What to expect on a Porcelain Training Day

Our Training and Open Days are always popular; we wish we could run more of them. Last Friday saw the first dedicated to Porcelain. For those of you who couldn’t make it, and to tempt you for next time, here’s a quick rundown of what happened.

The day opened at 9.45 for refreshments before we hit the ground running with the scheduled subjects:

• mixing and applying an onsite SBR Bond bridge;
• applying a pre-mixed slurry primer;
• porcelain installation using a full bed of mortar;
• grouting using and exterior tile grout;
• cutting Porcelain with a dedicated Porcelain blade;
• core drilling for spot lights.

We always include the main points that people ask us about but we also want to ensure everyone gets exactly what they need out of the day, so we always ask beforehand if there are any subjects that attendees would like added to the list. In this case, we seem to have hit the nail on the head.

Participants got to see all the products laid out, which makes a big difference to understanding the enormous versatility of Porcelain. Joss Durham of Landart Design and Build agreed. “It was good to see the whole range, rather than samples and pictures. I’d never seen them all laid out before, and the polished concrete choices were fantastic.”

Ivan Tucker of New Leaf Design found seeing the full size slabs a big help too, and got stuck in with the grouting demonstration. “As a designer, it was a good opportunity to have a go,” he said, “because I really want to understand the process from the inside.”

The practical explanations and demos also appealed to Joss. “It was great to be reassured that we’re doing exactly what we should be doing.”

We’re not fully responsible for a good day, though. It relies every bit as much on the participants, and we love it that everyone is so engaged. Rhoda Maw of Rhoda Maw Garden Design also came to our DesignClad day. “The days are really useful as there’s always good discussions within the group. So, to be with a group of landscapers who can speak about actual situations where they’ve used particular products and the problems and also benefits from using them is really helpful.  It’s also a good opportunity to talk with both the experts at London Stone and meet new landscapers for possible future collaborations.”

And after a hard morning’s graft, what would it be without reconvening at the local for a pint afterwards?

We’d like to thank everyone who came for making it such an enjoyable and useful morning. We will, of course, be running more in future, so keep your eye on our social media for announcements of upcoming events.

Alternatively, if you have a group who would like a visit to the Bespoke Stone Centre or attend a day on a particular subject, then get in touch and we’ll sort it out for you.