SEALANTS & ADHESIVES
ADHESIVE MARKET STRONG DESPITE BREXIT HEADWINDS
Among all the uncertainty of the threat of a “no-deal” Brexit, the tiling market remains strong in the UK, despite what potential chaos we may see at the end of the year.
W
ith a returning confidence in the housing market – both in terms of new build and RMI - we have certainly seen a trend
towards “improve, not move”. Homeowners are trading up to higher value products such as floor and wall tiles which is positive for us as manufacturers of tiling and flooring products for the trade.
That’s according to Debi Boulton, head of sales at Dunlop Adhesives, who adds that the latest market analysis from AMA estimates that the floor and wall tiling market will grow by around 7% between 2017 and 2021. “This is despite the economic uncertainty surrounding Brexit and weakening global demand, and the trend for “get someone in” – rather than DIY – is expected to continue to benefit the market,” she says.
When looking at the tiling market, ceramic and porcelain tiles continue to dominate the product mix, and Boulton says that the trend for larger format tiles continues apace. “There is certainly a degree of polarisation between the lower end of the market where small ceramic (metro tiles) remain popular, while at the upper end there is high demand for decorative porcelain and ceramic, as well as natural stone and wood-effect porcelain floor tiles.” Howeer, she adds that this polarisation between smaller ceramics and large format porcelain and natural stone, means that merchants need to evaluate their adhesive and grout product mix to deal with these trends. This includes stocking higher performance flexible cementitious adhesives for larger tiles – and thick bed pourable adhesives for large format and natural stone floor tiles. “Merchants should also be aware of the rising use of underfloor heating which is taking over from traditional forms of heating such as radiators” Boulton continues.
“Tiling onto underfloor heating requires more specialist products to cope with the extreme change in temperatures and excessive movement. This means merchants should stock highly polymer-modified adhesives and grouts and other systems such as uncoupling mats
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which provide a buffer to lateral movement caused by thermal expansion and contraction.” The increased use of metro tiles means that ready-mixed products are still a good sell in builders’ merchants as they offer good value for money and can be used for basic RMI jobs such as kitchen splashback and small bathroom tiles. Another big seller – and a product that Boulton says comes with a good profit margin for merchants – is coloured grout. “Long gone are the days when customers would be happy with just white, grey or black options” she points out. “The increasing variety of tile types, shades and textures, plus an increasing awareness of interior design trends means that customers need a wide variety of colours where colours can complement, or provide a stylish contrast to any installation, even a white metro.”
Dunlop has a wall and floor grout which comes in eight different shades, and Boulton says that they seem to be selling well as builders like to offer their customers a greater range of grout colours not typically seen at builders’ merchants.
“Further considerations should now also
be made by merchants with recent legislative changes including the recommendation to waterproof wet areas with a tanking product. Positively, this also offers merchants the chance to upsell with higher margin products.” While the tile adhesive market faces threats from other floor coverings such as LVT, waterproof wall panels and pre-fab bathroom and wet room pods, tiles still remain a popular wall and floor covering and this looks set to stay in the foreseeable future.
Many manufacturers, such as Dunlop, can offer bespoke training packages to branch staff to ensure they are up-to-date with their tiling knowledge. Quality training gives staff the confidence to “up-sell” – particularly in the tiling aisle, and to assist with customer’s project queries.
Boulton says: “If the customer knows they’re going to get good advice, they are more likely to return and create repeat business. This can only be good news for merchants and suppliers alike. By working together, suppliers and merchants can ensure that this growth in the tiling sector is fully capitalised on and strengthened in the future. BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net June 2019
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