a standard room will be £119 per night for either single
or double occupancy, a reduction of just under £30. The Association
will automatically change any booking received so far.
Centre of Excellence Award
for Leeds College
Leeds College of Building is the latest College offering wall and floor
tiling to win the prestigious TTA Centre of Excellence Award. The Award
is presented to those Training Centres and Colleges who go the extra
mile and who meet the strict criteria set by TTA. This includes consistently
excellent teaching, a good relationship with feeder schools and
18 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
employers in their area, involvement in
competitions such as Skillbuild, and
excellent OFSTED reports.
Leeds College’s Steve Connell, pictured
left, received his award from Bob
Howard, Chairman of the TTA Fixer
Training Committee.
Dealing with Hazardous Waste
Waste is hazardous when it contains properties that may make it harmful
to our health or environment. Waste now includes TV, computer
monitors, fluorescent lighting and end-of-life vehicles. Effective waste
management can help to reduce expenditure on raw materials and cut
disposal costs. Any business handling hazardous waste should be working
with a waste contractor.
Waste that is considered hazardous should go to specialist sites for
treatment and disposal. The amount of landfill space available for solid
waste disposal is increasingly limited and expensive.
Envirowise offers UK businesses free, independent advice and has a
number of resources to help companies make cost savings by reducing
their levels of hazardous waste. This includes case studies such as how
Henkel Consumer Adhesives saved £9,000 a year by cutting its hazardous
waste. The free Envirowise advice line is on 0800 585794 or visit
www.envirowise.gov.uk.
Driving for Better Business
Some four thousand businesses have joined the Government-funded
programme, Driving for Better Business, which is a programme to raise
awareness in the business community and public sector about the
importance of work related road safety.
With an unacceptable number of injuries and deaths on the roads each
year and with corporate manslaughter legislation beginning to bite there
is a need to take action. The bottom line is that employers are responsible
for the safety of their employees when they drive for work. The
Driving for Better Business programme is managed by RoadSafe as a safety
partnership and full details can be found on their website at www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com.
New website for Heritage Skills
The Tile Association has been heavily involved in the development of
heritage skills for fixers. Part of the Association’s involvement has led to
the launch of a website to promote heritage skills as a career. Check out
the website via www.nhtg.org.uk.
Member’s Alert: Directory Scam
Recently, The Tile Association has been made aware of a number of telesales
agencies claiming to be selling advertising on behalf of The Tile
Association and some of its members in local or national directories and
websites.
Some are going as far as to claim that, by buying the advert, The Tile
Association is insuring fixers work up to £5,000. This is not true!
Please note that if and when The Tile Association produces a directory
or website we will let you know if there are opportunities to take advertising.
If you are approached by any agency using the Association’s
name, please let us know and we will investigate the matter, taking legal
action if necessary.

TTA NEWSLETTER
TTA Awards 2009: current nominations
A record 108 nominations have been submitted for the
2009 TTA Awards. Nominations are now closed. The shortlist
of a maximum three nominations per award will be
announced as soon as the voting is complete. The winners
will be announced at the TTA Awards Dinner on Saturday,
25th April 2009 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole,
National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.
People
Best Individual Tile Fixer: Jonathon Davies of JD Tiling; Neil Rodgerson of W Rodgerson &
Sons; Alan Milne of R Parker (Wall & Floor Tiling Contractors) Ltd; Simon Pratt of Simon’s
Tiling Services; Peter Breathwick of Wilson & Wylie Contracts Ltd.
Best Newcomer (Tile Fixing Trainee): Ben McCarthy, Spot On Ceramics; Chris Borlase of
Wilson & Wylie Contracts Ltd.
Business
Excellence in Independent Retailing: Walls & Floors (Kettering), Tileclick, TileStyle,
European Heritage; Middlesex Tile Centre.
Excellence in Multiple Retailing: Mandarin Stone; N&C TileStyle; Ceramic Tile Distributors;
Armatile; Taylor’s Etc.
Excellence in Distribution: Instarmac, Walls & Floors (Kettering), Ionic Stone; Craven Dunnill
& Co; Hampshire Tile Warehouse Ltd.
Excellence in Tile Contracting: Kemtile; Wilson& Wylie Contracts Ltd.
Marketing
Excellence in Tile Industry Marketing: CP Group, Enki Splashback launch; Ultra, Truly
Flexible Marketing Campaign: Johnson Tiles, Absolute; Ardex UK Limited for Microtec
Adhesives Range; N&C Nicobond for Plastic Ply Product Launch
Best Website: thetilesource.co.uk, tileclick.co.uk, spoton-services.co.uk., wallsandfloors.co.uk;
www.spoton-services.co.uk; www.urbanceramics.com; www.cravendunnill.co.uk;
www.mandarinstone.com; www.kemtile.co.uk.
Products
Wall tile of the year: CP group Marmo Harewood from the Quattro Range; Johnson Tiles.
Elegance; British Ceramic Tile, Laura Ashley Isadore; British Ceramic Tile, Rose & Stripe;
British Ceramic Tile, Tactile; VitrA, Shiba; Reed Harris, Xtra Ordinary; Pilkington’s, Quiligotti
Solfen; Pilkington’s, Quiligotti Lappato; N&C Nicobond, Damask; Rupert Scott, New Wave
Series.
Floor tile of the year: VitrA, Saturn; Colorker, Rustic Metal from Craven Dunnill; Venus
Ceramica, Enygma Modular 440 by 660mm; Pietra Luside from tile agent Alan Kayse;
Pilkington’s, Quiligotti Lappato; Pilkington’s, Quiligotti Series 88: Reed Harris, Jewel; N&C
Nicobond, Fusion; Armatile, Cathedral Range.
Best Natural Product: Ionic Stone Fossil wallstone; CP Group, Alfresco; Mandarin Stone,
Jerusalem Ramon Brushed Limestone; Plkington’s Tile Group, Marble & Glass Mosaic;
Taylor’s Etc, Silkstone.
Best Innovation: HTW, Supa; Pro Mosaic Tile Spacers; 365 Drills, Porsadrill; Ardex, Microtec
Tile Adhesives Range; N&C Nicobond, Plastic Ply.
Projects
Best Use of Tile in a Small Construction Contract: JD Tiling, Private pool in an old chapel in
South Hams; Kemtile, Coca Cola East Kilbride; Mapei/Stone Ceramic, St Dunstans Church
Woking; Kidderminster Motorcycle Showroom by Craven Dunnill & Co. Ltd; TS Eliot House
by N&C Moderna; Broome & Delancey, Clapham, by Wilson & Wylie Contracts Ltd.
Best Use of Tile in a Large Construction Contract: Wilson & Wylie Contracts, Centre Court
Redevelopment, Wimbledon; Kemtile, NOM Dairy, Telford; Kemtile & Pilkington’s, Uniq,
Northampton; BT Liverpool Convention Centre by Pilkington’s Tile Group Plc; Kingston
Airport, Jamaica by Pilkington’s Tile Group Plc; County Square, Ashford by N&C Moderna;
20 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
BMW Garage by Taylor’s Etc; 125 Broad Street by Harper &
Edwards Ltd.
Best Technical Use of Tile in a Construction Contract:
Wilson & Wylie Contracts, Centre Court Redevelopment,
Wimbledon; Kemtile Ltd, NOM Dairy, Telford; Kemtile, Coca
Cola East Kilbride; Kemtile, Uniq, Northampton; County
Square, Ashford by N&C Moderna
Best Use of Tile within the Leisure Industry: Wilson & Wylie
Contracts, Centre Court Redevelopment, Wimbledon; Tiles
UK, The Arcade, Villa Marina Complex, Douglas, IoM; Tudor
Grange Leisure Centre, Solihull by Birmingham Tile &
Mosaic; Lions quay, Oswestry by Craven Dunnill & Co. Ltd;
Tonbridge School Centre for Sports & Media by Cerface
Ltd; Bolholt Hotel, Bury by Pilkington’s Tile Group Plc
Best Use of Tile in a Domestic Environment: CP Group,
South Yorkshire family bathroom; Evesham Private Pool by
Craven Dunnill & Co. Ltd; Winchester House by Taylor‘s
Etc;. Welwynbury, Church St, Farndon by Studio Ceramics
Ltd
Best Use of Tile by an Architect or Designer: Shower Room
by H.D.A Chartered Design Consultants; The Braid
Museum by Consarc; Principles by Pepa Retail Design;
Langage Power Station Main Office by Mitchell Architects;
TS Eliot House by Martin Creed; Lions Quay by DW Dulson;
Peter Mark Style Club, Dublin by Douglas Wallace
Architects.
Best Use of Tile in a Housing Development: Dalston
Square, East London by Pilkington’s Tile Group Plc; The Hat
Factory, St Albans by AG Ceramics Ltd; The Forge, London
by Wilson & Wylie Contracts Ltd.
Environment
Best Initiative to Reduce Environmental Impact: Ultra Tile, A
Greener Future; Reed Harris for Tiles that don’t cost the
Earth; Pilkington’s Tile Group Plc for Quiligotti Terrazzo
Filter Cake Recycling
You can see the full list of nominations on the Association’s
website at www.tiles.org.uk.
The 2009 TTA Golf Competition will be taking place on
25 April 2009 on the PGA Course, The Belfry,
Warwickshire. The Challenge will be a Stableford
Competition and there are only a limited number of tee
times left, so book your place as soon as possible, using
the Golf Challenge Booking Form on the TTA website.
The Tile Association
Forum Court
83 Copers Cope Road
Beckenham
Kent BR3 1NR
T: 020 8663 0946
F: 020 8663 0949
E: info@tiles.org.uk
W: www.tiles.org.uk
If you are in the tile industry, you need to be in The Tile Association.

