Dunlop

What Dunlop does

Dunlop Adhesives is a UK-based manufacturer of professional-grade building and construction materials, trading as the Dunlop brand under a license held by Building Adhesives Ltd from Sumitomo Rubber Group. The company produces tile adhesives (ready-mixed RX Range and cement-based CF-03/CLF-03 lines), premium grouts (GX-500 Flexible Grout with eight colour options and matching FX-90 silicone sealant), floor levelling compounds (LX-40, LX-200 Flex, LX-360 Fibre), waterproofing systems (Shower Waterproofing Kit to BS 5385), primers and admixes, and the Pro Decor range of decorating fillers featuring proprietary Hydroloc fast-drying technology. The business also offers the ProCover Uncoupling Mat for floor tiling protection. All products carry a 10-year guarantee covering materials and labour.

Revenue is generated through unit sales of packaged building materials via a nationwide UK and Ireland distribution network of builders merchants, decorating supply centres, DIY retailers, and the dunloptrade.com direct online storefront, supplemented by buying group partnerships. The go-to-market combines Area Sales Managers managing merchant relationships, Product Support Technicians providing on-site technical assistance, mobile demonstration trailers, trade event participation (Pro Builder Live, Painting and Decorating Show), and a training programme anchored at the Innovation and Technology Centre in Stoke-on-Trent. Primary customers are trade professionals (tilers, builders, decorators, floorers, plumbers, multi-traders) and the merchants that supply them, with secondary engagement through FE college partnerships via the Multi-Skill Champion Competition.

Dunlop operates from its Stoke-on-Trent headquarters and manufacturing facility with 51-100 employees. Leadership includes General Manager David Hackett (also overseeing Sales & Marketing) and Sales Director David Lyman (formerly of Hilti). The company is privately held with no disclosed funding events, and its market is restricted to the UK and Ireland under its brand license arrangement.

Name

Dunlop

Legal name

Building Adhesives Ltd

Website

https://dunloptrade.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dunlop Adhesives, operated by Building Adhesives Ltd under license from Sumitomo Rubber Group, manufactures professional-grade tile adhesives, grouts, levelling compounds, waterproofing systems, and decorating fillers for trade professionals across the UK and Ireland, distributed through builders merchants and a direct online storefront.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Materials (Tiling, Flooring & Decorating)

NAICS

Adhesive Manufacturing (32552), Adhesive Manufacturing (325520), Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255)

SIC

Adhesives & Sealants (2891)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Adhesives (Structural & Non-Structural) (IMADAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adhesives (Structural & Assembly) (IMAEAGAH), Primers, Bonding Agents & Surface Preparation Products (IMADAOAK), Adhesives & Sealants Chemicals (IMAEABAA)

Keywords

• Tile adhesives
• Tile grouts
• Floor levelling compounds
• Waterproofing membranes
• Decorating fillers

Headquarters

HQ city

Trentham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Building Materials Product Sales: Dunlop generates revenue through the sale of professional-grade building and construction materials including tile adhesives, grouts, levelling compounds, waterproofing products, primers, sealants, and decorating fillers. Products are sold through merchants, retailers, and direct online with various pack sizes (2.5kg, 10kg, 20kg) to trade professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dunlop Adhesives manufactures and sells professional-grade building and construction materials — including tile adhesives, grouts, silicone sealants, floor levelling compounds, waterproofing systems, primers, and decorating fillers — for trade professionals (tilers, builders, decorators, floorers, plumbers) and builders merchants across the UK and Ireland. The product range spans the Dunlop core tiling and flooring lines together with the Dunlop Pro Decor sub-brand featuring Hydroloc drying technology, all backed by a 10-year product guarantee and supported by a dedicated technical support network.

