Resins

Marble resin prices

Marble resins refer to polymer products (natural, artificial or synthetic) as base materials. Resins, in general, are used to manufacture plastics, textiles, paints, adhesives, varnishes, etc. There are two main types of resin, thermoplastic or thermosetting. Marble resins are used because these resins are added to marble gravel, more often called “granulate”. They can also be used as a bonding or protection layer and even as a waterproofing layer, as needed.

Bonding primer

Aggregate-mixing resin

Protection resin

Waterproofing resin

Products for installation

Preparation and cleaning products

Resin in its natural state

Many plants (conifers, but also certain roses) secrete a more or less viscous liquid substance that « transpires » to the surface. Its main function is to heal wounds and protect plants from pests. Recent studies have shown that the resin also provides protection against high temperatures and drying out. We use marble resins for the same characteristics

Resin differs from sap in that it does not contribute to the plant’s nutrition. It is not found in the same conduits and is not subject to the same circulation processes.

Resin is generally stored in resin canals surrounded by resin-producing cells. These canals are located either inside or on the surface of the plant.
Nutrient-bearing sap, on the other hand, circulates throughout the plant, but in other channels. Some for raw sap, others for processed sap.
The accepted term for this « transpiration » is exudation. But marble resin is not a natural resin.

Characteristics

A solid or semi-fluid organic substance, resin in its natural state is found on coniferous trees such as pine, fir or spruce. Flammable, not soluble in water, yellow or brown, it is also found on turpentine trees. It is obtained by spontaneous or provoked exudation, on a number of plants. They have the appearance of a sticky liquid that dries more or less quickly in contact with the air. They are often strongly fragrant.

A solid or semi-fluid organic substance, resin in its natural state is found on coniferous trees such as pine, fir or spruce. Flammable, not soluble in water, yellow or brown, it is also found on turpentine trees. It is obtained by spontaneous or provoked exudation, on a number of plants. They have the appearance of a sticky liquid that dries more or less quickly in contact with the air. They are often strongly fragrant.

Resins for industry

Resins possess a number of characteristics that have long made them attractive to industry, with a wide variety of applications. Their ability to harden slowly makes them excellent varnishes (a technique known since the 9th century).
Their insolubility in water makes them a very interesting material for the preparation of waterproof coatings for ships and containers.
Another interesting property of plant resins is that they are alkali-soluble. They can give rise to soaps (fatty acid salts). Obtained by reaction between NaOH and the large fatty acid molecules contained in certain resins (e.g. abietic acid).
They are also used in medicine (external and internal use) for their antiseptic and antibacterial properties. They are still being extensively researched for all their pharmaceutical effects.
Of course, resins rich in volatile aromatic compounds are also used in the perfume industry. Marble resins are not natural resins.
In 1907, Belgian-born American chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland developed Bakelite. The name was later used to designate a synthetic resin based on phenols and formaldehyde. Resistant to heat and many chemicals, and an electrical insulator, Bakelite can be used as a substitute for many materials. It seems that this resin was discovered before Baekeland. But it was Baekeland who perfected the process for obtaining this first thermosetting plastic. This property opens up a wide variety of uses for this compound in electrical, chemical and other applications. For his research, Baekeland used the money Eastman Kodak had paid him to acquire his patent on photographic paper. The development of Bakelite marked the beginning of the plastics industry that would develop throughout the 20th century. Marble resins are different from bakelite resins.

Differences between epoxy resin and polyurethane resin

Choosing the right resin when you’ve got something to do is often problematic. Depending on the work to be carried out, the resin to be used is not the same. What’s more, the sheer number of different resins on the market doesn’t necessarily help you make the right decision. In this article, we’ll look at two main types of resin that it’s important to differentiate.

• Epoxy resins (EPO)
• Polyurethane resins (PU)

RESIMARMO uses both types of resin for specific applications.
However, these two resins have one thing in common. They are almost always composed exclusively of a resin base and a chemical catalyst.
In chemistry, a catalyst is a substance that increases the speed of a chemical reaction. The resulting chemical reaction makes the resin base harder, more stable and more neutral.