TILING WEBSITES
For tradesmen only
Following last month’s articles on Tiling Websites, Richard
Williams, a self-employed tiler and wood floor fitter,
contacted TSJ with details of his own Internet initiative
www.tradesreunited.org.uk. Here Richard Williams
explains the features and thinking behind this new site.
22 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
Iam a self employed tiler and wood floor fitter and I have
tried the work exchanges but I've found them pretty
poor on the whole. Some of the prices quoted for the jobs
are far too low. I can only assume that some individuals
put in a very low price in order to "get a foot in the door", I
expect the price suddenly rises after a visit. A recent example
I noted was for a job in South London, hanging five
new doors c/w door furniture. One character had put a
price in of £120 and he was travelling 24 miles! By my calculation,
a single door, hung correctly takes about 1.5
hours, so I failed to see how it could be done for £120
allowing for travelling 24 miles to and from the job.
I have set up my own site - Tradesreunited.org.uk - which
is aimed at the self-employed in general as a self-help site.
Membership is free but applicants have to be genuine
tradespeople and we ask for a client reference. I am hoping
to build up a large membership of trade members
from all over the UK. My site is aimed more at putting
tradesmen in touch with each other and also as a resource
for the trades.
We all like to watch programmes like Rogue Traders or
Cowboy Builders on the TV. I think its because we have a
morbid fascination with the problems and perils of others.
As a self-employed tradesman in the building industry, I
am appalled at the way that customers are treated by
these so called ‘tradesmen’. I use the word tradesmen
specifically because I have yet to see a single programme
identify a woman behaving like this!
It’s just not fair that customers can get absolutely
fleeced by unscrupulous operators and regrettably
because these programmes make such good telly, quite a
few people might understandably think that this is common
in the building industry. It is not!
There are plenty of Job Quote websites about, but noth-
ing much for tradespeople only. One of the aims of this
site is to fill that gap....Our intention is to create a community
that tradesmen can join and use to develop and
improve their businesses.
When you think about just how many skilled tradesmen
there are out there, they represent a huge resource of
knowledge and experience.
Site features
The Labour Exchange
Joining Trades Reunited gives you a noticeboard for
advertising contracts to like-minded members in the
Labour Exchange. We hope that you can use this tool to
find local members who can help you and that you will
build up a trading relationship with.
Trades Reunited News
We've got news items coming in from all over the industry
and we will post anything that's significant in the news
section. Don't forget you can always submit an item to us
for inclusion - you might have just had your Edison
moment and invented that tool we've all been looking
for!
Vantastic
This is a section about vans and commercial vehicles, both
new and secondhand. We ask for members reviews with
real opinions - good and bad - so check here first if you're
in the market for a new van. We've also included a classified
section that you can use to shift your old van or buy
a new one.
Tool Box
This is a tool review section. We will be reviewing the latest
offerings from the major tool manufacturers and we
will be asking for your opinion on particular makes and
models, both new and old, to discover where the best
deals are. We are also including a classified section here so
you can sell unused tools or look for new ones.
Member Forums
Use these areas to share your experiences and ask advice
from other members. A great place to solve problems,
offer help or just let off steam about your favourite subject!
The Lighter Side
Share your funny stories with other members here. Some
things that happen on site are sometimes unbelievable!
Got a good joke or cartoon - then post it here.
Richard Williams is the owner of Tradesreunited.org.uk,
a website aimed at the self employed and small businesses
within the UK. It’s aim is to act as a self-help
group to assist its members in making their business
more productive and more profitable.

REVIEW: CEVISAMA
Spanish omlette
TSJ attempts to make sense of the recent Valencia fair.
Visiting the major world and European trade exhibitions used to be an object lesson
in stability. Company A was always in the hall by the stairs and had wonderful
new tile designs. Company B, on the other hand, was in the far corner of the
remotest hall and, well, never had any new tile designs to write home about.
That was until you stepped through the doors of this year’s Cevisama. The first thing to
get your head around was Level 1. Well, like the Tzar’s family in revolutionary Russia, it no
longer existed. It had been written out of (tile) history. Like an incontinent relative in the
attic bedroom, we all knew he was still there, but - well - no-one wanted to talk about him.
And, if that was not weird enough, when you went into any of the eight halls on levels
two and three, there was, as someone remarked, enough room for a five-a-side football
match in any of the aisles. Many stand holders had obviously not shown up and, even on
Thursday, the exhibition crew were still fixing bright yellow “exhibition” carpet over vacant
lots. Some stands, like VitrA, looked like they had been placed in quarantine.
Which is not to say that Cevisama 2009 was a failure. For the UK audience, it was a fantastic
social occasion. While it may not have gone down as one of the finest years in terms
of tile design, there were still some superb tiles on show - you just had to hunt for them.
All pretence of running separate tile, stone and bathroom shows had been abandoned,
which actually made the visitor cover all the aisles to make sure nothing was missed.
And, as far as TSJ was concerned, there were a few stands that, on their own, made the
trip to Valencia on Easy Jet worthwhile. The Inalco stand, designed as a hotel with every
possible surface tiled - including the wardrobe doors - was stunning. But not far behind
was Ceracasa, which won an award for Bionictile, but also started to push the envelope
for digital printing with its collaboration with photographic artist Michael Banks.
Meanwhile Azuvi poured cold water on rumours of its imminent demise with a strong
range of commercial designs. Gayafores was another Spanish manufacturer with the
Duracell factor. Tau, always reliable, showed fewer new products at Valencia than usual,
but its marble interpretation caught the safe and secure zeitgeist squarely on the nose.
Keraben, Todagres, Halcon and Peronda were also on the money.
However TSJ’s Tile of the Show award for 2009 goes to Azteca. Digital printing is here to
stay and, if you don’t think tiles and texture make happy bed-fellows, Tresor will surely
make you change your mind. Stunning!
Geisha by Grespanie Tresor by Azteca
24 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
Textura by Azulev
Dekora by Gayafores

Adagio by Peronda Top Green concept by Roca
City by Ceracasa
Tresor by Azteca
BionicTile by Ceracasa
Makalu by Gayafores
REVIEW: CEVISAMA
FEBRUARY 2009 TSJ 25

Rubi cutters regularly feature in tilers’ lists of favourite tools.
365 Drills produce diamond drilling kits for the construction industry, supplying
tilers, plumbers, builders, electricians and commercial shop fitters. 365
Drills believes that although diamond is expensive it delivers superior results
compared to carbide by cutting quicker and easier through very hard material
such as large format porcelain tiles, marble, travertine and solid granite
worktops, as well as softer material such as ceramic tile, glass, fibreglass, mirror
and pottery. The developmental breakthrough came when 365 Drills
replaced the pilot drill with an inexpensive guide plate which holds a diamond
crown steady and prevents it from slipping on any type of tile.
Removing the pilot eliminates cost and also the need for a water feed. The
company now offers a range of well over 30 kits to drill every size hole from
standard to bespoke. The best seller is the all-in-one solution containing
seven tile drills in five popular sizes plus a flexible non-slip guide plate critical
for accurate drilling. Known as the BFKMX or Bathroom Fitters Kit, it consists
of two 6mm, two 8mm, a 16mm, a 30mm and a 40mm drill. In June 2008 365
Drills’ founder, Richard Hazell, signed an exclusive deal with Arctic products for
UK distribution of Porsadrill; while in September 2008 365 Drills joined The Tile
Association.
Adhesives4Tiles are Karl Dahm specialists whose range includes the Highend
Floor Cleaning Set that offers users fast grout clean-up on floors while
allowing them to work in an upright position. The set includes bucket, chassis,
squeezing unit and hydro sponge wiper with handle.
Armeg is another company offering a solution to the problem of accurate,
effective drilling into porcelain tiles. In September 2007, the company introduced
its all new PTC Diamond Blades, complementing the established and
successful PTC Porcelain Tile Drill Range with the solution for cutting porcelain
tiles and softer materials such as ceramic. The range consists of two lines.
The Premium Line is a PTC Super Thin Diamond Tile Cutter Blade: an ultra thin
1.2mm design for rapid cutting. It has a 10mm high turbo rim diamond segment
for extended durability and is claimed to cut the hardest of porcelain
tiles up to twice as fast as other blades. It comes in two diameters: 115 and
125mm. The second line, the A-line, features PTC Diamond Tile Cutter Blades
with continuous diamond rims. These are ideal for ceramic tiles, but can also
cut porcelain tiles. They are available in four diameters: 115, 125, 150 and
180mm.
Boa UK, the company behind the first multi-use strap wrench, also offers pioneering
products such as the Tri Level and Boa Diamond Range of hole saws
TILING TOOLS
Engineered
for excellence
In this widespread feature, TSJ looks at a broad
selection of specialist tiling tool suppliers, and
also includes some in depth tool reviews and a
how to guide to drilling porcelain tiles.
and drills. Boa prides itself on its professional, but inventive approach to packaging,
literature and marketing.
New from Bosch is the 5kg Rotary Hammer GBH 5-40 DCE Professional drill
with Vibration Control for long, fatigue-free working. The drill has a single
impact force of up to ten joules when hammer drilling, which is increased by
the turbo function to eleven joules when chiselling. This makes it easy to drill
holes with diameters of up to 40mm in concrete. The new SDS-max comfort
system makes work easier on site because users only need one hand for bit
changes, while the other hand holds the rotary hammer drill securely in position:
once pushed back, the chuck automatically remains open for the bit
change. The user can simply remove the bit by hand. When the new bit is
inserted, the chuck closes automatically. Customers can register their products
for a three-year warranty online by visiting www.boschpowertools.co.uk
In November 2008, Bright Ideas introduced the New Line Industrial Tile
Cutter. It is available in three different size formats (1,000mm, 710mm and
610mm) and in both 110V and 230V. The new cutter comes equipped with a
laser guide, Ergotech handle, sturdy cutting base, 230mm or 250mm diamond
blade, 1,100W or 1,500W motors, foldable legs and mitre guide. It
offers a 65mm cutting depth and the ability to perform 45 degree compound
cuts.
BuyBrandTools.Com bills itself as the ‘number one online source for quality
brand tools’. The company’s stated aim is to supply the best quality brand
tools at the cheapest prices, whilst offering the best service available. One of
the main manufacturers is Rubi, with the site offering Rubi manual tile cutters
and scoring wheels, Rubi wet tile saws and diamond blades, as well as a variety
of smaller Rubi tools such as trowels, washboys and tile nippers.
FEBRUARY 2009 TSJ 29

