tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10433452814930077892024-03-13T21:26:50.902-07:00Worktops and more: Engineered StoneGranite vs Quartz Countertops, things are changing very rapidly. Kitchen Worktops, Quartz Tiles, Granite Countertops, Quartz Countertops and much more. Using engineered stone, granite or marble, making your home a beautiful place has no limits.Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-82536859379562273432012-10-30T04:53:00.001-07:002012-10-30T04:53:54.850-07:00Agglomerate Stone - Marketing BrandsToo often we see new agglomerate stone brands all over the place, are new producer coming in to the agglomerate stone sector? No, not likely ... is possibly the best answer to this question.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkM-UAiuxk010wreNU03kR0caHJcBTSSnkyfPAkZY5XSWx4n4d3IntAnPhqfl46mnlYR6xXLpobhdjfzuWj1p64eLg_6fNsnrYoiyEUqm0DD4yQZGvLgdKYxxxFhhYxkCraK8pCTSmzPM/s1600/granite+vs+quartz+countertops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkM-UAiuxk010wreNU03kR0caHJcBTSSnkyfPAkZY5XSWx4n4d3IntAnPhqfl46mnlYR6xXLpobhdjfzuWj1p64eLg_6fNsnrYoiyEUqm0DD4yQZGvLgdKYxxxFhhYxkCraK8pCTSmzPM/s1600/granite+vs+quartz+countertops.jpg" /></a></div>
It has been around for years, excluding a few of the worlds biggest producers who mark their products with their brands, most producers sell unmarked and unbranded products, making them a OEM type product. If we look at Chinese agglomerate stone producers we can add, that the majority of their production which is exported around the world is re-branded to avoid the negative impact that may be caused by marketing made in China products.<br />
We have seen, great success stories regarding this type of product branding, but we also have seen many unsuccessful ones. The major problem is that quality has to be assured and the colour reference have to be consistent. If we have problems controlling shade from products manufactured in the same factory, we will have chaos if the origin is different as products will be different in texture and shade.<br />
Everyone likes to have an edge on their market, and self branding their products is a costly activity but rewarding, as they protect themselves from producers who strategically may want to increase market share. And in times like the ones we have lived in the last few years, many ethical and other respectable words are just ripped from our sales vocabulary, and everything goes, as long as sales keeps up to beat.<br />
Personally, I've done business both ways, and have played both parts as a producer and distributor. While importing from the producer, the market I was dealing with did not show any consistency in sales until we filled the gap. We guaranteed sales, in exchange for exclusive rights to be the sole importer for the country. The first two years went really well, expected sales jumped, by the third year the producer noticed the potential of our market and decided not to sign a written agreement. We promoted the brand, with marketing and publicity, without any or very little support from the producer, the risk to our business was too high for our stakes, so we decided to create our own brand and start buying some colours from other producers. At the end of the year we stopped marketing with the producers brand and fully assumed our brand.<br />
Obviously this brand changing event was not positive for business, but we seen it as inevitable to guarantee our position in the business.<br />
As a producer, we have had a very loyal attitude towards our distributors, supporting them as much as we could, our brand was a low-cost alternative, basically a great price quality product. Although sales was always the key to maintain sales agreements, if sales do not comply, then the agreement is useless. Never should the agreement be settled when sales are as predicted, the greedy mind to increase sales by eliminating counterparts in the sales chain can back fire.<br />
Producing OEM or branded products, we have done both, some of our clients want to control their market strategy, so they brand them themselves. In our most important and traditional markets we had our own brand and created a quality image for our products. It takes years to build an image, and this image has to be supported on quality products and quality service, one thing that some people may not be aware of is that it takes very little to destroy years and years of hard work. And the worst part is that some mistakes may never be mended. Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-12779308007386644282012-10-29T09:03:00.003-07:002012-10-29T09:04:21.377-07:00Trade Shows 2013<span style="font-size: small;">Tra<span style="font-size: small;">de show in 2012 are just en<span style="font-size: small;">ding, and have been better than expected, 2013 Trade Show</span></span> will be hopefully better, as we expect the International market to <span style="font-size: small;">begin</span> to give a positive response. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">For up<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">coming</span> 2013 fair<span style="font-size: small;">s I recommend as always the Marmomacc fair, year after year I always somehow repeat myself, but for many years this fair has and still is an opinion leader in the secto<span style="font-size: small;">r. In <span style="font-size: small;">Verona we see year after year <span style="font-size: small;">all the stake holders in the stone industry attending Marmomacc, they look<span style="font-size: small;"> for tendencies, innovation and market reality, because it's all there. So <span style="font-size: small;">we <span style="font-size: small;">in the stone industry <span style="font-size: small;">I can say we have <span style="font-size: small;">Mar<span style="font-size: small;">momacc and all the others.