Ceramics are playing an increasingly important role in the tile market. But what does this mean for the use of natural stone? Andreas Wilbrand is Managing Director of Sopro Bauchemie GmbH, whose product range also includes natural stone adhesives.

Ceramics are playing an increasingly important role in the tile market. But what does this mean for the use of natural stone? Andreas Wilbrand is Managing Director of Sopro Bauchemie GmbH, whose product range also includes natural stone adhesives. We interviewed Mr. Wilbrand on this topic.

Andreas Wilbrand: Natural stone probably accounts for around ten percent of the market at the moment. There are no exact statistics. In other words, for every 130 million square meters of ceramic relevant to the market, there are around 10 to 15 million square meters of natural stone. Nevertheless, natural stone remains an extremely interesting material. They are very high-quality products, partly due to their versatility and naturalness. At the same time, however, natural stone also involves special processing requirements, for example with regard to substrate preparation and bonding technology.

So why does natural stone only have a ten percent share of the market?

Many craftsmen today are no longer able to deal with this natural product and its special properties. In addition, ceramic imitations of natural stone are increasingly being produced: A product that looks like natural stone but is easier to work with. Nevertheless, there are some exclusive projects in which natural stone is once again gaining in importance. And there is also a general trend towards a return to natural materials.

What exactly is important when bonding natural stone?

For many years, the combination of iron oxide-free white cement and Rhenish trass cement was the basis for the production of natural stone adhesives. The white cement creates a light-colored and neutral substrate. This is important for many natural stone types so that the adhesive does not show through and cause discoloration on the surface. Rhenish trass is also ideal for laying natural stone, as it can hydraulically bind the lime produced by the cement.

How does Sopro contribute to this?

In the course of our product development, we have also integrated the components of rapid hardening and, via chemical additives, better sealing effects and crystalline water binding. Today, we have a wide range of natural stone adhesives and grouts, some of which are specially designed for natural stone. However, we also manufacture combination products that can be used for both natural stone and ceramics. Pure natural stone products currently make up around three to five percent of our range.

How can you bring natural stone closer to craftsmen again and increase its importance on the German market?

It is important to us to show interested craftsmen how to handle the complex material of natural stone correctly. Sopro therefore offers various seminars for tilers, stonemasons and other craftsmen who are interested in this topic. Here we provide important details on working with natural stone and the areas in which the material can be used effectively. To give participants a feel for the naturalness of the stone, we also organize quarry tours. There, craftsmen can observe the natural stone in the quarrying phase and develop an affinity with the material. We think this is a good way of introducing them to natural stone and increasing the importance of the material in the future.

Vivien Bögelsack and Vera Gremme have received this year’s Lions Club Hildesheim prize for outstanding academic work in the conservation and restoration courses at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts For eleven years now, the Lions Club Hildesheim has honored outstanding academic work from the Department of Conservation and Restoration Sciences at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts […].

Vivien Bögelsack and Vera Gremme have been awarded this year’s Lions Club Hildesheim prize for outstanding academic work in the conservation and restoration courses at the Hildesheim University of Applied Sciences and Arts

For the past eleven years, the Lions Club Hildesheim has honored outstanding academic work from the Department of Conservation and Restoration Sciences at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hildesheim. This year, the jury could not decide on a winner. They therefore honored two graduates: Vera Gremme and Vivien Bögelsack. The club actually sees itself as a source of inspiration and primarily provides selective support. However, Marc Rothstein, President of the Lions Club, explained that “in a cultural city like Hildesheim, the courses of study in conservation and restoration as well as architecture and the preservation of historic buildings deserve special attention”.

The two award-winning Master’s theses could not be more different. Vera Gremme was awarded for her thesis on the “Investigation of new products for applicability using the example of adhesive-coated stabilizing papers”, Vivien Bögelsack for the implementation of her Master’s topic “On the role of monument preservation in the European Cultural Heritage Year 2018 (ECHY) – Five essays on multi-layered cultural influences in border regions, on the cultural connectedness of Europe and the creation of a European identity”.

While Vera Gremme’s work impressed the jury as an example of responsible action by conservators and the necessary research and consideration of new products and their long-term effects, Vivien Bögelsack impressed the jury with her “journalistic style”. The jury praised it because the work is written in an easily understandable way and is therefore not only of interest to a specialist audience. On the other hand, it addresses a topic that is topical and important, especially as “the European Year of Cultural Heritage has probably passed most people by far too quietly”, said Lions Club President Rothstein, adding: “We should campaign for the preservation of our cultural heritage at regional, international and European level. This can help to give the European Union social backing.”