Products / 10/30/2023

Marmomac 2023

Sustainable solutions by Mapei for urban design and for the care of surfaces at the meeting point for the natural stone industry

Sustainable solutions by Mapei for urban design and for the care of surfaces at Marmomac, the meeting point for the natural stone industry

51,000 visitors in four days (+10% compared with 2022) and 1,507 companies from 54 countries exhibiting their solutions over an area of 76,000 m². These are the figures for the 2023 edition of Marmomac held in Verona from 26^th to 30^th September, confirmation the role of this trade fair as a “magnet” for the natural stone industry. Amongst the visitors, who often refer to this event as “a meeting point for the natural stone industry”, a world “Treffpunkt” or “an unmissable date”, there was a record number from overseas: 65% with buyers from 128 different countries. As Maurizio Danese, Veronafiere CEO, declared, there was a “huge turnout from the American continent (+29%) thanks to the high increase in visitors from the USA, Canada and Brazil. China made quite a strong return and a lot of visitors were from Europe, particularly Germany, Spain and France”.

Mapei was present at Marmomac 2023 with a stand displaying solutions to install stone paving and stone and ceramic wall and floor coverings, as well as a line to clean, mantain and protect stone surfaces.

MAPESTONE GR-ECO and its brothers

Launched one year ago to meet the needs of designers particularly sensitive to sustainability, MAPESTONE GR-ECO preblended grout made from natural fibres and selected aggregates was again in the spotlight and amongst the most innovative solutions for grouting joints in architectural stone paving. Thanks to its composition based on natural fibres of vegetable origin (apple fibres), it enables joints to be grouted in paving made from stone or other materials (porcelain elements or terracotta bricks) in pedestrian zones, archaeologicalareas, homes, hotels and carparks.

The result? Paving with filtering properties: paving grouted with MAPESTONE GR-ECO receives water and then releases it in the soil and, once dried, becomes compact again.

Mapei a Marmomac 2023

This year MAPESTONE GR-ECO was joined by MAPESTONE GR7 and MAPESTONE GR-ECO FILL, also pre-blended mortars containing natural fibres of vegetable origin. The first product can be used to achieve mechanical resistance of 7 MPa, which makes it particularly suitable for stone paving subject to light pedestrian and traffic loads. MAPESTONE GR-ECO FILL, on the other hand, is a fine-grained grout (particle size up to 0.5 mm), ideal for particularly narrow joints in architectural stone paving with filtering properties, cement block paving, low-thickness butted slabs and small bricks or terracotta bricks.

MAPESTONE JOINT was also in the spotlight: a solvent-free polyurethane binder used to grout previously vibrocompacted and elastic architectural paving particularly resistant to de-icing salts, thermal stresses and acids, which can be opened to traffic very quickly.

MAPESTONE JOINT was also in the spotlight: a solvent-free polyurethane binder used to grout previously vibrocompacted and elastic architectural paving particularly resistant to de-icing salts and thermal stresses.

4 new products for the UltraCare line

New entries also for the ULTRACARE line of dedicated Mapei products for the protection, maintenance and care of ceramic and stone surfaces. Two cleaners (ULTRACARE RUST REMOVER and ULTRACARE STAIN REMOVER) to remove rust and organic stains and two protective products (ULTRACARE RAIN PROTECTOR S and ULTRACARE STAIN PROTECTOR W) to counter infiltrations, one solvent-based and the other water-based. So, at Marmomac Mapei was able to present an even more complete line to installation companies, showcasing the protective and cleaning products in a specially designed display unit for retailers and thanks to exhibiting slabs with stains or exposed to running water to show the effect of the UltraCare products.

At Marmomac Mapei was able to showcase the UltraCare protective and cleaning products thanks to exhibiting slabs with stains or exposed to running water.

Zero Line: even more products with offset emissions

The Zero line also received a great deal of interest at Marmomac 2023, which was introduced by Mapei in March and recently extended even further. In fact, many of the systems for installing ceramic and stone flooring presented at the trade fair included waterproofers, adhesives, grouts, sealants and cleaners with CO₂emissions offset for their entire life cycle.

CO₂ emissions measured throughout the Iife cycle of products from the ZERO line in 2023, using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, verified and certified with EPDs, have been offset through the acquisition of certified carbon credits in support of renewable energy and forestry protection projects.

From the USA to learn and train

A group of US professionals specialised in the design of religious buildings visited Marmomac as part of the

“Designing with Stone” training programme organised by Stone Trends International (see the interview in the next page). Mapei Corporation (USA) has been Platinum Sponsor since 2010 of this event dedicated to architects who choose stone materials for their projects and can gain AIA (American Institute of Architects) credits. Mapei’s involvement in the initiative enables participants to gain an in-depth understanding of the most innovative techniques and materials to create stone paving. At Veronafiere, they also took part in the presentations of “Tile and stone installation systems" by Mike Granatowski (Mapei Corp.) and "Durable and sustainable stone paving” by Grazia Signori (Mapei SpA).

A group of US professionals specialised in the design of religious buildings visited Marmomac as part of the “Designing with Stone” training programme

WHAT THEY SAID…

“Marmomac is an unrivalled meeting point: Being present at Marmomac means being part of the stone

sector; not being there means being out of the loop”. Andrea Angheben, Director of Italporphyry (Italy)

“We come here not only because of the fascination Italian marble has always evoked in the Netherlands, but

also to meet the “world” of natural stone”. Mieke Dobbelsteen de Mol, Senta (The Netherlands).

“I have participated at more than 20 editions of this trade fair. It is an important event for German producers

of natural stone. It gives us the chance to meet all the main producers and professionals from the global stone

industry”. Hans Strauss, Mapei GmbH (Germany).

“Italian marble is highly appreciated in India, too. We need innovative installation systems that work better

than those traditionally adopted in our country”. Sreejith Pallikadavil, Amando (India).

"The quality of Italian manufacturers' stands at Marmomac improves every year and this year, too:

these stands offer an overview of the excellence of Italian design and manufacturing in the natural stone industry”.

Renato Dal Corso, President of Consorzio Val di Pan (Italy)

“I have been collaborating with Mapei since the end of the 1990’s on training courses regarding stone materials. There has always been a great deal of interest in Mapei’s contribution in providing solutions to prevent post-installation problems emerging”. Donato Larizza, President of Asmave, Consortium of Verona marble manufacturers (Italy).