Epoxy resins

Epoxy resins are the result of polymerizing epoxy monomers with a cross-linking agent called hardener. Its main component is bisphenol A, which can sometimes be combined with bisphenol F to obtain greater resistance. The most commonly used hardener is a cycloaliphatic amine. These are then called polyepoxides or, more commonly, « epoxies ». These epoxy polymers have the EP designation according to ISO 1043 – plastics and ISO 1629 – rubber. Araldite » is certainly the best-known epoxy polymer. It was first synthesized in the 1940s.
These resins are not used for the manufacture of parts, their rapid setting being the main reason for this. They are most often used for fiberglass lamination or with fillers.

The risks of using epoxy resin

Epoxy resin is more allergenic, and more insidious because it doesn’t contain styrene, with its characteristic, heady scent (like perfume).

• The dangers of epoxy are twofold
  Contact and fumes
• Contact: with the skin should be avoided, as epoxy is a highly allergenic product.
  Contact allergy is characterized by red patches on the skin, or eczema and itching, localized at the point of contact or extending well beyond the point of contact, and spreading to the whole body.
• Emanations: when inhaled, they don’t cause real allergies, but have a more perfidious and dangerous effect on health over time. Like all petrochemical products (paint, for example), they have a cellular toxicity, particularly on nerve functions, rapidly, within a few hours, and more slowly, but with a definite risk of cancer wherever they are inhaled (mouth, bronchi, lungs, but also bladder, kidneys, when you urinate what you’ve inhaled, brain). So when you use epoxy resin, remember to protect yourself. Once the resin has polymerized, there’s no longer any danger.

Polyurethane resin

• More flexible than epoxy resin
• It offers good resistance to impact and temperature variations.
• Polyurethane resin is an organic molecule, a urethane polymer.
  Urethane, or more commonly « carbamate », is any compound produced by the reaction of an isocyanate and an alcohol. Depending on their structure, organic isocyanates are classified into aliphatic, alicyclic and aromatic series. The latter are more rigid and reactive than the former. This reaction had been known for several decades when, in 1937, Otto Bayer discovered how to make a usable plastic free of polyisocyanate and polyol.
  Urethane technologies were brought to the USA in 1953 by Jean-Pierre Abbat and Fritz Hartmann.
  In the 1970s, the use of urethane for wheels, for example, revolutionized roller sports (roller skates, skateboards, skatboards etc.). It is also found in certain toys.
• Polyurethanes can be made to a wide variety of textures and hardnesses by varying the monomers used and adding other substances.
• They are used in adhesives, paints, resins, elastomers (« rubbers »), foams and fibers. These versatile plastics are used in a wide range of industries.
• Polyurethane resin is also known as « composite concrete ». It has all the main characteristics of concrete, such as excellent firmness, impact resistance and adaptability to the space to be fitted out.
• Like other concretes, it can be coated with resin, wax or oil.

Advantages

• Polyurethane resin is more flexible than epoxy resin, making it more versatile than epoxy.
• Its main advantage is that it offers a more flexible floor, while remaining hard thanks to the resin. It can therefore be used for industrial floors as well as sports fields, thanks to its resistance to impact and age-related cracking.
• Polyurethane resin can be used for interior design. Highly elastic, it adapts to all room shapes. It can be used to create original shapes throughout the home.
• It’s light enough to be installed upstairs. So don’t hesitate, even if the name « concrete » might put you off.
• What’s more, polyurethane resin can be any color you like. You can buy one already tinted in the resin itself. Or you can apply a tint to the surface, which can be gloss, satin or matte. It’s up to you to decide which type of floor suits you best, and complements the rest of your home to optimum effect.
• These PU resins are extremely easy to mold and reproduce. They are easy to install, even with limited resources.
  

Defects

While PU resins have good resistance to temperature variations, they do not appreciate « sudden changes » in temperature. It cannot be installed on underfloor heating.

Technical certifications obtained by marble resins

• ATE : Technical Approval Nº 06/0263 – CE marking for 10 and 25 years.
  • Flat roofs exposed to an external fire Nº 06/32301345
  • Toitures inclinée 20º exposées à un feu extérieur Nº 08/32309237
  • Inclined roof 45º fire resistance Nº 08/32309237
• Resistance to root perforation
  • Without RESITEX Nº 07/32305556
  • With RESITEX Nº 07/32305557
• Abrasion Taber Nº 10/101.729-1626
• QUALICONSULT : Technical Clauses CCT Nº 50 712 004 096
• BBA : British Board of Agreement Nº 11/4836