26.6.09

Compact Marble the New Generation

To who normally follows the trends, in recent years little evolution has been made in the Compact Marble sector, mainly due to the brutal increase in Compact Quartz products. Therefore companies (who produce both products) have focussed all R&D budgets on the growing part of the company and have left the marble products in a stand still.
I believe in the following years, compact marble products will evolve, the technological out break will be huge, we just have to wait and see.
The colour trends have evolved so far, we see innovative products like these:

25.6.09

Decorating Kitchens with Engineered Stone

Engineered stone has revolutionized decoration, it's applications are endless and a perfect substitute for natural stones.


The colours available are always growing and now we begin to see also an evolution in finishes, like honed, bush hammered and aged.



When dealing with Quartz based materials, we're actually looking at a product that is hard, it's hardness can be 4 times a granite, working and finishing quartz products requires special equipment. The darker colours normally are very difficult to work, especially regarding polish.

Regarding these quartz based products, very frequently we find some suppliers selling silica sand as quartz, or even cement based quartz agglomerate. The best material is quartz based with polyester resin as the bonding agent.

One more thing, this product does have one handycap, never put hot pots or pans on top, it may stain permanently.

22.6.09

Engineered Quartz - design and beauty

Engineered quartz has been around for a while, they've created a vast range of products which has revolutionized interior designing. Engineered stone can give your design a whole lot of stylish options, making a perfect balance between,  lighting effects, furniture design, these new materials will simply take your design to the next level.
What is engineered quartz? It's a man made stone, with high quality standards, made with vacuum and vibrocompressing technology, aka, conglomerate stone, or agglomerate stone ... even some are named after the brand, like Silestone and Caerstone.
Engineered quartz can actually bring colourful modern moments into your home. It's mainly used in kitchen tops, it has about 93% natural quartz grain, bonded with polyester resin. It's more resistant than granite, however it does have some particular features regarding maintenance and care. Like every product, also engineered quartz has it's application problems, one and the most serious is the hot pan, don't put a hot pan or pot on your quartz, it may stain permanently.
One other thing, when applying on floors, be sure to read carefully the instructions and choose wisely your adhesive glue. Due to its low porosity, excess water may warp the tiles, but a correct use and application will avoid these problems.