</span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13r1YRRf82u4-0RyF1uQGV6fZoa0hIvQn_5vuOwpPn-P3E8np9waGMxgwAokT7YOHw6CWmtLDyS2Kq53MSCtAvPg8qRhygpjZT9F5aRORT0IWkj6eRrk9htCKkSq7SqoEIqzRi74Xe1E/s1600/Marmomacc+verona.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My List of the most important International Stone fairs in the World:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li>STONEXPO MARMOMACC AMERICAS, Las Vegas, USA (29-31st of January 2013)</li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">INDIA STONEMA<span style="font-size: small;">R</span>T 2013, <span style="font-size: small;">Jaipur</span>, India (<span style="font-size: small;">31st January</span>-3rd of February 2013) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">TECHNO+STONE - Kiev, Ukraine (2<span style="font-size: small;">0-22nd of</span> February 201<span style="font-size: small;">3</span>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> VIT<span style="font-size: small;">O</span>RIA STONE FAIR- Serra, Brazil (<span style="font-size: small;">26th</span> February<span style="font-size: small;">-1st of March</span> 2013): 3<span style="font-size: small;">4th</span> Edition</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">STONE XIAMEN - Xiamen, China (6th-9th of March2013)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">MARBLE 201<span style="font-size: small;">3</span> - Izmir, Turkey (27th -30th of March 2013)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">STONETECH - Shangai, China (18th-21st of April 2013)</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">THE NATURAL STONE 201<span style="font-size: small;">3</span> - London -Great Britain (30th April - 2nd of May 201<span style="font-size: small;">3</span>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">STONE TEC - <span style="font-size: small;">Nuremberg<span style="font-size: small;">, Germany</span></span> (29th of May-1st of June 2013)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">STONE GATE EGYPT<span style="font-size: small;"> - <span style="font-size: small;">Cairo, Egypt</span></span> (20th-24th of June 2013)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">MARMOMACC - Verona, Italy (25th-28th of September 2013) : 48th Edition</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">THE BIG FIVE - Dubai, U.A.E. (November 2013)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"> 2013 we have the German <span style="font-size: small;">trade show Stone Tec in Nuremberg, one of my <span style="font-size: small;">favourite</span>, it only occurs every two years. Very interesting show, in a very nice region, so enjoy bu<span style="font-size: small;">siness and pleasure simultaneously.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSmclp82Sx40hYIUr7ghSTpIHfy5wh0vDu6Pg5ouRKgadwxEeCZ4TUfsS1rx_Ui0FKz6wjaXYaZDTHwK-xUZmaFLyVPJWN586_0X27QPl-mSctg8ei7uzhM-edSlChQunPK8VYWep4MI/s1600/Vitoria+Stone+Fair.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSmclp82Sx40hYIUr7ghSTpIHfy5wh0vDu6Pg5ouRKgadwxEeCZ4TUfsS1rx_Ui0FKz6wjaXYaZDTHwK-xUZmaFLyVPJWN586_0X27QPl-mSctg8ei7uzhM-edSlChQunPK8VYWep4MI/s400/Vitoria+Stone+Fair.jpg" width="400" /> </a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">The Brazilian market has not been as good as expected, however crucial times await, let's see what happens as we get close to the final stages of the big construction projects which are in motion.</span> Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-36037410151268846602011-11-16T10:49:00.001-08:002011-12-01T07:00:29.207-08:00Trade Show 2012<span style="font-size: small;">The Stone business <b>Trade Show 2011</b> are just ending, I believe <b>Trade Show 2012</b>
is something we can all look forward to, 2011 was dominated by finantial crisis, we can expect 2012 to be the corner stone, and hope that business gets back on track. I guess all my followers already know that of all International fairs I favour Marmomacc, besides the wonderful place which is Verona, it is an exhibition which shows the worldwide industry at it's best, we have many countries exhibiting, from high tech to design, you will find just about everything, marble, granite, slate, engineered stone and much more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13r1YRRf82u4-0RyF1uQGV6fZoa0hIvQn_5vuOwpPn-P3E8np9waGMxgwAokT7YOHw6CWmtLDyS2Kq53MSCtAvPg8qRhygpjZT9F5aRORT0IWkj6eRrk9htCKkSq7SqoEIqzRi74Xe1E/s1600/Marmomacc+verona.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">However for 2012, I recommend Vitoria Stone Fair in Brazil, the countries economy is booming, the World Cup and the Olympics will certainly keep them in the spotlight during the following years.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Regarding 2012 stone trade shows, Piedra 2012, after the 2011 leap year, lets hope it is much better than the 2010. The last Piedra fair was a great deception for many visitors.