Malcolm Gough, Group Sales & Marketing Director Talasey Group is BMBI’s Expert for Natural Stone Landscaping Products, Vitrified Paving & Artificial Grass.

The sun came out in Q2 and as the summer kicks off, so does activity in the stone trade. A heatwave isn’t always a good thing though – there are hazards on site and it can slow things down.

The porcelain paving market has now really come into its own. The homeowner now understands the product and it is very much in demand. As a result of more and more contactors discovering porcelain, the demand for training is also on the rise. One threat to the market is the growing number of cheaper imports coming from overseas: Turkey, China and even India.

Despite a very slow start to the year the artificial grass market has truly taken off. It is now an accepted norm for smaller gardens and home owners with little time for mowing the lawn. The market has surely been helped by the heatwave where so many lawns have suffered. An artificial lawn still needs some protection in the heat though – the product you buy should always have a UV sun-damage protection guarantee.

It’s been an unusual year for all-weather brush-in sands. This is probably the first time I’ve ever heard of a major shortage for this specialised product. The reason is the main ingredient is used in another market which is also experiencing high demand. This situation is likely to last for some time, so I’d advise merchants to stock up.

The number of installers now getting into resin driveways is huge and so the need for training is overwhelming. We launched our own Talasey Training Academy offering one training session a week but merchants need to be able to advise and answer queries too, so to boost knowledge at merchant counters, we’re encouraging merchants with a free place if they bring a paying contactor.