In this high-end office interior project, we were contracted to supply and install the stone package for the new head office of Al-Fattan Group, a business enterprise lead by Lt. Gen. Musabah Rashid Al-Fattan, head of the Office of the Prime Minister of the UAE.
The main specification for this project was light cream limestone, which comes from an ancient old quarry in Egypt (see British Museum story).
One of the main challenges of this limestone when applied to internal floors and walls, particularly since the Consultant had requested wet-fixing method for the walls, is the softness of the material and its proneness to water absorption.
In search for solutions, we consulted one of the leading Italian manufacturers of stone chemicals, Bellinzoni Italy, who proposed several stone sealer options to apply on both the face and back of the stone tiles; as well as options for grouting, and waterproof adhesives. We conducted several tests on stone samples before we finalized our choice of chemical products.
This project is a good example of the shortcomings of some natural stone characteristics in particular applications, and the important complimentary role played by the stone chemicals industry in making stone projects a success.