TILING TOOLS
The powerful Bosch GBH 5-40 DCE Professional heavy duty power drill.
BuyBrandTools.com’s portfolio also features the Armeg SDS Plus tile remover,
Leica Lino L2 and Stabila LAX 50 cross line laser levels, Chalk Hog chalk lines
from CH Hanson, Marcrist diamond blades, 365 Drills’ Porsadrill diamond drill
bit kits and the Fein Multimaster multi-purpose power tool.
CeramicTileTools.co.uk offers the renowned Tomecanic 2160 Supercoup; a
tile cutter that is a favourite among professional tillers. The Tomecanic 2160
Supercoup cuts porcelain, floor tiles, mosaics and more. It diagonally cut tiles
up to 16 inches (410mm), with super accurate cutting made possible by nine
ball bearings in the cutting head. Once scored, tile can easily be snapped
with the large breaker and spring loaded pads. The unit has a maximum cutting
length of 24 inches (600mm).
Dural’s Tileminator is designed for economic and time-saving laying of adhesive
and ensures an even spread with grooves for adhesion produced in the
same procedure. It is ideal for applications where tiles need to be laid safely
on a bed covering the full surface, such as when fixing large-format floor tiles
or floor tiles in commercial spaces, such as garages, workshops and exhibition
halls, that are subject to heavy loads. The Tileminator is made of stainless steel
and offers interchangeable combs for grooves in widths from 400mm up to
720mm.
Another of the rapidly emerging crop of Internet-based tool companies,
www.etiler.co.uk, is currently advertising a 820mm Professional manual tile
cutter for £139.01 and a 7in portable wet tile saw for £107.23 inc VAT.
www.etiler.co.uk claims to be the UK's first brand of tiling tools to be available
exclusively on the internet. The company stated aim is to offer the very best
in quality and the very best in customer service. The company boasts over 15
years’ experience in the tiling industry and state that all of its tools are sourced
from the same factories that manufacture the world’s leading brands. The first
range of tiling tools on the site are the essential tools needed for most tiling
jobs: chalk lines, adhesive trowels, grout floats, tile spacers, tile trim, washboys,
sponges and tile cutters.
A quick glance at any tilers’ forum will show you that Karl Dahm’s tools are
well respected for their quality and performance. Typical is the Grout Fox,
billed as ‘The clever way to grout - fast, exact and clean.’ With its slim form this
small tool grouts even in hard-to-reach, narrow or difficult places, while the
handle keeps grout off the user’s fingers. It has two sharp smoothing edges
to facilitate precision work. The Grout Fox produces 6.5, 8.5, 10.5, 12.5mm or
round joints. The company also offers a range of wet saws that can make intricate
and complicated cuts simply and accurately. They feature an adjustable
guide that holds the tile fast allowing for precise cuts. By utilising precision
blade alignment and maintenance-free ball bearings, Karl Dahm saws can
deliver quiet performance while extending the life of both saws and blades.
30 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
ON TEST: Tylow tile spacers
The Tylow is a simple enough idea that aims to replace the long established
tile spacer. While the spacer has been around for a few years in many
different sizes they all come back to pretty much the same design; a white
plastic cross. Some tilers, like myself, simply use the spacer as a small
handle inserted into the grout joints and remove before grouting; others
insert the spacer into the intersection of the four tiles believing this to keep
the tiles square. Either way the tile spacer is not exactly high tech nor 100%
accurate especially with tiles that have uneven sides where the spacer can,
if not watched, fall into low points or ride the high points of the tile edge.
The Tylow is completely different from the spacer in the fact that it is made
from a clear acrylic strip that is scored at 50mm intervals. The aim is that
you can use the Tylow as either a 900mm continuous strip or break pieces
off to the size required. At present the Tylow is only available in 2mm
thicknesses which is ideal for wall tiling, but can be doubled up for thicker
joints. For £4.69 you get six strips of 900mm which break down into 108
50mm spacers, which are obviously reusable so the initial purchase price
would be recouped quickly.
Being clear you can see through to the tiles below to check the perps and,
used a continuous length, it is well suited to uneven tiles where it will ride
all the high points to give you a little uniformity.
When I used the Tylows on a small toilet tiling project I found them to work
well with 200 by 150mm tiles, where I used 50mm pieces keeping
everything nice and aligned. The Tylows where also easy to remove from
the joints; certainly no harder than the traditional tile spacer. Adhesive was
cleaned off with ease (as long as you don't leave it on for too long, then
you'll need to scrape!)
My method of tiling involves me feeling for lippage with neighbouring
tiles. I then twist and move the tile into position. Using the Tylow as a
complete strip I found I wasn't able to do this, but I think this could be down
to my technique. You can still see if there is lippage, but I like to feel it.
Tiling was certainly quicker with the Tylows as I was only adding two
Tylows per tile rather than four spacers to ensure squareness and a lot less
fiddly. Personally I'd like to see some more thicknesses available with
maybe a different colour for each thickness or at least a 3mm for floors (BS
minimum for floors), then you could create a 5mm quite easily. Hopefully
they'll get their fledgling product out to the masses and be able to increase
the size range and bring the price down a little.
From now on I'll be using these as a 2mm spacer until they get some more
thicknesses available as I reckon you'd lose the speed increase gained by
doubling / tripling up. I hope that other tilers will give them a fighting
chance as I know all too well how stubborn and unwilling to change tilers
can be, even when the gains are staring them in the face. All in all an
excellent little product from two brothers who are ex-tilers, for more details
see http://www.tylows.co.uk.
This review by Dave M Carr first appeared on www.tileregister.co.uk