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My List of the most important International Stone fairs in the World:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">STONA 2012 - Bengaluru, India (1st-4 th of February 2012) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">VITÓRIA STONE FAIR- Vitória, Brazil (7th-10th of February 2012): 33rd Edition</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">TECHNO STONE - Kiev, Ukraine (29th February til 2nd of March 2012)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">STONE XIAMEN - Xiamen, China (6th-9th of March2012)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">MARBLE 2012 - Izmir, Turkey (26th -29th of March 2012)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">COVERINGS- Orlando, USA (17th-20th of April 2012)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">STONETECH - Shangai, China (25th-28rd of April 2012)</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">THE NATURAL STONE 2012 - London -Great Britain (30th April to 2nd of May 2012)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">PIEDRA - Madrid Spain (8th til 12th of May 2012)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">CARRARA MARMOTEC- Carrara, Italy (23rd-26th of May 2012)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">EXPOSTONE - Moscow, Russia (19th - 22nd of June 2012)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">INTERBUILD EGYPT - Cairo, Egypt ( 21st -26th of June 2012)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">BUILD ASIA 2011 - Karachi, Pakistan (11th-13th of September 2012)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">MARMOMACC - Verona, Italy (26th-29th of September 2012) : 47th Edition</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">KAMIEN- Wroclaw, Poland (7th-10th of November 2012)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">THE BIG FIVE - Dubai, U.A.E. (November 2012)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"> 2012 is also a leap year for Stone + Tech fair in Nurnberg Germany, one of my favorites! Next Stone + Tech will be in 2013.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSmclp82Sx40hYIUr7ghSTpIHfy5wh0vDu6Pg5ouRKgadwxEeCZ4TUfsS1rx_Ui0FKz6wjaXYaZDTHwK-xUZmaFLyVPJWN586_0X27QPl-mSctg8ei7uzhM-edSlChQunPK8VYWep4MI/s1600/Vitoria+Stone+Fair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSmclp82Sx40hYIUr7ghSTpIHfy5wh0vDu6Pg5ouRKgadwxEeCZ4TUfsS1rx_Ui0FKz6wjaXYaZDTHwK-xUZmaFLyVPJWN586_0X27QPl-mSctg8ei7uzhM-edSlChQunPK8VYWep4MI/s400/Vitoria+Stone+Fair.jpg" width="400" /> </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The great thing about the stone business is that change has been a part of it from the beginning, so I guess we all adapt quite quickly to it. The trends, the colours, the designs, everything is on the move, we have to just keep up with the market to be in the market.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">These stone fairs are in my opinion some of the most important in the stone business, however a few of them are really considered global fairs. Selecting which you should attend as a visitor or as an exhibitor should really be done carefully.</span></div>
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<br />Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-7356649147144306952011-08-15T02:18:00.000-07:002011-08-15T02:20:41.176-07:00Marmomacc 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YKq6UIPdjIN4CgJGsjo5kjrsW1YgHl3WPJEKJLjbMCQGdyPRPJOFCFuO-Vvi8YsV_ZUHGvnMYyTaLn_-58hRsQGb8LhVycQHQx6TUwZDhofdM8jXYkgCsRPH3dOu3xRF3yBBetUJQk0/s1600/marmomacc+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="67" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YKq6UIPdjIN4CgJGsjo5kjrsW1YgHl3WPJEKJLjbMCQGdyPRPJOFCFuO-Vvi8YsV_ZUHGvnMYyTaLn_-58hRsQGb8LhVycQHQx6TUwZDhofdM8jXYkgCsRPH3dOu3xRF3yBBetUJQk0/s320/marmomacc+2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Marmomacc 2011</b> is just a month and a half away. For those who have visited this stone fair before, I guess all the potential Marmomacc has you have viewed it in the past. I've been to Marmomacc several times, actually haven't missed a fair in several years now. It's my favorite stone fair for several reasons, one it's location is great, mild weather and excellent food, you can find exhibitors from every corner of the World, and finally, Italian design is encountered in every hall, it's a great inspiration well for me.<br />
Marmomacc as everyone knows is nota big city therefore room and board can pose as a problem, actually a quite expensive problem, if not done timely. You can find room and board around Verona at more reasonable prices. I have in the past few years been staying quite a bit far from the city centre at affordable rates, however in the evening, driving to city centre can be difficult, especially parking.<br />
It's delightful city and the countryside is just beautiful, it's mid distance between Milan and Venice. The flights to Verona, may also be a complicated thing to arrange, as Verona has a small airport, and little low cost companies fly in directly, so to Marmomacc we may find people flying in through Milan or Venice. For those who do arrive at Verona directly their is a shuttle bus to the fair ground which may be a little awkward if you carry your luggage.<br />
I usually take advantage of this precious time out of the office, to inspire, and to define strategies for my business. Take advantage of it, you'll see how wonderful it is ... every corner of the Marmomacc Verona fair ground will inspire you with hundreds of great new and stylish ideas, which you can adapt into your business to improve.<br />
Have a nice trip to Verona, Marmomacc is really a special place, and everyone in this industry should take a few days off to look and see the trends. Plus, never forget, anyone who is anyone in the stone business will be within a two mile radius, so don't discard any potential business.<br />
