NEWS
CHEAP AND CHEERFUL? NO,
NO, NO! Peter Vann, Director at Ceramique Internationale explains why cheaper is not synonymous with better.
When a tile distributor invests in a new product range, a regular piece of feedback they receive is: “Well the Chinese version is cheaper!” I’m sure I speak for many distributors when I say this really irritates me.
ULTRATILE CREATE MEDITERRANEAN DESIGN FOR
BELLA ITALIA Bella restaurants nationwide are getting a fun and fab new makeover. Creating this colourful, quirky new Italian style dining experience is commercial wall and floor tiling contractors, The Great Northern Tiling Company (GNTC), using UltraTile adhesives.
A TTA member and esteemed UltraTile partner, GNTC secured the commercial contract for the Beckton restaurant's makeover. The prestigious contract included kitchen, front of house, toilet and bar areas, all of which had their own distinctive type of tile from 400mm squared to brick slips and mosaics. GNTC choose to use their preferred adhesives UltraTile ProFlex SP and ProFlex SP+ES throughout the project.
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Both adhesives are S1 classified, can be laid at depths up to 20mm and are available in a choice of white or grey. ProFlex SP has a pot life of one hour and is rapid-setting, allowing grouting to commence after 2.5 hours. ProFlex SP+ES its sister product boasts all the same great qualities with an extended pot life, ideal for intricate work, of two hours and a set time of 16 hours.
The adhesives are suitable for fixing porcelain, glass, mosaic and natural stone tiles. They can be used on either walls or floors, internally or externally and with underfloor heating or on swimming pool installations.
Billy Lockwood, GNTC said: "We use UltraTile products because of their competitive prices and their high quality performance." Several other Bella Italia restaurant makeovers were also completed last year by GNTC using UltraTile materials.
The new look restaurant is now open and is a main attraction of the Gallions Reach Retail Park. Diners are impressed by the vibrant atmosphere created by the new interiors.
www.ultratileadhesives.co.uk
We recently became the exclusive distributor of Jackoboard construction-board systems and our sales team met with the aforementioned response on a number of occasions.
It is therefore interesting to note that, in the case of extruded polystyrene (XPS) construction boards and wet trays, the cheaper Chinese alternatives are currently being investigated by the Environment Agency for being manufactured using banned substances.
I’m certainly no frenzied environmentalist but, having identified that the products contain ‘ozone depleting gases and highly toxic fire retardant agents that are already banned in the EU’, you have to ask who would want those in their portfolio?
Plagiarism is commonplace when it comes to ceramic tiles, and cheaper alternatives can open up an otherwise cost prohibitive market, with everyone enjoying extra sales as a result. However, what recent events have proved is that certain products may be cheap but they are also alarmingly nasty.
www.tomorrowstileandstone.co.uk
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