TILING TOOLS
The Raimondi Pikus 105 Advanced wet tile saw is available from Vulcan Products
Kwik Split is the authorised UK distributor of Brevetti Montolit products.
These Italian-made tile cutters, block splitters and diamond products are sold
on the basis of the 3 Rs: reliability, responsibility and rapport. With the emphasis
very much on customer service, the Kwik Split range spans manual and
electric tile cutters, and diamond crown drill bits, as well as heavy-duty paving
block and building block cutters. The Montolit MiniPiuma 26PB and 43PB tile
cutters both come with dual splitting devices, and measurement stop. The
26PB offers up to a 360mm cut while the 43PB can take up to 450mm cut.
Both are currently available on line at a significantly reduced price.
Mirak Tools claims to be ‘probably the fastest growing supplier of top quality
hand and power tools to wholesalers, merchants and retailers in the UK for
the tile industry.’ Established in 2006 and now based at a new purpose-built
office and warehouse complex in Norfolk, the company carries huge stocks
enabling it to supply ex-stock and offer next day delivery, if required. The company's
24 litre Professional Washboy is said to be robust and lightweight with
grate, steel axle double rollers and segmented Hydro sponge board.
Plasplugs’ tile drills feature diamond cutting faces electro-brazed to the tip
of specially-designed hollow core drills. This is said to offer ‘the highest performance
and the longest life even when drilling the hardest porcelain plus
ceramic, marble or granite tiles’. Because of the hollow core design, the drills
are said to remove up to 75% less material on the large size drills, compared
to tungsten carbide. Plasplugs also claims that they also offer better value
because, although initially more expensive to buy, diamond drills keep on
working long after tungsten carbide drills have worn out. Available drill sizes
are : 6.5, 8, 10, 12, 17 and 25mm. The number of holes each drill will cut
depends on the material, but typical performance is up to 150 holes in standard
ceramic tiles, around 50 holes in limestone, slate, marble, quarry tiles and
granite, and approximately 25 holes in porcelain tiles.
Refina claims to supply one of the largest ranges of professional quality, specialist
application tools including mixing, surface preparation, diamond
drilling, flooring and spray equipment. Hand tools are also stocked in depth.
Refina market Megamixers, Rotamixers and Powerprep brands, plus the full
range of German-made Eibenstock power tools. Hand tool brands include
Plastercraft and Marshalltown.
32 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
Rubi UK has introduced two Basic Line mixers. The Rubimix-9-BL offers
1,200W of power, has a mechanical two speed gearbox and a single thread for
direct connection to the mixers. It is available in both 110V and 230V. It can be
used to mix mortar.
The Rubimix 9 BL Duplex provides 1,350W of power, produces a speed of
480 rpm and has an M-120 Duplex double thread for direct connection to the
mixers. It is available only in 230V.
Although it has been in Rubi’s portfolio for sometime, the company is
reporting a very positive reaction on trade days to its drilling kit for dry cutting
ceramic and porcelain tiles. This kit is designed for use on a grinder with
an operational speed of 10,000 to 14,000 rpm, with Rubi recommending
models A-115-N and A-125-N. The kit comes in a case and includes 20, 28, 35,
43, 50, 60 and 65 mm dry cutting drill bits, plus a specially-designed suction
drilling guide. Rubi’s dry cutting diamond drill bits have a M14 thread finish
and are ideal for dry drilling of ceramic materials, coverings, tiles and porcelain
tiles. They allow the drilling of holes in situations where a wet cut is not
possible or viable. Unlike normal drill bits, where pressure is applied perpendicularly,
dry drill bits perform an orbital cut that is performed by introducing
the drill bit slightly inclined to the ceramic piece. During the drilling the drill
bit should permanently rotate inclined only on one point to allow the effective
cooling of the drill bit and therefore ensuring a higher performance of the
tool. To achieve a perfect perforation with dry diamond drill bits, it is advisable
to use a drilling guide to help control the excess movement of the drill bit
during drilling and it is imperative to have a smooth surface.
STS (Specialist Tiling Supplies) of Leeds is a family-owned company specialising
in the supply of all tools, trims, sealers and adhesives for the tiling trade,
plus trouble-free tiling substrates.
Sigma is an important producer of high quality tile cutting machines and
tools for professional tilers. This Italian-based company is currently looking for
new agents in the UK with good trade references. Interested parties should
contact info@sigmaitalia.com.
Tavy Tools’ patented spacer is billed as ‘a dramatic improvement over the traditional
spacers sold in the marketplace today.’ A major benefit of The Tavy Tile
Spacer is that the circular design prevents the spacer from bottoming out into
the cement or adhesive making removal easy. Installers can use a 1/32 inch
spacer as easily as they would use a 3/8 inch spacer. Another benefit is the
two-sided design of the spacer that allows the installer to use both sides of
the spacer. The cross side can be used at any four corner intersection and the
straight edge side can be used at any location a spacer is required.
Taylor Tools is currently offering the Skipper Washboy set for £58.74. This
robust washboy set has a 25 litre capacity, twin high speed rollers, settling
grid, carrying handle and wheels. Complete with an X-cut Sweepex
hydrophilic sponge board and handle, spare sponge board and universal soft
rubber grouting squeegee this set is worth over £71 if purchased as separate
components.
One of the best known suppliers to the trade, Trade Tiler was set up by David
Neave, who has more than 16 years’ experience as a ceramic tiler. The company’s
range of tools and equipment is designed to make the tiler’s life easier
and more profitable. Trade Tiler is currently offering the DeWalt D24000 Wet
Saw with a 30 day 'no quibble' money back guarantee. The stainless steel rail
system is integrated into the tile saw frame, ensuring accurate cuts. The cantilevering
rail - cart system allows for 610 mm ripping capacity, and yet the
unit has a relatively low weight allowing one person to transport and set up
saw. Other features include an integrated 45 - 22.5 degree feature for quick
angle cuts and a lunge feature that allows the user to make quick plunge cuts

TILING TOOLS
The Tavy spacer: a more highly engineered solution to tile alignment issues.
for electrical outlets. A removeable cutting cart allows for easy cleaning of tile
saw, while the edge guide with two positions (90 and 45 degree) allows easy
line up of corner cuts. The unit has a power input of 1,600W, driving a 250 mm
blade at a maximum of 4,200 rpm. Maximum depth of cut is 95mm.
UK Tiling Tools bills itself as a ‘one-stop shop for quality tiling tools on the net
at the best prices’. The company claims to stock all major tiling tools such as
Marshalltown notched trowels, Rubi trowels, manual cutters and wet cutters,
RST notched trowels, Stabila spirit levels, Marcrist diamond hole cutters,
Plasplugs wet saws, Genesis manual cutters, 365 Drills diamond hole cutters
and more. The site is currently offering a Tilers 3-in-1 Detector for just £14.78
plus vat. A very handy tool for tilers, when drilling through walls and floors,
this Silverline 3-in-1 detector can also prevent users from hitting live cables
and copper pipe when screwing ply to floors, etc.
Vitrex is an established tool supplier to many home centres and distributors
in the UK. The current Vitrex programme comprises tiling tools, safety equipment
and a small range of hand tools. As part of QEP Co, the world's largest
wall and floor tool manufacturer, the company claims ‘to design, manufacture
and distribute professional quality products at affordable prices.’ Vitrex specialises
in manufacturing a broad range of plastic based tiling tools and accessories
which are simple to use and relatively low cost. Each Vitrex pack
includes a strong title and graphic action shot for easy customer selection.
Step-by-step instructions have been written and illustrated with ease of use
in mind. Vitrex also offers gel knee pads and soft grip tiling tools.
Vulcan Products now distribute Raimondi tools in the UK. Among the products
from this renowned Italian manufacturer is the Pikus 105 Advanced wet
tile saw. Powered by a 1.5 Hp 1.1kW motor, it has a maximum length of cut
1,050mm using the 250mm Raimondi diamond blade. It is suitable for cutting
porcelain, ceramic, marble, granite and bricks, including straight, 45°
bevel and plunge cuts. The maximum thickness of cut is 80mm in single pass
or 150mm in a double pass. Blade cooling is provided by a new easy to
remove polypropylene tank with a 38 litre capacity. The cast aluminium construction
and smooth bearings make this a durable piece of professional kit.
Yorkshire Tiling Tools offers a broad range of tools including Husqvarna
TC470 and TC670 Tile Cutters, and Rubi tile cutters, washboys, and trowels, as
well as a wide range of plastering tools and related products, The company
insists that all of its products are stainless steel and professional grade quality,
including strong, if less well known, brands like Marshalltown and Ragni. The
company sources from a wide variety of manufacturers so that it can supply
a wide range of tools and workwear at sensible prices.
Yorkshire Tiling Tools is Husqvarna's sole distributor for tile cutters and can
place a small stand, a few cutters or a full display in selected retail or distribution
showrooms. The company currently has an offer on 23 litre Washboy
including two Segmented Hydro Sponges. The unit has a removable plastic
grid for removing grout from floats, plus four detachable grey plastic wheel
castors for mobility.
Also part of the range is the Felker FPC 28 billed as a ‘huge beast of a cutter
made for today’s demanding tiles.’ This unit features a 700mm straight cutting
bed, with side extension arms for maximum tile support. It has a heavy
duty rubber base for tile stability. The business end is a 22mm titanium
dipped wheel attached to a rubber handled breaker.
See page 40 for an extensive listing of UK tool suppliers
34 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
ON TEST: Karl Dahm trowels
Karl Dahm 'special' trowels are designed to give a far greater adhesive
coverage compared to the standard square-notch trowels of old. You can
see by the photos these trowels have a rather unique pattern, not too
dissimilar to the Schneegans Euro pattern trowels. This pattern creates a
zip-like effect with the adhesive.
We found the trowels to be lightweight and very comfortable to use, their
blades whilst not as rigid as many of Karl Dahm's competitors applied both
tubbed and bagged adhesives in a thorough and efficient manner. The
slight spring in the blade was especially helpfully when cutting in the
adhesive around toe kicks and under wall cabinets.
Here's a point: if you look at the trowel above you'll see there is a lot blade
either side of the handle base. With one trowel we did cut this excess off to
create a smaller trowel for splash backs and tighter areas. It really made a
difference to be able to get adhesive nicely spread in those awkward areas.
Considering the complicated design of the trowel pattern the blades
were relatively easy to clean, due mainly to the 'Rost Frei' stainless steel
blades. Any tiler will tell you a stainless steel blade is a must and the Karl
Dahm offers exactly that. The grip is a well designed in an ergonomic soft
rubber and offers a very comfortable feel in the hand.
The only downside to these trowels is their limited sizing as they are
currently only available in two sizes: medi [7mm by 10mm] and maxi
[12mm by 12mm]. Perhaps there should also be a smaller size for mosaic
or smaller tiles, a 5mm by 8mm and a larger 16mm by 16mm version?
Overall we have to conclude that these are very ingenious and practical
trowels that, for the most part, remove the need for back buttering and are
especially suitable when tiling in wet areas where a greater adhesive
coverage is required. Both trowels are less than £10 each, a bargain.
This review by Dave M Carr first appeared on www.tileregister.co.uk
Dave Carr can be contacted on 0800 756 1218 or atmedic@floorER.co.uk
For more details visit Floor Emergency Room at www.floorER.co.uk.
The Felker FPC-28 tile cutter, available from Yorkshire Tiling Tools.