Almost forgot the most important thing, this year is the 46th International Stone Exhibition, Marmomacc 2011 will be held in Verona Italy from the 21st to the 24th of September 2011. Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-16043502575689142862011-05-26T02:44:00.000-07:002011-05-26T02:57:07.971-07:00Blanco Zeus is now Zeus Extreme : How does the color naming work in this business?<span lang="EN-US">Blanco Zeus, Glaciar, Nero Portoro, Botticino, and many others are names most peole in the engineered stone business hear about daily. I believe most of you have wondered how the naming process of the colors and series is done. Can say that their are no standards that influence the name or the series, it's mostly a marketing decision of the manufacturer. I've participated in some of these name picking marketing activities, and many times I believe the consumers must also wonder why they named the color with that specific name.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjjX1K7FKp8wg2LxdnXy5cAaF__ZG52M-jugG_RlYTrPUP-EAW5YQge9rZdJLmo7ytgViPASnB8BlMk5mBuk9jDd1NqyDQtvHMHLtb-mD5tjDO4uJ8DYPJmCzjWrbJwFC-iUMz98by1Q/s1600/engineered+marble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjjX1K7FKp8wg2LxdnXy5cAaF__ZG52M-jugG_RlYTrPUP-EAW5YQge9rZdJLmo7ytgViPASnB8BlMk5mBuk9jDd1NqyDQtvHMHLtb-mD5tjDO4uJ8DYPJmCzjWrbJwFC-iUMz98by1Q/s320/engineered+marble.jpg" width="96" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US">Historically, we have had an evolution regarding naming and products. Prior to the 90s, the most common and sold engineered stone products were engineered marble products, these colors are currently still available and most producers have settled to call them the Traditional Series. Way back then and as you can see in the picture, the majority of the texture was true natural marble, some very similar to the natural stone, so manufacturers in general started to call these products using the natural stones name, which quickly helped marketing these products, as most traditional marble stone names are easily recognized by the general consumer.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">From the 90s until today, the evolution of this industry has surpassed all expectation, in the 80s most manufacturers had a very rigid offer of colors to the market, and the same color range besides limited it also would last several years practically unchanged. In Italy, even today, some manufacturers even use the same names for similar colors like Botticino, Nero Portoro, etc. While other producers would just use the color type and add it's origin, like Bianco Carrara (White is the color and Carrara is the place where it’s extracted from)</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Another curiosity regarding color and series naming, in Asia most colors are identified by local manufacturers by numbers or a combination of letters and numbers, rarely do we see Asia manufacturers using names. Although they tend to name the series with names, very common to see flower series, as one of them.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">In the last few years, engineered stone colors have become similar to fashion item, which is constantly renewing itself. In general, 80% of sales is attained by 20% of the colors sold, in most companies it will be less than 10 colors. But the manufacturers need to keep renewing to keep their marketing machine working, so their research and development departments have become an important part of their business.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Most manufacturers have the products divided by type, especially producer who have both engineered marble and engineered quartz plants, so their top level product range will be divided into 2 or 3 groups. In the intermediate level they’ll have range or series, these are named according to the physical characteristics of the colors, the naming is based on the creativity of the marketing department and management. For example, Silestone created a few years ago the platinum series, with all colors using grey shades, this year they are launching the Nebula series, which is a vein series, a base color with a contrasting vein. So most colors in each series will have similarities, these can be made up on shade/color, raw materials used or even technology.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">The naming of the colors, as I said before there is no standard and the creativity of each manufacturer is revealed through this naming effort. Some have used mythology in the names, others use ancient cities, and I’ve even seen Las Vegas casino names. Besides these non-related names to the colors, you will find that some manufacturers will just associate a word to the color, like a beige color is called sabbia (sand in Italian), arena (sand in Spanish), Dune, etc…</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Behind the scenes there is logic behind the color naming process. And one of the latest curiosities, is that currently every producer is looking for the whitest white, and looking for the perfect name to define the color, we have seen colors like Blanco Zeus become Zeus Extreme (Silestone colors that have evolved) and Glaciar become Absolut White (Compacs Color range).</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiik2tts0eisNHMXg13ElPy6LCkPT6JPfJzKEm7tpHIX8eYFaIQ9drlXHjU2GHUaN5vWfeZ0Ez64TcF_ic-BwhIQJhjIPtoPv6lhu32TYYlJuITPL_k365zzdmHT6ThZ6z8tM8qm7RnTLI/s1600/blanco+Zeus+or+extreme+Zeus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiik2tts0eisNHMXg13ElPy6LCkPT6JPfJzKEm7tpHIX8eYFaIQ9drlXHjU2GHUaN5vWfeZ0Ez64TcF_ic-BwhIQJhjIPtoPv6lhu32TYYlJuITPL_k365zzdmHT6ThZ6z8tM8qm7RnTLI/s200/blanco+Zeus+or+extreme+Zeus.