Product overview

Dunlop Adhesives, operated by Building Adhesives Ltd, manufactures high-quality building and construction materials for trade professionals across the UK. The product portfolio is organized into distinct categories: tile adhesives (including the RX Range ready-mixed adhesives and cement-based powdered adhesives like CF-03 and CLF-03), tile grouts (GX-500 Flexible Grout in 8 colours with matching FX-90 Silicone Sealant), smoothing and levelling compounds (the LX range with LX-40, LX-200, and LX-360 Fibre Leveller for 2-60mm applications), waterproofing products (Shower Waterproofing Kit), primers and admixes (Tilers Primer, SBR Universal Bonding Agent), decorators caulk (Flexible Acrylic Filler), and ProCover Uncoupling Mat for floor tiling protection. The Pro Decor sub-brand offers specialist fillers and smoothers with Hydroloc technology including Rapid Rescue Repair Filler and Deep Filling Compound. All tiling products are backed by a 10-year guarantee and supported by technical training and assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dunlop Pro Decor: Revolutionary brand of decorating fillers and smoothers featuring Hydroloc drying technology for professional decorators and tradespeople
• ProCover
• GX-500
• LX Range
• RX Range

Products and services

• Tile Adhesives Professional-grade tile adhesives for trade installers covering wall and floor applications, including ready-mixed RX Range variants for ceramic wall tiles in kitchens and bathrooms and cement-based powdered adhesives with various setting times and flexibility ratings for demanding substrates and large-format tiles.
• Tile Grouts Premium flexible tile grouts including the GX-500 Flexible Grout with CG2WA classification, available in 8 colours and suitable for walls and floors with reduced efflorescence and cracking risk. Designed for demanding environments and wide joint widths from 1–15mm.
• FX-90 Silicone Sealant Colour-matched silicone sealant for jointing tiled walls and floors in interior or exterior locations; multi-purpose, hygienic and waterproof, designed to complement the GX-500 grout colour range for a finished installation.
• Smoothing & Levelling Compounds (LX Range) Floor levelling compounds in the LX range — LX-40 (2–12mm), LX-200 Flex (feather edge to 20mm) and LX-360 Fibre Leveller (3–60mm) — for preparing interior floors prior to installing floor coverings, including timber floors and encapsulation of underfloor heating systems.
• Shower Waterproofing Kit Complete tanking system for waterproofing shower areas, wet rooms and bathrooms to British Standards BS 5385-1, including primer, two-coat liquid waterproof membrane, reinforcement tape and matting for tile installation in wet areas.
• Primers & Admixes Surface preparation products including Dunlop Tilers Primer (ready-to-use acrylic primer that reduces absorbency and prevents air bubbles) and SBR Universal Bonding Agent for priming, sealing, dustproofing and use as an admixture for screeds, rendering, plaster and slurry bonding coats.
• Pro Decor Fillers (Hydroloc Range) Specialist decorating fillers featuring proprietary Hydroloc technology that dries via internal chemical reaction rather than evaporation, preventing shrinkage and cracking regardless of thickness. Includes Rapid Rescue Repair Filler and Deep Filling Compound for professional decorators handling chases, cracks, holes and large damaged areas on internal and external surfaces.
• Flexible Acrylic Filler (Pro Decor Caulk) Highly flexible, ultra-smooth gunnable acrylic filler with anti-crack properties for filling gaps around skirting boards, door frames and cracks on internal and external surfaces; paintable in 60 minutes.
• ProCover Uncoupling Mat Anti-fracture uncoupling membrane that provides a buffer layer when tiling onto floors, protecting against tile cracking caused by substrate shrinkage, expansion or underfloor heating movement; supplied in 5-metre rolls with pre-marked grid-lines for installation.
• Dunlop Temporary Tile Sealer Water-based protective sealer for sensitive natural stone tiles (terracotta, marble, limestone, travertine and natural stone) that prevents discolouration from pigmented tile grouts during grouting and is easily washed off afterwards.
• LX-360 Fibre Leveller Fibre-reinforced self-levelling compound for deep-fill floor applications up to 60mm; protein free, suitable for timber substrates and underfloor heating encapsulation, with rapid foot traffic and tiling turnaround times.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10-year guarantee on all products covering manufacturing defects and fitness for purpose
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NoMorePlyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2017Supported the Multi-Skill Champion Competition as a co-sponsor. Provides support for FE college students taking City & Guilds Construction Skills qualification.
• Decorators ForumminorOthers · 13 February 2017Charitable partnership where Pro Decor donated products to help redecorate Woodlands Hospice in Liverpool. Decorators Forum coordinated volunteer decorators for the project.
• Fred Williamson and Sons (Williamson Decorator Centres)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 December 2016Largest independent decorators merchant in the North East of England, founded 132 years ago. Stocks the Pro Decor range of filling and smoothing compounds in branches throughout Sunderland, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Darlington, Morpeth, and Durham.
• Buying Groups & Partner CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDunlop partners with various companies and buying groups nationwide to deliver innovative products and exceptional support to stockists. Partner logos shown include Fortis and other national buying groups.
• Various Further Education CollegesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDunlop supports FE colleges by providing free training product and learning materials for students entered in the Multi-Skill Champion Competition. College winners are visited by Product Support Technicians for training and trophy presentations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Weber (Saint-Gobain): Weber, part of Saint-Gobain, produces tile adhesives, grouts, renders, and floor levellers across the UK and Europe with a broader portfolio than Dunlop. Competes in the same builders merchant channel on tile adhesive and leveller categories.
• Bostik: Bostik (Arkema) manufactures construction sealants, tile adhesives, and flooring products globally including in the UK. It overlaps with Dunlop in silicone sealants, tile adhesives, and decorating fillers sold through UK merchants.
• Mapei: Mapei is a global manufacturer of tile adhesives, grouts, levellers, and waterproofing products sold through UK and Ireland builders merchants and distributors. It competes head-to-head with Dunlop across the full tiling workflow but at significantly larger scale and with an owned brand.
• Sika: Sika is a global specialty chemicals company whose tiling, flooring, waterproofing, and sealing portfolio overlaps directly with Dunlop's tile adhesive, leveller, sealant, and waterproofing ranges. Competes through the same UK builders merchant and distribution network.