TILING TOOLS
How to drill porcelain tiles
Armeg’s PTC range of specialised drill bits.
The installation of porcelain tile is becoming an increasingly regular
task for the modern day tiler. Customers desire the look of natural
stone, but require the extra durability that porcelain tiles offer. With
porcelain tiles being impervious to water and virtually maintenance
free, they are the perfect solution for the progressively popular wetroom
styled bathrooms.
With porcelain being one of the most popular choices of tile material available,
and with the trend for porcelain tile set to continue, tilers have had to
adapt their working methods and tools to be able to cater for the demands
of their clients. Until recently, a large number of tile fixers have shied away
from the installation and drilling of porcelain tiles due its perceived difficulty.
However, drilling holes in porcelain tile is not difficult. Using the correct
methods and the best tools for the job, it is possible to achieve perfect cuts in
a matter of seconds.
Recommended equipment
High quality diamond core drill bits
Carbide pilot drill bit - only required if you're drilling large diameter holes
(13mm or larger) and don't have a suitable-sized (8mm) diamond drill bit
Masonry drill bits - included with quality tile drill bits
Water cooling equipment
Electric drill
Clear safety glasses / goggles
RCD breaker
Identifying the required hole size
The first step is to correctly identify the size of hole to be drilled. This is very
important, as the diameter of the hole to be cut dictates the method that you
will use to drill into the tile. The majority of holes that are 10mm and under
in diameter will be drilled with the tile already fixed to the wall. Conversely,
the majority of holes over 10mm in diameter will be drilled into the tile before
the tile has been fixed.
When drilling holes that are 13mm or larger in diameter, make sure that the
tile to be drilled is placed in a tray that will collect the waste water that is produced.
Ensure that scrap tiles or another similar material is placed under the
tile that is being drilled. This will help to halt the progress of the drill once it
has finished drilling through the tile.
Before drilling tile, ensure that you are wearing the correct safety equipment,
including safety glasses or goggles. Ensure that you are using a residual
current device (RCD) to help prevent electric shock.
36 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
By Neil Hale, Market Development Manager,
BuyBrandTools.Com.
Drilling small diameter holes with diamond cores
Mark the centre of the hole to be drilled using a marker or a sticky drive pad.
Attach the appropriate diamond core bit to the electric drill and ensure that
there is a constant supply of cold water that is being directly aimed at the diamond
core, i.e. by using water cooling equipment. It is important to ensure
that there is a constant supply of cold water directed at the drill bit in order to
keep the diamond core cool and to help remove any debris that may have
built up whilst drilling the tile. It is not advisable to try and cool the diamond
drill bit by using a hand held aspirator or drilling through a wet sponge. These
methods will not keep the drill bits cool enough, and will drastically shorten
the life of the drill bit.
Ensure that the drill is in ‘normal’ mode and set the drill to between 1,000
and 1,500 rpm. If you have marked the tile with a marker it is best to drill into
the tile using a method called ‘leaning in’. ‘Leaning in’ ensures that the drill
will not slip and wander off centre as you begin to drill into the tile. To ‘lean
in’, simply start the drill at an angle. As soon as the drill bit has started to cut
the tile, slowly bring the drill into a vertical position. Ensure that sufficient
pressure is being applied (tile dust should be evident in cooling water) and
rotate slowly until you have cut the perfect hole. As you finish the hole, you
will notice that the tone of the drill will change.
If you use a sticky drive pad, it is unnecessary to use the ‘leaning in’ method.
Simply start the drill in a vertical position and the sticky pad will ensure that
the drill does not slip. Once you have finished drilling the tile, simply peel off
the sticky drive pad.
Because the majority of small diameter holes will be cut into tiles already
fixed to the wall, it will be necessary to drill a fixing hole behind the tile.
Replace the diamond core with the appropriately sized masonry drill bit and
set the drill to ‘hammer’ mode. Use a slow speed for drilling into hard materials
to ensure that the tip doesn't overheat. Ensure that the drill bit is frequently
withdrawn in order to stop a build up of dust.
Drilling small diameter holes with carbide bits
Firstly, mark where the hole will be drilled, on the tile, using a marker.
Attach a carbide drill bit to your drill. Ensure that there is a constant supply
of cold water that is being directly aimed at the selected drill bit i.e. by using
water cooling equipment.
It is important to ensure that there is a constant supply of cold water, in
order to keep the drill bit cool and to help remove any debris that may have
built up whilst drilling the tile. It is not advisable to try and cool the drill bit
by using an aspirator or drilling through a wet sponge, these methods will not
keep the drill bit cool enough, and the drill bit will burn out.
Set the electric drill to between 700 and 900 rpm, ensuring that the drill is
in ‘normal’ mode.
Push the carbide drill bit gently into where you have marked the tile until
you hear a cracking sound. Start drilling from a vertical position with sufficient
pressure and don't stop until you hear a change in the tone of the drill.
As soon as you hear the change in the tone, begin to ease off.
Because the majority of small diameter holes will be cut into tiles already
fixed to the wall, it will be necessary to drill a fixing hole behind the tile.
Replace the carbide drill bit with the appropriately sized masonry drill bit and
set the drill to "hammer" mode. Use a slow speed for drilling into hard materials
to ensure that the tip doesn't overheat. Ensure that the drill bit is frequently
withdrawn in order to stop a build up of dust.
Continues on page 40 ≥

TILING TOOLS
KhakiZone: part of the WorkZone collection launched in July 2008.
WorkZone was established as a design trendsetter 11 years ago, becoming
popular with all tradesmen, particularly those in the flooring sector, for
the brand’s quality and function.
Features of the WorkZone 0322-765 trouser include:
• Adjustable height knee-pockets (two settings)
• Crodura reinforced knee-pocket area
• Ultra strong triple-stitched seams
• New dirt repellent, breathable and hard wearing main Canvas fabric
(cotton blended with polyester)
Among the new styles are soft-shell jackets, hoody and sweat jackets plus
threequarter trousers.
Although tilers do not encounter the same level of risk as other construction
workers, such as roofers or electricians, tile and stone fixers
still need to take care not to cause themselves long-term damage
through their work. In the past many contractors have had to give up
tiling - often to move into other areas of the business - because of workrelated
injury, frequently to either their knees or their back.
This shouldn’t be the case these days as more is understood about work
place injuries and there are several specialist workwear companies that produce
European standard kit that is not only better for health and safety, but
stylish to boot. International workwear company Dickies explains what’s available
to the tiling trade.
Workwear plays an important part in protecting those employed in the tile
and stone industry from workplace hazards. Essential workwear making up a
contractor’s Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) includes safety footwear,
kneepads and goggles.
All workwear that protects against the risk of injury from workplace hazards
will feature the ‘CE’ mark. This is an abbreviation of the French phrase
‘Conformité Européene’ and literally means, European Conformity.
Additionally, the product must meet the current European standard signified
by an EN classification.
38 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
Site specific
International workwear company Dickies
explains what’s available to the tiling trade in
terms of stylish and protective workwear.
Different products have a different EN Classification. For example, safety helmets
suitable for industrial use will have the European standard classification
EN 397. A safety helmet bearing this classification is generally made from UV
stabilised high-density polyethylene that has been tested to ensure it will
offer adequate protection in the environment in which it will be worn.
All contractors should wear safety footwear when working on site. Steel
toe-cap protection is now available in a wide range of styles from the traditional
ankle boot and safety shoe to more contemporary styles based on the
hiker boot and the trainer.
But whatever style of safety footwear you prefer they must conform to EN
345 (200 Joules). This standard signifies that the protective toe-cap will withstand
the impact of 20kg in weight falling on to the toe area from a height of
10.2 metres and offer compression protection corresponding to approximately
1.5 tonnes.
A new development in safety footwear manufacturing is composite toe-cap
protection. Composite safety boots have tough Polycarbonate toe-caps
resulting in lighter safety footwear and, being less conductive than steel, the
feet stay warm even in the coldest weather. Although different materials are
now being used for the protective casing in safety footwear manufacturing,
they offer the same level of protection and the classification is the same, EN
345 (200 Joules).
Modern safety footwear also offers protection against the risk of injury
caused by sharp objects penetrating the sole. To achieve this, safety footwear
with traditional steel toe-caps is now produced with flexible steel midsoles,
while their composite counterparts are manufactured with non-metallic, antiperforation
midsoles. Regardless of the material used, this additional safety
feature is always indicated by the symbol ‘P’ in the product information.
Contractors should also be aware of more insidious health problems where
the symptoms only appear after many months or even years. During their
working lives tile and stone contractors will spend hundreds of hours working
on their knees.
This unavoidable practice is not only uncomfortable but can be extremely
painful, particularly when a small piece of debris is accidentally knelt upon.
But a more serious and long-term injury can result from frequently working in
a kneeling position.
Prepatellar bursitis is more commonly known as housemaid’s knee. But,
despite its comical sounding name, this complaint can be very debilitating.
Symptoms include the swelling of the knee joint, restricted movement, tenderness
and pain. Friction between the knee and hard surfaces is a common
cause of prepatellar bursitis.
To prevent this painful condition, coveralls and trousers are now made with
kneepad pouches that take flexible cushioned kneepads. The lightweight
kneepads are easily inserted into the kneepad pouches, and designed to
bend with the knee they offer excellent protection and comfort.
But even these relatively simple items should carry the European standard
EN 14404. This indicates that the kneepads have successfully undergone scientific
testing for shock absorption, penetration resistance and force distribution.
Safety goggles are an inexpensive form of protection against the risk of eye
injuries caused by flying debris. All safety goggles with the EN 166-B classification
have been tested and will protect against medium impact energy.
When removing old tiles safety goggles should always be worn.