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ekLMi4uDDb40nD1cMutSE-DyBeAU1K8JfhQHNQO2VCypYff5GRHbm5Dzb0pV1VhalwYzCv-4UHMOuxkRhhjuhJOlvb-hgewOFF7fqW88cmf_JUZO5_SKwGqZ1XtQvRwmymrKExAKHIY/s1600/Absolut+White.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ekLMi4uDDb40nD1cMutSE-DyBeAU1K8JfhQHNQO2VCypYff5GRHbm5Dzb0pV1VhalwYzCv-4UHMOuxkRhhjuhJOlvb-hgewOFF7fqW88cmf_JUZO5_SKwGqZ1XtQvRwmymrKExAKHIY/s200/Absolut+White.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-12723028934862143032011-05-17T03:05:00.000-07:002011-05-17T03:05:55.098-07:00Creme of Marfil Mable<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Crema of maril marble, is probably one of the most sold natural marble in the World. For those who may not be familiar with it, it has a light beige colour and normally some veins that combine perfectly with the stone. Today I’m dedicating this post to creme of marfil marble. Yes, natural marble, and creme marfil or crema marfil. A few years back a close friend bought creme marfil marble tiles 40 cm x 40 cm for his home. At the time, we had spoken about engineered marble, but he and his wife had the natural stone choice in their mind, and went ahead with the installation. I was invited to the home inauguration party, and it was a really good combination, and the floor looked fine back then regarding: shine, finish, edges, instalment, etc. Well, a few weeks ago, my friend called me and asked for my opinion, after 6 years of living in the home and using it with some care and maintenance, I went to his home and</span> quickly noticed a few things that had happened, namely:</div><ol><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZO0POpEoB_ZRij0a1NQlo92CgdA3mis6fy5bTtHXfRo_M89vYBGujJ8dN6I3j7IWz11ftOqcJbjtLmVbinTScDqzLNWuRS3AKmbWqRxT3a3wKkRNEntwV4T76ymzEC6EFfFusRu84pbI/s1600/crema+marfil+stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZO0POpEoB_ZRij0a1NQlo92CgdA3mis6fy5bTtHXfRo_M89vYBGujJ8dN6I3j7IWz11ftOqcJbjtLmVbinTScDqzLNWuRS3AKmbWqRxT3a3wKkRNEntwV4T76ymzEC6EFfFusRu84pbI/s1600/crema+marfil+stone.jpg" /></a>
<li><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">Big chips of pure stone just jumped out of place</span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">The resin from the veins has changed color, probably due to UV exposure, noticing a horrible effect on the tile</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">Some veins have become small craters as the softer stone has disapeared</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US">The shade of the stone has become uneven, due to some humidity that came in from the ground </span></li>
</ol><ul></ul><ul></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tr39_bnbV0YBZXGM8FpAmkRuwJoQRjbYsxOIh3GvtmgPLNSop9Gy7WH2PONBCe_LpGt2eLf8KnS7sj6FJKjvN7QOa4m2mDC0BxIFT8fmpIooE6ptV6u870zxQIuF5BR33n2xALNsTQg/s1600/creme+of+marfil+marble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tr39_bnbV0YBZXGM8FpAmkRuwJoQRjbYsxOIh3GvtmgPLNSop9Gy7WH2PONBCe_LpGt2eLf8KnS7sj6FJKjvN7QOa4m2mDC0BxIFT8fmpIooE6ptV6u870zxQIuF5BR33n2xALNsTQg/s320/creme+of+marfil+marble.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMdbMd7smwNruEIxNrc13FHSU1bVIqqzYo0k86Wgp62THbe4bJ0WvUL2gq7AnS6EAhKM_jPwopJtm2kDH_jWltIRTSiqvXHwGYTjTnjOi270AgTAqnII5G7moXowqNl-Lmc8ocyyr1LI/s1600/creme+of+marfil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMdbMd7smwNruEIxNrc13FHSU1bVIqqzYo0k86Wgp62THbe4bJ0WvUL2gq7AnS6EAhKM_jPwopJtm2kDH_jWltIRTSiqvXHwGYTjTnjOi270AgTAqnII5G7moXowqNl-Lmc8ocyyr1LI/s320/creme+of+marfil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The creme of marfil marble is a really beautiful natural stone, and in this specific case it has currently several problems, some easy to solve, but others a bit more costly. <br />
To be honest with you, every product has pros and cons, in this case unfortunately due to several factors, problems arose, with the humidity that he has coming in through the ground underneath the floor, I figure he would probably have bigger problems if he installed other products that are less porous than this stone, like engineered quartz or even porcelain tiles.<br />
It's<span lang="EN-US"> not my intention to reveal specific problems with creme marfil marble, it's more to say, choose wisely the product you intend to install. Make sure you follow all the manufacturers requirements to avoid installation problems. Everyone does mistakes and the decision to install a product should be taken seriously, and other aspects besides colour should be carefully evaluated.</span><br />
Sometimes the information available regarding a specific product may be hard to find, in the engineered stone business fortunately it's standard procedure by most manufacturers to have installation, maintenance and care guides. A few years ago, the natural stone business lacked of documentation and certification. Today things have changed, and also natural stones have CE standards to obied. So when buying or installing make sure your creme of marfil marble or any other natural stone has a CE certificate.<br />
