Stone-Ideas.com 
At Marmomac 2025 in Hall 7, booth C6
Solid construction with stone is becoming popular, which also means that buildings are being designed for a longer lifespan than just 30 years. This raises new questions in the protection, cleaning, and maintenance of facades. Peter Becker from Stone-Ideas.com spoke with the siblings Alessandra and Francesco Pettenon, both CEO at Fila Surface Solutions, Italy.
Stone-Ideas.com: What do we need to be prepared for when we assume that buildings will have a lifespan of many decades or even centuries?
Francesco Pettenon: Old buildings reveal their age, and that has its charm, especially with materials like natural stone. However, private owners do not like it when the exterior of their homes shows signs of rain, dust, algae, mold, and lichen growth. Weather conditions and everyday wear and tear can have a lasting impact over time, causing damage to surfaces. Stains, green deposits, mold, efflorescence, or discoloration are not only unsightly but can also compromise the material’s substance and cause water damage, for example. A building with a lifespan of many decades or longer is, at the very least, an investment whose value should be preserved.
Stone-Ideas.com: Cleaning, then?
Francesco Pettenon: Proper maintenance, consisting of a system with two components – cleaning and protection – is crucial. This preserves the natural stone in the long term, maintaining its value. It refers not only to its appearance, but also to its technical properties. Our product systems are designed to prevent deterioration, weathering, and wear of natural stone, ensuring its optimal preservation and highlighting the unique properties of each surface.
Stone-Ideas.com: A one-time action?
Francesco Pettenon: No, it should be done systematically at regular intervals. With an integrated and sustainable system, the surfaces are maintained throughout their entire life cycle, allowing them to optimally develop their usage properties, beauty, and suitability for a wide range of applications. We have products that can remove dirt and green deposits.
Stone-Ideas.com: Can something be done along the lines of stone care, too?
Francesco Pettenon: We definitely recommend that. A distinction must be made here between impregnation and sealing. We advise against sealing because it prevents the stone from breathing, and water that penetrated the stone can no longer escape. Sealing is like coating the surface with another product.
Stone-Ideas.com: Impregnation, then. How exactly does that work?
Francesco Pettenon: An impregnation penetrates the pore structure of the stone and coats the pore spaces without affecting the surface. This makes the outer skin of the stone water-repellent. Our protective agents work deep down and are breathable because they repel water yet remain permeable to air and water vapor. Such agents are suitable for all exterior surfaces and protect the materials from wear and tear caused by weathering. In this way, they can prevent the occurrence of moss, mold, and efflorescence.
Stone-Ideas.com: But doesn‘t that add chemicals to the 100% natural stone?
Francesco Pettenon: All our systems are focused on sustainability: all products are manufactured using environmentally friendly technologies, the cleaners contain up to 98 % biodegradable ingredients*, while water-based formulations account for 83 % of our total production. Incidentally, we invest around 10 % of our turnover in research and development every year in order to develop solutions with excellent performance characteristics that meet market requirements, are environmentally friendly, and ensure high yields.
Stone-Ideas.com: Where can Fila products be purchased?
Francesco Pettenon: On our website, under the “Dealers” tab, we provide an overview with a search function that allows you to search by keyword. You can buy our products from specialists, stonemasons, tilers, and specialist retailers.
*in accordance with Detergents Regulation No. 648/2004
At Marmomac 2025 in Hall 7, booth C6