100% Detail - 2003
This event, held at Earl's Court in London from September 25-27th, features high-spec products for the whole Building Trade, but of direct interest to this website was the launch of the Stein+Design Paving range form Marshalls, and the promotion of the Bomanite range of decorative concrete finishes from LaFarge.
Marshalls Stein+Design
The Stein+Design range originates in Germany where it has been a popular choice amongst architects for the last few years. The range encompasses a wide design motif, incorporating paving and street furnture. In the UK, Marshalls are promoting 3 paving lines from the range.
La Linia is an exposed aggregate paver. Following manufacture, the surface of the blocks are washed to remove the cement matrix and uncover the coloured aggregate used in the top layer. This process reveals a intriguingly textured finish, which relies on natural aggregate and high-quality pigments for its colour, and results in a classically elegant paver.
The standard La Linia pavers come in four colours, Light Granite, Anthracite Basalt, Indian Granite and Yellow , and are 80mm thick, while the La Linia Grande range features three colours, Light Granite, Anthracite Basalt and Yellow featuring larger sizes and comes in a chunky 140mm thickness. It includes a 900 x 900mm flag, ideal for large areas. Obviously at that size, installation using mechanical handling equipment is required!
There is also a range of inlay pavers or parallelograms and triangles, in Blue, Anthracite Basalt and Light Granite, that enable geometric patterns to be constructed without the need for on-site cutting.0
Il Campo is the "Ripple textured" paver. It is the parent paver of the Volcano range which Marshalls will be launching on the residential market for 2004. The surface has the appearance of being brushed or stippled while the concrete is still plastic, giving it a richer texture than most other pavings on the market.
There are 4 basic colours in the Il Campo range: Vulcano and Lava offer a darker and lighter mix pof grey tones. The Cotto is a brindled red and the Jura is a warm, Cotswold-buff range of yellow shades. All pavers in the Il Campo range are 80mm thick.
The Pallas pavers feature a smooth ground surface, reminiscent of the popular Perfecta and Argent flags from Marshalls. This gives a wonderfully clean-looking finish with a simple elegance that is enhanced by the wide range of sizes and colours, and choice of square or chamfered edges.
There are 6 basic sizes available, plus a Bishop's Hat for setting out 45° patterns, all 80mm thick, and in a choice of 11 colours, including a very eye-catching Blue. 100mm thick units are available to order in a widser range of sizes.
Gareth Jones, is the Product Development manager behind the Stein+Design range and he believes that the introduction of these new pavers will expand the market for CBPs and offer architects and designers a whole new palette of colour and texture with which to enhance their designs.
More info:
Customer help Line: 0845 391 3131
LaFarge Bomanite
Lafarge have more or less agreed to sell off to Brett their CBP interest in the old Redland plant in Leicestershire (see earlier news story), and so, at this exhibition, they chose to concentrate on their other concrete products, notably Ready Mix and the Bomanite range of Decorative Concrete finishes.
John Anderson has spent all of his working life in the decorative concrete business and is now looking to bring in a degree of much-needed professionalism to a sector of the paving trade that has more than its fair share of cowboys and incompetents. Via his work with LaFarge Bomanite, and in co-operation with other players in the industry, he's hoping to formulate an NVQ in decorative concrete techniques that should elevate the status of DC amongst the trade, and bring new, exciting and innovative finishes to the stale, tired British DC market.
Techniques in North America are at least a decade ahead of what we see in the UK and Ireland, and Bomanite are keen to see their products lead the way in offering both the commercial and the private markets a high-quality, low-maintenance and above all, attractive surface that can compete with CBPs, tarmac and other convetional choices.
Along with their extensive range of pattern imprints, Bomanite also offer a polished "Retro Plate" finish that is attracting attention with modern designers. The polished-looking finish can be applied to a standard concrete, to produce a satin-smooth finish that looks as though it's been waxed and sealed but hasn't, or there's the option to apply the same technique to a chemically stained concrete, producing a range of natural-looking colours.
More info:
Tel: 01909 537923