<span lang="EN-US"> </span><ul></ul>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-26498913908588280682011-04-20T09:11:00.000-07:002011-04-20T09:11:26.829-07:00Nature by Compac Quartz finally revealed<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>PT</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgSFe2yv0xXqCpzX7SI4KtwLQdE_sEirJ3SqWGXkFcljqvaCnBMn84w9z2MTKK5OhEERFVJjvmtgZ9gt0t7P9wmD3X7BzFfoKuvN3KCN7mscm0ucOF6agGUNybGgdQ8NIr6mfd8gVJdc/s1600/nature+perlino+compac+quartz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgSFe2yv0xXqCpzX7SI4KtwLQdE_sEirJ3SqWGXkFcljqvaCnBMn84w9z2MTKK5OhEERFVJjvmtgZ9gt0t7P9wmD3X7BzFfoKuvN3KCN7mscm0ucOF6agGUNybGgdQ8NIr6mfd8gVJdc/s320/nature+perlino+compac+quartz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Well the big kept secret that not even the personnel at the factory had noticed, and that they’ve been working hard in the last few months to complete and improve for the market debute was the Nature Series.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I try to avoid publicity stunts although this one was really something I enjoyed, as it has some interesting technical work behind it. First the colors which have been chosen for the launch of this new series have natural marble names and are basically imitating the finest marble colors. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Perlino, Negro Portoro, Pierre Bleue, Bianco Carrara, Botticino, Noce, Imperial</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxQCCIaCova_3Co0ot80qYkDCNYLdHUeFORr6veylg5Gmc50MwnyT-U9bNP0gq3scSzfgvz3Kc6EmjVJKxljBP3Eq_XkaUrzm6E7EWfVVF4k7Coo3NaM1amj_24ylzm-1fd1XZ9-Zt2Q/s1600/nature+by+compac+quartz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="24" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxQCCIaCova_3Co0ot80qYkDCNYLdHUeFORr6veylg5Gmc50MwnyT-U9bNP0gq3scSzfgvz3Kc6EmjVJKxljBP3Eq_XkaUrzm6E7EWfVVF4k7Coo3NaM1amj_24ylzm-1fd1XZ9-Zt2Q/s320/nature+by+compac+quartz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAJ49dDtx59jKMBzXURHGEO_SDMQEPM68hVLrZI2S3_koYNkGcVEE_Jp2nLKERZgH42C0XCoXpHWqeO4CvwU3AX647-gIdy51222zJkG6ifQZAKAN-QbQ9Cg_7QHSPtBkN9SNrVCL_nQ/s1600/nature+carrara+compac+quartz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAJ49dDtx59jKMBzXURHGEO_SDMQEPM68hVLrZI2S3_koYNkGcVEE_Jp2nLKERZgH42C0XCoXpHWqeO4CvwU3AX647-gIdy51222zJkG6ifQZAKAN-QbQ9Cg_7QHSPtBkN9SNrVCL_nQ/s320/nature+carrara+compac+quartz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So the nature series is said officially to be made with Bio-Resin, being a nature friendly product which associates natural colors of natural stone with the best that engineered stone has to offer, and with an environmental background.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Technically they say that this new product is more resistant to heat, impact, food natural acids, UV rays, to cut, to erosion, less contraction and less porous. Sounds like a super product which little information is given so far about it, the sales rep part sounds like a Engineered Quartz 2.0 product, however I will continue to gather information to confirm the little public information that at the moment the market has been given.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And to top off this cake with a cherry, they are offering in some markets a coffee machine with your kitchen top, actually marketing is getting a bit out of hand in this engineered stone business.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG7dzEt_sT2dbwQmE8_8JYojQsZUI-x8jwsJTXB-GM4wjcnNTtML0pv67-WShfq7CSMGBShxY-62Mp4KHySFbZOFXSBH9eT_lQli8szauwKeA5P3w4Tg-VGBcYKTm37B0q_1eCLadOiVc/s1600/nature+pierre+bleue+compac+quartz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG7dzEt_sT2dbwQmE8_8JYojQsZUI-x8jwsJTXB-GM4wjcnNTtML0pv67-WShfq7CSMGBShxY-62Mp4KHySFbZOFXSBH9eT_lQli8szauwKeA5P3w4Tg-VGBcYKTm37B0q_1eCLadOiVc/s320/nature+pierre+bleue+compac+quartz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Anyhow back to what is important, I did get a chance to check this material out, the polish looked fine, the fine grain, surely will need more resin than the other Compac Quartz products, unfortunately no technical data available to confirm this. And the type of Bio-Resin is also something I’m going to be looking into. Actually I’ve already started to investigate how bio it really is?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGCUYcYTghsX-qRcw6pfez3eOHeVdqnBEOKy1zCj_k2xymbBfTHshldBxqe7LI6Tl729WF1Bwhf-wL-l0krJpATu8yyHMLzx5Bia5LUSAGJCsKOoBSlnbYrfa2AWNVlZU5Vlak0Og83c/s1600/nature+negro+portoro+compac+quartz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGCUYcYTghsX-qRcw6pfez3eOHeVdqnBEOKy1zCj_k2xymbBfTHshldBxqe7LI6Tl729WF1Bwhf-wL-l0krJpATu8yyHMLzx5Bia5LUSAGJCsKOoBSlnbYrfa2AWNVlZU5Vlak0Og83c/s320/nature+negro+portoro+compac+quartz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I really am waiting to see how fabricators are going to deal with this product, if it is more durable than the other series, they’ll surely have more problems with this one. I await feed-back from my reader on this one, on my end I will continue to investigate. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I know that they’ve have been working very hard and with great secrecy on this nature project, sincerely I was expecting something more …. They speak of quartz, I have serious doubts that the fine grain materials really have high percentages of quartz … I will wait for the official technical information, the website has most of the commercial information, surely the next few weeks will help me fill in the blanks.</span></div>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-61643734740980247362011-04-18T01:13:00.000-07:002011-04-18T06:43:32.337-07:00Eco by Cosentino Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfszxyEdoICNUWM3VjqqXpVMxLJaw30h3fj8xg06fuJnFUWO5xGEb7LxWs7tvyjMHDxLhjsyanBnG4VZ5q2Gf6WkAyf8lMQajoQzxm6aGL6aeaAoU2ncLcycmbva4x-9uhAHb38CvnREw/s1600/eco+by+consentino+review.