Looking to the past for a safer future

Take a wander around any of Europe’s medieval towns and cities and you’ll see a plethora of stone buildings and structures, many with a smooth yet textured finish. In most cases that finish was hand applied by the stonemason using a technique known in Spanish as Abujardar—bush hammering.

Using a specialised tool, the stonemason was able to apply a fine, medium or coarse finish to the stone, which was not only attractive but also provided a non-slip surface when applied to pathways.

A good seven hundred or more years later and Abujardar tooling is experiencing somewhat of a renaissance thanks to the PeterFell Texture Safe system.

“The PeterFell Texture Safe specifiable system allows a certified practitioner to create a code-compliant, AS/NZS slip-resistant surface on just about any stone or concrete plane from residential pool surrounds to high-traffic-area public spaces such as shopping centres,” says Regional Sales Manager, Paul Dwight.

“Similar to the tools of yesteryear, the Texture Safe tools can create a fine, medium or coarse surface depending on the intended level of use of the finished surface and also depending on the desired aesthetic.

“Of course, as part of a mechanical process, our system is able to do this in a fraction of the time as those historic artisans.”

Time is money for a lot of businesses and downtime means lost revenue, not something many businesses want to contemplate, which again, says Paul, is where the Texture Safe system comes into its own.

“Because it really is a quick and simple process, it’s capable of being carried out overnight or on weekends so as to create as little disruption as possible to business as usual. Also, because the machine vacuums up dust and fine particles during the texturing process, there is little to no extra clean up required, which means our practitioners are in and out as if they were never there.”

“We’re having some really great results with existing concrete that has been down for a number of years coming up looking like new again. The Texture Safe System is an inexpensive way of giving existing concrete a facelift while also improving overall site safety, making it an ideal choice for remedial projects.

“And, because Texture Safe is an integral part of the concrete, rather than an applied finish, it is not subject to wear and tear and will continue to look good and to perform well for generations, especially when combined with one of the sealants from the PeterFell Texture Seal range.”

Paul also says people are achieving great results with the system on freshly poured concrete used in conjunction with one of the 80 PeterFell colour pigments and on vertical surfaces both existing and new where they want to create a feature.

“Because the system can be used on granite and marble, people are able to give their existing decor a new look without having to outlay the money to replace expensive materials.”

Learn more about Abujardar tooling.