Another health risk to contractors is dust. Once again the harmful effects of
frequently working in dusty environments will not become evident until a
long time has elapsed. To prevent respiratory problems later in life, contractors
should wear a disposable dust respirator or mask when the work they are
doing produces clouds of dust. But once again the dust mask should be CE
approved and display the code EN 149 signifying the mask will protect the
wearer against non-toxic, airborne particles.
Cuts to hands are not only painful but can impair a worker’s efficiency, so it
makes sense to wear work gloves. Hardwearing canvas gloves, with leather
palm, knuckle and fingertip protection, will offer excellent protection
Selected workwear suppliers
Arco-Timberland
Established in 1884, workwear supplier Arco has a long history of keeping
people safe at work. The Impacto 876 Textured Gel Knee Comfort Pad offers
users increased comfort, while the textured co-polymer cover easily slides on
smooth surfaces. The unit’s new honeycomb gel padding helps disperse
pressure away from the patella bone, while the dual adjustable straps with
hook and loop closure make for ease of wearing.
01482 222522 www.arco.co.uk
Blakläder Workwear
Blakläder has been producing functional workwear since 1959. The UK office
is in Warwick. The company’s 1545 trousers are made from Navy blue, 100%
cotton, heavyweight twill at 370 g per sq. metre and come in a range of sizes
from 8/6 to 20/38. The trousers feature two reinforced free nail pockets that
can be placed inside the front pockets with bellows, two back pockets with
bellows, a hammer loop, a strong fly zip, a reinforced rule pocket with a pen
pocket and knife-holder, a leg pocket with a pen pocket and extra pocket,
knee pad pockets in Cordura, a telephone pocket and a key loop.
01926 652859 www.blaklader.com
Dickies
Dickies started in Texas, USA in 1918 and has made millions of uniforms for the
US armed services since WW2. Dickies UK was formed in 1989 and offers a
selection of fleece jackets manufactured in a soft napped, synthetic wool fabric
with excellent insulating qualities. Even though relatively thin, micro polar
fleece is comfortable and warm. It is lighter, less expensive and easier to care
for than wool. In addition to providing cold weather protection, the Tampa
Fleece is also windproof and water-resistant. It has two zipped side pockets,
an angled zipped pocket on the chest, knitted cuffs and a tail hem. The
Eisenhower Bonded Fleece is a warm fleece jacket that also has a breathable
laminated mesh barrier that provides resistance to water and the wind.
Features include full-length zip closure with a Velcro fastening storm flap, two
lower zipped pockets, a zipped chest pocket and a mobile phone pocket with
a tab-opening flap. The Albany Fleece has a zip front closure and nylon
Oxford trim. Other features include hand warmer pockets and two chest
pockets, one of which is divided into a pen pocket and a mobile phone pocket.
The jacket has elastic cuffs and is available in sizes ranging from M to XXL
01761 410041 www.dickies-uk.co.uk
Engel - WorkZone
Engel Workwear was established in Denmark in 1927 and is one of the largest
manufacturers of workwear in Europe. The Engel and WorkZone ranges are
available through most good workwear wholesalers.
01908 561560 www.f-engel.co.uk
Faithful
Faithful began manufacturing workwear in 1834. Now nearly half the company’s
business is in creating bespoke workwear. Faithful’s award winning Dritex
TILING TOOLS
keeps wearers dry and comfortable, even in harsh weather conditions. The
Dritex jacket has been the mainstay of Faithful’s waterproof collection for
many years. It now features a new-style sleeve that allows totally unrestricted
arm movement, plus a stay-flat hood and increased garment length. The jacket
is complemented by elasticated-top trousers. Both are available in a range
of sizes and colours.
0844 375 5600 www.faithful.co.uk
GBR Workwear
This is a UK-based online workwear supply company.
GBR’s Action Trousers, left, with knee pad
pockets are manufactured from a 65% polyester,
35% cotton mix at 245 grammes per sq. metre..
They come in five colours: Navy, Black, Olive,
Grey and Spruce Green. The trousers come as
standard in waist sizes from 28ins up to 48ins,
with 31ins inside leg
01685 844600 www.gbrworkwear.co.uk
Helman Workwear
Helman Workwear (UK) Ltd is a UK-based protective
clothing manufacturer and importer
offering a range of quality convention, disposable
and high visibility clothing. The range
includes both Helman's own branded range
Mello-Base Economy and also Du-Pont's Tyvek and Tychem coveralls and
accessories. Helman's range of high visibility clothing includes waistcoats,
jackets, anoraks and over-trousers, all meeting the necessary UK and
European standards. These include EN471 for the high visibility clothing
requirements, EN533 for flame retardant and the anti-static requirements
EN1149-1.
01204 709400 www.helmanworkwear.co.uk
Snickers Workwear
Snickers Workwear Limited was founded in Sweden in 1975. It now claims to
be one of Europe’s leading brands and is represented in 15 countries. Snickers
manufactures and provides work wear for professional tradesmen and service
people and field-tests all its garments. Snickers’ 1210 Soft Shell FlexGuard
Jacket is said to be windproof, water resistant and breathable. The jacket is
made using FlexGuard laminated soft shell fabric and has a water-resistant
YKK zipper at the front for extra protection. A zipper at the armpit provides
extra ventilation and prevents moisture build-up. It is available in a range of
sizes from XS up to XXXL. Snickers’ 9117 Floorlayer Kneepads are said to maintain
their shape and not to slide around when users are hard at work. They
are manufactured from polyethylene beads that make the kneepad light and
breathable. They are the ideal complement for Snickers’ 5223 floor layer’s
trousers.
01484 854488 www.snickersworkwear.com
TGS Workwear
Founded in 1987, TGS offers an extensive selection of workwear from stock,
including major brands. TGS’s Boston Toolvest features four holster pockets,
plus a hammer and key loop attachment. Other features include an inside
security pocket and two large chest pouches. They are manufactured using
Buildtex fabrics that are woven specially with cotton on the inside (45%) for
comfort and high tensile yarn (55%) on the outside for hard wear and tear.
Buildtex fabric, at 260 grammes per sq. metre, is renowned for its strength,
durability and value. It has a special Texpel dirt and water repellent finish.
Available sizes are small 36 to 38in, medium 40 to 41in and large 42 to 44in.
0191 454 7241 www.tgs-workwear.co.uk
FEBRUARY 2009 TSJ 39

TILING TOOLS
< Continued from page 36
Drilling a large diameter hole with Armeg’s PTC range
Drilling large diameter holes
In order to cut holes that are 13mm or larger in diameter, it is necessary to first
drill a pilot hole. The pilot hole will act as a locator for a large diamond core
and will help you to drill a perfect hole in porcelain tile.
Attach an 8mm carbide drill bit or 8mm diamond bit to your drill. Follow the
instructions given above for either drilling small diameter holes with diamond
cores or carbide bits, depending on your choice of drill. Leave out the final
step in either case as you won't be drilling a fixing hole behind the tile.
Now that the pilot hole has been cut, it is possible to drill the main (large)
hole. Attach the appropriate diamond core and ensure that there is a constant
supply of cold water (see water cooling information in the previous sections
of this article).
Diamond cores that are larger than 13mm will require an adaptor with pilot
pin that locates into the pilot hole that has been cut previously to ensure the
perfect hole will be made.
Starting the drill vertically, begin to drill in a circular motion with sufficient
pressure until the tone of the drill changes. Drilling holes into porcelain tile
should take seconds not minutes. If it is taking you minutes, it is likely that you
are not applying enough pressure or that you are using an incorrect setting
on the power tool.
Best tools for the job
In order to drill perfect holes in porcelain tile, it is extremely important to use
premium quality drill bits.
Armeg has been producing innovative, high quality drilling solutions for
over 30 years and Armeg's PTC (Porcelain Tile Cutter) range is at the forefront
of tile drilling technology.
The Armeg PTC Diamond drill bit range boasts diamond core drill bits that
are capable of cutting hundreds of holes in all grades of porcelain. They feature
thin wall, continuous diamond crowns for and fast and efficient cutting
and an extended life. These diamond cores are not to be confused with shortlife
diamond grit alternatives. Not only do these diamond drill bits cut porcelain,
they also cut materials such as marble, granite, travertine, slate, quarry
tiles, ceramic tiles, natural stone and limestone.
The Armeg PTC Carbide drill bit range comprises porcelain tile drill bits that
are capable of cutting 15-25 holes in grade 5 porcelain, or 50+ in lesser grades
of porcelain. These carbide drill bits boast non-slip start-up thanks to diamond-ground
tip geometry.
The Armeg PTC Soft Tile drill bit range is ideal for drilling softer tiles such as
ceramics and travertine. They feature point-ground tips to help reduce slippage
and wander. Accessories for use with Armeg PTC drill bits include: water
feed pump kit, water feed adaptors, water feed clamp & drive/piloting guides
to ensure non-slip start-up with small diameter diamond cores. Armeg SDS
Plus tile removing chisel also available in this range.
Editor’s note
If you do not wish to use a pilot hole when drilling larger diameter holes,
365 Drills offers an alternative drilling strategy.
40 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
SELECTED TOOL SUPPLIERS
365 Drills www.365drills.com 0870 061 7593
Adhesives4Tiles www.adhesives4tiles.co.uk 01494 715472
Arctic Products www.arctic-products.co.uk 01536 264000
Armeg www.armegptc.co.uk 01246 411081
Bahco www.bahco.com 01709 731731
Boa UK www.boa-uk.com 01959 540404
Bosch www.bosch-pt.co.uk 01895 838743
Bright Ideas www.thebrightideas.co.uk 0121 520 9200
BuyBrandTools.Com www.buybrandtools.com 0114 251 3535
Celtex - Platinum 01224 819937
CeramicTileTools.co.uk www.ceramictiletools.co.uk
DeWalt www.dewalt.co.uk
Dural www.dural.de 01924 360110
Ellevi www.ellevi.re.it +39 522 676767
Etiler.co.uk www.etiler.co.uk 01543 467549
Felker www.felkertilesaws.com
Fein www.fein-uk.co.uk 01327 308730
Homelux www.homelux.co.uk 01335 347300
Husqvarna www.husqvarna.co.uk 01453 820300
Karl Dahm www.karldahm.com +49 8667 878120
Kaul www.kaul-werkzeuge.de
Kwik Split www.kwiksplit.co.uk 01509 843235
Leica www.disto.com 01908 256500
Makita www.makitauk.com 01908 211678
Mirak Tools www.miraktools.co.uk 01462 675800
Montolit www.montolit.com
My ToolboxUK www.mytoolboxuk.com
NAATCO www.nattco.com
Plasplugs www.plasplugs.com 0800 243159
Refina www.refina.co.uk 01202 632270
Rexon www.rexon.co.uk
Rodia www.rodiatools.com
Rotozip www.rotozip.com 0844 736 0107
Rubi UK www.rubi.com 01708 559609
Screwfix www.screwfix.com 0500 414141
Sigma www.sigma.italia.com +39 0541 330103
Sola www.sola.at +43 5523 533800
STS 0800 781 8384 0113 202 2010
Tavy Tools www.tavytools.com
Taylor Tools www.taylordesignandtools.co.uk 01244 819939
Tileasy www.tileasy.co.uk 023 92 220077
Tile Rite www.tilerite.co.uk 01543 500893
Tools 4 Tilers www.tools4tilers.co.uk 01782 566166
Trade Tiler www.tradetiler.com 0870 745 6361
Trades Direct www.trades-direct.co.uk 01782 566166
Trimline 020 8778 9000
Tylows www.tylows.co.uk
UK Tiling Tools www.uktilingtools.com 0845 094 1618
Vitrex www.vitrex.co.uk 01253 789180
Vulcan Products www.vulcanproducts.co.uk 0845 0700 854
Yorkshire Tiling Tools www.yorkshiretilingtools.co.uk 01274 684574