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfszxyEdoICNUWM3VjqqXpVMxLJaw30h3fj8xg06fuJnFUWO5xGEb7LxWs7tvyjMHDxLhjsyanBnG4VZ5q2Gf6WkAyf8lMQajoQzxm6aGL6aeaAoU2ncLcycmbva4x-9uhAHb38CvnREw/s1600/eco+by+consentino+review.jpg" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US">Many of my readers are currently looking for<b> Eco by Cosentino Reviews</b> ... I had a chance last Friday to review on location at a local fair their product, and I even had a chance to speak with the Lisbon office official for Eco by Cosentino. Anyway, looking at a distance the product looks ok, the problem is when we get into certain details, the sales representative gave me the sales rep speech, which personally I don't like.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">First he said that was Silestone, I told him that it was a Cosentino product called ECO, he corrected himself and said it was a new green Eco product by Cosentino, made up with recycled glass, porcelain and other recycled products, and is bonded together with bio-resin. I had to correct him on a few things, namely that they don’t use 100% bio-resin, so technically he should not be giving that information in that way, but he is a salesman ....</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Another big fat lie this guy told me is that they use 95-97% pure quartz on all their products, I told him that was non-sense, and that most of their products had different formulations and it was closer to 10% resin than any other number, I just regret not getting his name card, he surely needs some Silestone education about the products he is selling.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">The fair was a relatively small fair dedicated in part to stone and construction materials, Silestone or better Cosentino was represented indirectly by a kitchen manufacturer, but their sales personnel were giving support to the kitchen cabinet manufacturer and promoting the Eco and Silestone brand.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">I spent a while checking the Eco by Cosentino product which was actually very nice at a distance. After checking their on-line catalogue the color which I saw at the exhibition was from the Revived Series namely the Riverbed color. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">I found out that they use much more resin than the usually use for normal Silestone products which, doesn't make much sense, but the salesman did say that they don't user fillers on these products which may justify the use of more resin. He also confirmed that the ECO by Cosentino product is also made with the same machinery as the Silestone brand material which should give it some quality.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">However, I noticed a very bad superficial finish, with tiny scratches on the glass, and pinholes which I noticed have been filled with some kind of product. If you pass your hand on a normal Silestone surface and after just run it through the Eco by Cosentino product you will quickly understand what I am trying to explain.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">I figure they have tons of problems polishing let alone making the ECO by Cosentino product.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Quality wise, the normal engineered quartz Silestone brand in my opinion is a better and more durable product than the<a href="http://granitequartz.blogspot.com/2011/02/eco-friendly-countertops-eco-by.html"> ECO by Cosentino</a>, and my review is not a good one for that product as I have viewed it from a technical angle, it looks good on the outside, but when you look up close you'll find problems which need urgent attention by the manufacturer.</span>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-66735629409628508902011-04-14T03:14:00.000-07:002011-04-14T03:14:15.233-07:00Crystalline Silica Quartz : Health Issues<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>PT</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjvGh8ueYoHH1eWTu7xmglZ_5mKSjWccGf8yBW1Te6EWsV6vTQYPrj1H11NyhAB7hD7HXWfHfxcX0espHM2HuDmZHgzBWMMMpvzl30OyeH5w7z2iNsfFN4KIDXMiT57M8ifdn57JmMRo/s1600/Crystilline+Silica.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjvGh8ueYoHH1eWTu7xmglZ_5mKSjWccGf8yBW1Te6EWsV6vTQYPrj1H11NyhAB7hD7HXWfHfxcX0espHM2HuDmZHgzBWMMMpvzl30OyeH5w7z2iNsfFN4KIDXMiT57M8ifdn57JmMRo/s1600/Crystilline+Silica.JPG" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Crystalline silica quartz has a serious health issue. Many of you have not heard of <b>NEPSI</b>, neither have the slightest idea of what it stands for. Well I’m sure you all are aware of the health dangerous behind the use of silica, and today it’s used in several industries, being engineered stone one of them with great exposure. Also granite workshops and other types of materials have similar health hazards issues.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So NEPSI is a European network for silica, on the 26<sup>th</sup> of April of 2006 and important agreement was attained between employers and employees the “Agreement on Workers’ Health Protection Through the Good Handling and Use of Crystalline Products and Products Containing It”. This is a true landmark for health issues regarding the use of Crystalline Silica or as some may frequently see it chemically as SiO2.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Although crystalline silica is little harmful in it’s natural environment, truth is that in a dust state if inhaled it can be very harmful for ones health. And when we look at engineered quartz or granite, and the way it’s fabricated, great hazards may arise if the fabricating units are not of aware of these dangers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The agreement that I mentioned involves several industries, however every fabricating unit for stone is included and my effort goes towards these fabricating units to prevent dangerous to the workers. The main danger is for the worker who inhales the dust that normally originates from the cutting of the countertop or other cut-to-size pieces.