ABOUT BAL
As market-leaders for tiling, delivering innovative products and service solutions, BAL has been trusted for more than 50 years by industry professionals from tile fixers, to contractors, architects and specifiers. Whatever the tile material, background or function of the tiled environment, a BAL solution can be trusted for quality and lasting performance.
Established as the development centre for the British ceramic tile industry, Building Adhesives Ltd is part of the Ardex Group, which is headquartered in Germany. Its main activities are based in Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent – the birthplace of the ceramics industry in the UK. Activities at its UK headquarters comprise Research and Development (R&D), administration and UK manufacturing.
Products are sold under the BAL and Dunlop brands, aimed at diverse market segments. BAL is the leading authority in the UK professional tiling market and is renowned for its stringent product quality, superior technical know-how and excellence in training. Dunlop offers a comprehensive range of tiling, preparation, building and decorating products for the DIY and construction sectors.
Building Adhesives was founded in 1962 when tile manufacturers within the British Ceramic Tile Council – who were becoming increasingly concerned about developments in adhesives technology – decided to form the company to develop a new range of high-quality “new technology adhesives” backed by a comprehensive Technical Advisory Service.
The first products rolled off the production line in February 1963 and in the BAL’s first years, fixers welcomed the arrival of BAL TAD – its first ready-mixed adhesive – along with more powdered adhesives as well as the first BAL Grout.
Milestone after milestone has followed including: the first epoxy grout, first tile adhesive using rubber crumb, first variable-setting tile adhesive, first anti-bacterial grout. Alongside research and development, BAL broke new ground by submitting products for independent evaluation by the BCRA (now CERAM). It set a standard for all future BAL products: rigorous pre-launch testing, then quality testing throughout production.
Building Adhesives stands for more than just high quality products. Backed by 50 years’ experience and supported by the global resources of the Ardex Group, the Company is committed to continuous innovation, technical expertise and training programmes.
The foundation of Building Adhesives led to the birth of the industry-leading BAL Technical Advisory Service, which today satisfied more than 50,000 queries annually.
While quality products are important, the Company is also committed to developing and supporting quality workmanship. Building Adhesives was the first manufacturer to offer industry training for professional tilers – and the first to open a training centre. Now a wide range of general and specialist courses are held regularly at the Company’s state-of-the-art Innovation and Technology Centre, regional training centres and approved colleges. Many thousands of trainees, apprentices and professionals have now undertaken training through BAL.
The importance of architects and specifiers has always been recognised. BAL was the first manufacturer to deliver seminars to RIBA, and now has a growing range of RIBA-approved CPD seminars.
Building Adhesives is committed to technical expertise and is backed by a range of highly skilled professionals working hard to ensure that our products can be trusted to be the best in the business.
From our highly qualified team of scientists, to our customer support service, manufacturing team, and marketing and administrative departments we are dedicated to continual improvement, keeping the Company ahead of the game.
Our Technical Advisory and Specification Service which is always on hand to offer free technical advice and support, is complemented by a nationwide team of BAL Product Support Technicians who are available to offer practical knowledge and on-site advice and training.
At Building Adhesives, we pride ourselves on offering an unrivalled, comprehensive support network to ensure your project is completed as smoothly as possible. We work hard to ensure you are never let down.