BOOK REVIEWS
42 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
History and tradition
TSJ’s resident book reviewer, Chris Blanchett of Buckland Books, provides
another inspirational selection of recently-published stone and tile titles.
THE MOSAICS
OF LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY
Edith Crouch
Schiffer Publications
708 pages with colour illustrations
Hardback £79.95
The Tiffany Studios in New York City produced a vast
number of mosaic masterpieces from 1880 to 1931, but
despite the importance of the company and its products,
the mosaics have never before been described in
detail. This book rectifies that injustice and illustrates
and describes most of the remaining mosaics in a fascinating
and scholarly way. Excellent illustrations, many
showing close-up detail, bring the mosaics to life and
the text puts them into context, both technically and
art-historically. In addition, Edith Crouch describes
Tiffany's technique of mosaic making and the unique
glass he created and used in them. There is also a
chronology and glossary of glass and mosaic terms and
a complete listing of locations of Tiffany mosaics. The
author is a mosaicist and stained glass artist.
SOLO MOSAICO, Vol 1, 2008
Various authors
Solo Mosaico, Russia (English text)
124 pages with colour illustrations
A4 folded card covers £35.00
The arrival of a new magazine devoted to historic and
contemporary mosaic is always an occasion, and when
it is as good as this one from Russia (but with international
content), it is doubly so. It contains articles on
the history of mosaics, modern mosaic art, mosaics of
Russia (really stunning!), mosaics and education, technology
and materials; plus exhibitions, congresses and
conferences. The contributors list reads like a who’s
who of mosaics: Elaine M Goodwin, Michele Tosi,
Toyoharu Kii and many others.
GARDEN MOSAICS
Emma Biggs & Tessa Hunkin
New Holland, 2009
128 pages with colour illustrations
£14.99
It is always a pleasure to receive a new book from the
Mosaic Workshop team of Emma Biggs and Tessa
Hunkin and this is no exception! The beautiful illustrations
and well-detailed text cover a range of projects
(19 in all) in a variety of different techniques and styles.
Templates are also included for those who wish to
copy, but there is plenty of inspiration for personal
adaptation too! Recommended!
KRUISWEGSTATIES
VAN DE LIEFDE, 1886-1889
Johan A Kamermans
Nederlands Tegelmuseum, 2008,
Dutch text with English summary
A5 landscape booklet £9.50
An account of the series of tile panels designed by
Pierre Cuypers depicting the Stations of the Cross from
the De Liefde Church in Amsterdam, written to accompany
a special exhibition held at the Dutch Tile
Museum from October 2008 to January 2009. The panels
marked the beginning of a new trend in Dutch tile
design that saw the traditional Delft symbolism give
way to a new Gothic style which paved the way for the
Art Nouveau movement of the early years of the 20th
century.
VICTORIAN & EDWARDIAN HOUSES
A guide to care and conservation
Janet Collings
Crowood Press, 2008
176 pages with colour illustrations
Quarto, boards £16.99
A very good guide to its subject, but rather let down by
poor illustrations. Because of the vast nature of the subject,
each area can only be touched upon, but the texts
are straightforward and helpful. Larger and more infocus
illustrations would have made this book even
more useful.
THE BRICKMASTERS, 1788 - 2008
Ron Ringer
Dry Press Publishing Pty, Australia, 2008
433 pages with colour illustrations.
Cloth, dustwrapper, slip in case POA
The story of the Austral Brick Company of Australia. A
fascinating history of the company plus other brickmaking
industries in Australia as well as a detailed
socio-economic history of Australia and in particular
brick-making. A full review will follow as soon as the
stock arrives!
Buckland Books
All these titles are available from:
Chris Blanchett
Buckland Books
01903 717648
buckland.books@tiscali.co.uk
www.bucklandbooks.co.uk

PORTFOLIO
Extensive grout selection
Mapei UK offers an extensive range of high quality grouts. The inexpensive,
yet high performance, Keracolor range of grouts are proving increasingly
popular. Offered in18 colours, it can be used on interior and/or exterior,
floors and walls, for joints of varying sizes. Keracolor FF is polymermodified,
with DropEffect water-repellent technology. This fine grain
product, for tile joints up to 6mm, is also available in 18 colours. Suitable
for the same applications, but with a larger grain for grouting joints from
4 to 15mm, is Keracolor GG. When mixed with Fugolastic liquid additive,
the flexibility, abrasion resistance and grout compactness are improved
and porosity and water absorption reduced. For more precise requirements,
Keracolor SF is a superfine grout available in white for joints up to
4mm. Available in 26 colours, Kerapoxy is especially suited to hygiene
areas and where resistance to aggressive chemical substances is required.
The decorative Kerapoxy Design Mapeglitter add creative options, complementing
the popular Ultracolor plus range that comes in 26 colours an
can be used on joints from 2 to 20mm wide.
0121 508 6970 www.mapei.co.uk.
Formulated for large format tiles
With large format tiles an increasingly popular feature with many modern
floor and wall tile installations, Technik LFT from Bostik, with its cementbased
polymer-enhanced adhesive formulation, is the ideal solution.
Providing very high initial grab and excellent non-slip properties Technik
LFT will bond heavy, large and uneven tiles across a wide range of substrates
including concrete, screeds, brick walls, and plywood, with the
superb adhesion offered across most conditions (wet, heat, freeze – thaw)
without affecting performance once set. The extended opening time of
30 minutes available with Technik LFT is advantageous for large format
tiles allowing greater productivity for the fixer and its extreme flexibility
allows it to resist shocks, vibrations and some movement.
Technik LFT is also extremely versatile bonding marble, natural stone,
glass / porcelain, ceramic and fully vitrified tiles. It can also be used in
swimming pools and constantly wet areas.
White in appearance, Technik LFT is available in a 20kg bag and can be
applied across a wide temperature range from 5 °C to 25 °C providing
coverage of approximately 1.8 kg/m2 per mm thickness of adhesive.
01785 272727 technik.tiling@bostik.com www.bostik.com
44 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
Keope stresses its green thinking
Neowood by Ceramiche Keope is a collection for floor and wall lining
made using polished through-bodied porcelain. It authentically replicates
the authentic colour and grain of the wood. It is available in several
different thin rectangular formats: 225 by 900,150 by 900 and 110 by
900mm. Neowood comes in seven colours, including white, ivory, beige,
grey, brown and black.
It forms part of Ceramiche Keope’s new Green Thinking initiative -
www.greenthinking.it - which bears testimony to the company’s environmental
commitment. In 2004, Ceramiche Keope became the first Italian
company to have voluntarily completed the process of control and reduction
of its emissions of CO2 and greenhouse gases. In September 2005,
the company obtained the Ecolabel certification, which currently applies
to 23 certified collections and over 350 items. Ceramiche Keope further
confirmed its commitment to environment-friendly operation by becoming
the first ceramic industry in the world and the first company in Europe
to attain, in September 2007, the prestigious UNI ISO 14064 certification
for the enforcement of the Kyoto Protocol.
www.keope.com info@keope.com
One-step surface preparation
Laticrete has launched Laticrete 3701 Fortified Mortar Bed, a one-step,
pre-mixed mortar for quality mud bed installations. Designed to save tile
and stone contractors time and money, Laticrete 3701 Fortified Mortar
Bed does not require any job site blending of powders or latex additives.
Users simply add water to produce a thick bed mortar or render with
exceptional strength. Laticrete 3701 Fortified Mortar Bed is a one-step
polymer fortified blend of carefully selected raw materials, portland
cement and graded aggregates that offers all of the same benefits of
Laticrete 3701 Mortar Admix and Laticrete 226 Thick Bed, providing superior
strength for conventional, bonded or non-bonded thick bed mortar
applications. It is ready for foot traffic in just 16 hours.
www.laticrete.com