Emerging players

• Kerakoll: Kerakoll is a European manufacturer of tile adhesives, grouts, and eco-friendly building products expanding into the UK market with a sustainability-led proposition. Comparable product mix with an emerging UK presence focused on green-certified tiling systems.

Direct peers

• BAL (Building Adhesives Ltd sister brand): BAL is the sister tile adhesive, grout, and leveller brand owned by the same parent company, Building Adhesives Ltd, sharing leadership and targeting UK trade through similar builders merchant channels. They are the most directly comparable peer because they share product range, manufacturing base, and sales force with Dunlop.
• Everbuild (Sika): Everbuild is a well-known UK brand for sealants, adhesives, fillers, and decorating products sold through builders merchants, competing directly with Dunlop Pro Decor fillers, decorators caulk, and silicone sealants.
• Ardex: Ardex manufactures tile adhesives, grouts, levelling compounds, and waterproofing systems for the UK and European construction market with strong specification presence. Direct overlap with Dunlop in tile adhesive, leveller, and waterproofing categories serving trade and merchant channels.
• Tilemaster Adhesives: Tilemaster is a UK-based manufacturer of tile adhesives, grouts, levelling compounds, and waterproofing products sold through independent and national builders merchants. Directly comparable mid-sized UK player competing on similar trade products.
• UltraTile (Instarmac): UltraTile, part of Instarmac, manufactures tile adhesives, grouts, levellers, and waterproofing products for UK trade and merchant channels. A closely comparable UK-headquartered, similar-scale competitor to Dunlop in tile installation systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dunlopadhesives
• Facebookfacebook.com/dunlopadhesives
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dunlop-trade

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dunlop