ADHESIVES
FEATURE
sensitive manufacturing and greener formulations designed to limit the adverse impact on the planet. Kerakoll for instance, now brands itself as “The GreenBuilding Company” and has underlined its credentials by building an exemplar Green Building Lab at its Italian HQ. Of course, it is theoretically possible to combine all these attributes in one formulation: a super adhesive that is pure white, manufactured to ISO 9000 standards, that is fast setting, has an extended pot life, can accommodate significant substrate movement, sets quickly, can be safely used over underfloor heating, offers high initial grab for XXL porcelain, is easy to mix and trowel, and is dust-free to preserve the lung health of tilers. There is one problem – it is just too expensive. There are formulations out there that have gone a long way down this road; but there are also very successful, pretty basic, cement-based alternatives that do the job. One reason for this is that tilers, on the whole, are a rather conservative bunch. Most are understandably wary of these new-fangled adhesives. They have always used the Blue bucket or the Red bag; and can’t see a good reason to change. Online forums are rife with rumours that the formulations of favourite adhesives have been changed and now don’t mix
At Mapei, 5% of global turnover is reinvested in R&D each year
as well, trowel as easily, have a shorter pot life, etc. These loyal users take some convincing to abandon their tried and trusted brand, which they use on site every day and have done so for the past ten years, in favour of a fancy gel-based product that might help save the planet. For tile adhesive manufacturers, this is a problem. On one hand their R&D department is busy inventing new formulations that are faster, smoother, stronger, and greener but on the other hand, the market is asking: Is it worth the money? That is why companies have launched basic brands to sit alongside their premium products. This, hopefully, will allow them to compete on price in one segment, without undermining their premium brand that has taken years to develop and required vast investment.
MUDD in the UK A clear recent example of this is the MUDD brand from the UK’s leading manufacturer, Building Adhesives Ltd. For years BAL has been locked in an arm wrestle with Mapei, Kerakoll, Laticrete and others at the top and middle sectors of the market. It is a competition that has seen a constant stream of new formulations launched that provide a short window of commercial advantage. At the same time, it is also having to compete with Tilemaster, Bostik, Larsen, Palace, Norcros, Botament, and the other brands on price. BAL’s solution is MUDD. The idea behind MUDD – our name is MUDD; your reputation is safe – is simple. It offers basic tiling products that get the job done with no fancy names, no gimmicky extras, and no hassle. It is billed as
Kerakoll brands itself as “The GreenBuilding Company” and has underlined its credentials by building a Green Building Lab at its Italian HQ
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