A tile tradition dating back to 1954
Pilkington’s Tiles very first calendar tile was
designed in 1954 (top left) and the company
has produced an annual calendar tile
ever since. The designs portray significant
events in the company’s history, illustrate
worldwide events such as the opening of
Sydney Opera house and the Olympics, as
well as, in later years, promoting new
product lines. They trace an interesting
tale about a British manufacturer and its
designers over several decades. The calendar
tile was initiated by Lawrence Burton,
the manager of what was then known as
‘The Artists’ Department’, now the
Chairman of Pilkington’s Lancastrian
Pottery Society.
Some of the late 1960s and early 1970s
calendar tiles depict ‘Pilkington’s + Carter’
logo highlighting the purchase of Carters
by Pilkington’s. Eventually, by 1974 the
Carter name was phased out. The 1974
calendar tile demonstrates the process of
tile manufacturing and how finished
goods are transported to end up in a bathroom
wall and floor. Many of the calendar
tiles refer to Pilkington’s Lancastrian
Pottery heritage by portraying early
Pilkington’s and Royal Lancastrian designs.
The 2009 Pilkington’s Calendar Tile
focuses on Pilkington’s revolution as a
Great British company.
All Pilkington’s calendar tiles are presented
in the company’s calendar tile library at:
www.pilkingtons.com
Reliable cleaning and maintenance range from Rubi
Rubi’s Rubinet range is a collection of high-quality, reliable products that deliver a perfect
professional finish when cleaning, protecting or maintaining floors, walls and coverings.
Each product is safe, easy to apply and comes with a user guide for optimum performance.
The Cleaners (grout, stone, porcelain, universal, mineral fat, marble, granite, germicidal,
etc) are ideal for removing dirt or stains. The Removers (cement, stain, paint, etc)
are used to remove any excess of undesirable material stuck to the surface of the tiles.
The Sealers (exterior or interior) are for waterproofing porous materials to prevent dirt
penetration. There are also waxes, polishers, crystallizers, protectors and a joint whitener.
that quickly and efficiently whitens joints. 01708 559609 www.rubi.com
Chiltern Marble is predicting that enhancing texture of natural stone will be a
strong trend for 2009. The unique and eye-catching patterns of natural stone can
be developed using an innovative finishing technique, Hydrofinish. Chiltern
Marble’s natural stone supplier, Antolini Luigi & Co, has launched the new
process. The changes are made using a high pressure water jet that works on the
stone surface. The method maintains the original colour of the stone and offers a
choice of texture to achieve the desired finish. By adapting the level of erosion
(by varying the pressure) a myriad of different surface finishes are created - all
highlighting the natural beauty of the stones. “Texture is definitely going to be
this year’s must have. Hydrofinish offers fantastic results, which ensures less
stress on the surface of the stone bringing a clearer finish.” comments Marketing
Director, Annette White.
0845 872 4225 www.chilternmarble.co.uk
PRODUCT BRIEFS
Genesis has launched its Hidroflex waterproofing
and DIY kit to help customers conform to new legislation,
as stated in BS 5385, Part 4, which states
that all wet, bath and shower rooms in residential
and commercial premises must be appropriately
waterproofed. The Hidroflex system and DIY kit
will also help homeowners and landlords prove
that any refurbishment meets current standards
and regulations, which is required when selling a
property and compiling the Home Information
Pack.
For the commercial markets the product consists
of a 10kg bucket of a waterproofing membrane
and separate joint strip, in addition to
internal/external corners and hole covers. For the
DIY markets it will consist of a 6kg bucket of a
waterproofing membrane with 10m roll of joint
strip and one internal corner and one sqm matt.
According to Mike McCann, Sales Director: “For
several months now we have looked to introduce a
high-quality waterproofing product at a competitive
cost. However, prior to this, we wanted to carry
out in-depth research into what our customers
required and why, which led us to acquire the
products that would offer the most added value to
the marketplace. We are really pleased with it as
we feel it is a superior product that is adaptable
depending on the needs of the customer and
answers the calls for developments to adhere to
new legislation perfectly.”
01642 713000 www.genesis-aps.com
LTP has launched its own anti-mould spray called
Mouldex. LTP Mouldex is available in a 500ml
spray bottle and for maximum effect the formula
contains a thickener which ensures the liquid
clings to vertical grout lines. LTP Mouldex not only
cleans dirt and mould from grout, but it also contains
anti-bacterial properties that will help prevent
the re-formation of further mould.
LTP Mouldex is available through the company‘s
network of more than 450 stockists. For more
details visit www.ltp-online.co.uk.
01823 666213
FEBRUARY 2009 TSJ
PORTFOLIO
45

PORTFOLIO
Decoupling membrane is fast to
use, flexible and affordable
G-Mat by Genesis is a decoupling membrane used when fixing floor tiles
to wooden floors. It is affordable, competitively priced and available in a
choice of 5,10 or 30 metre long rolls. It is time saving too, as there is no
need for cutting, fixing and bonding plywood and can be fixed using floor
tile adhesive.
G-Mat is particularly suitable for installing tiles on difficult substrates It is
also suitable for sealing in extremely wet areas - even in areas heavily
exposed to moisture, such as changing rooms and swimming pool halls.
As well as being suitable for use as a bonded sealing membrane for
tiling, G-Mat can also be utilised for crack bridging, ideal in many restoration
projects. For example, this mat permits the fixing of tiles onto old and
damaged coverings, providing that there are not, major variations in the
heights of the substrates.
G-Mat can also be used when installing tiles onto wooden substrates.
G-Mat decouples coverings from the substrate, thus permitting the installation
of tiles onto surfaces that experience linear expansion and contraction
in response to changes in temperature and humidity. The G-Mat can
also be used to install tiles on chipboard or wooden floorboards following
appropriate preparation.
Another possible use is the installation of tiles on poured asphalt. G-Mat
makes it possible to install tiling resistant to long-term damage even on
problematic substrates such bituminous load-bearing compounds.
When installing tiles onto fresh foundations, G-Mat allows a reverse
compensation of vapour pressure. This allows the installation of tiles onto
green foundations. This should prove especially practical on foundations
comprising anhydrite floating screed. G-Mat will allow the installation of
tiles onto anhydrite screed that have achieved a residual moisture content
of 2%. Usually, this eliminates the need for elaborate pre-treatment
and special adhesives.
The G-Mat has an installation height of approximately 3mm. It is made
of grey polyethylene, that has an indented structure and laminated grid
to help achieve a strong bond to thin-bed mortars. The material is elastic,
rot proof and resistant to aggressive substances and liquids, such as alkalis,
solvents and oils. It is also highly impervious to water-vapor diffusion.
G-Mat bridges cracks, decouples floor coverings from their substrates, and
is suitable for producing seals bonded with floor tiles.
In short, G-Mat tackles problems such as:moisture from above, moisture
from below, foundation stress and foundation cracks. This makes it a useful
product during restorations of old wooden or tiled floors, where cracks
in the foundation can occur which no longer guarantees a secure installation
of the new tiles.
01642 713000 www.genesis-aps.com
46 TSJ FEBRUARY 2009
Marley Eternit has launched a dedicated website for its innovative new Hydropanel
fibre cement board. The highly interactive website - www.hydropanel.co.uk -
shows video footage of Hydropanel at work, offering a visual demonstration of how
this highly adaptable product provides construction solutions for walls, floors and
ceilings. Alongside this solutions-based element of the website is access to specifier
and installer brochure downloads along with a case studies section, offering customers
quick and easy access to information on all their partitioning and building
board requirements.
Of particular interest to many visitors to the new website will be the case studies,
which demonstrate the diverse applications in which Hydropanel can be used.
Currently including a swimming pool, a restaurant, as well as a domestic house, the
intention is to build up a library of projects that show customers the numerous
applications of this versatile product.
Fully up-to-date with all the latest news on testing as well as recent product
developments, such as the bevelled edge board for seamless finishing, the new
website looks set to become a valuable resource for specifiers and contractors.
01283 722588 www.hydropanel.co.uk
Contemporary listello range
Specialist Tiling Supplies have a superb new range of contemporary
square faced listellos and tile trims. Available in two finishes: polished
bright silver and satin silver, either looks stunning with today’s modern
tile colours. Matching three-way corners for the tile trims are available in
attractive packaging for those extra add on sales that are so essential to
retailers in today’s economic climate.
0113 202 2010