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the danger of inhalation may also occur at the installation point, frequently, adjustments have to be made, and small adjustments are made locally in your home, in your kitchen, and anyone who is exposed will inhale this dust that is extremely dangerous to human health.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The consequences of inhalation of this type of dust can in time cause irritations or inflammations of the upper respiratory system, may cause bronchitis, inflammation of the bronchia and of the pulmonary tissues. These cases facilitate the deployment of the harmful effect of toxic, carcinogenic and allergenic dust particles, that occur in the respiratory passages to other organs of the human body. Cancer is a harsh word to use, but it is the main health hazard involved in this issue.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The protection against dangerous caused by silica dust have been in Europe with the Chemical Agents Directive 98/24/EC of 7/4/1998. Basically it indicates the necessity to substitute dangerous particles with others. Silica type substances as a raw material have not been able to be replaced in most of the industries and inclusive and increase in use has been noticed in the last few years, especially regarding the Engineered Stone sector.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s obvious if the dangerous silica dust can not be substituted then it must be, seriously accompanied by the employers involving their health and security personnel, applying measure and physical protection to the workers to minimize health hazards.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Some measures that should be taken:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqLs3OQtalcDzS15UzxMiBRB28B7PRy1XhNzRhz2_M6w6m0iulW6VZ_xG-zeZYcbbtpiDO15O2bNIr0xBZNoxw2IiSL-uv3-ko0Rqy1MumDoA_dcin5_z9Im9x3Q6IMRS1IehIZ6rFK5M/s1600/Silica+health+and+safety.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqLs3OQtalcDzS15UzxMiBRB28B7PRy1XhNzRhz2_M6w6m0iulW6VZ_xG-zeZYcbbtpiDO15O2bNIr0xBZNoxw2IiSL-uv3-ko0Rqy1MumDoA_dcin5_z9Im9x3Q6IMRS1IehIZ6rFK5M/s1600/Silica+health+and+safety.jpg" /></a></div><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Protective respiratory masks should be worn at all times;</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Cutting should be done with water avoiding dust particles;</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Aspiration or vacuum <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>units should be functioning to filter the air of the fabricating units;</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Workers should be aware of the dangerous involved in these operations</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Re-designing work processes to minimize the hazards involved</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The shop floor air should be tested frequently to ensure that the filtering systems are working properly and complying with safety measures</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Health Check-ups on personnel should be done frequently to ensure their safety and health</span></li>
</ul><ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0N2rkvRXO4MMzt7FyUBqOGt6lODnQmY0I-NdSrHARZrXpznLu6-EPNh1iKjIEuGtQxSG85twLhYO9MTz55MKGsUgtqEh1SBj2SeMlXpJXLo31KL35j57gMyHLzplhntTZUk5i2gNPWbk/s1600/Engineered+stone+tile+cutting+unit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0N2rkvRXO4MMzt7FyUBqOGt6lODnQmY0I-NdSrHARZrXpznLu6-EPNh1iKjIEuGtQxSG85twLhYO9MTz55MKGsUgtqEh1SBj2SeMlXpJXLo31KL35j57gMyHLzplhntTZUk5i2gNPWbk/s320/Engineered+stone+tile+cutting+unit.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">All working procedures that involve health and safety are compulsatory, the ruling has to be taken to the limit;</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Cleaning of the workspace, avoid brooms, proper vacuum systems are advised with the proper disposal of the accumulated dust extracted by these equipments.</span></li>
</ul><span lang="EN-US"> </span>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-48413936182748179422011-04-11T09:08:00.000-07:002011-04-11T09:08:10.590-07:00Engineered Quartz : Countertop Edges<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>PT</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It has been a common issue<a href="http://granitequartz.blogspot.com/2011/04/engineered-quartz-counter-top-miter.html"> miter joint</a> skirts and countertop edges, today I’m going to hopeful give you some<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>really interesting<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ways to perfect, other types of <b>countertop edges</b>. As I have said times before in my prior posts, a hidden joint is synonymous to professional perfection.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlD-4i_exZqIw567i4ZFvVcPYWPSh46WdFWz9AIK_9k5Fi6cIZ_d5mvx3SbePI7IMhhXQVvffs-EyI0_rFgEx8RdtWckjuklmerd6HlY2Id7w195RB-EaRc4uHop75e1YBfMkitNRx6wU/s1600/Engineered+stone+joint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlD-4i_exZqIw567i4ZFvVcPYWPSh46WdFWz9AIK_9k5Fi6cIZ_d5mvx3SbePI7IMhhXQVvffs-EyI0_rFgEx8RdtWckjuklmerd6HlY2Id7w195RB-EaRc4uHop75e1YBfMkitNRx6wU/s320/Engineered+stone+joint.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The miter joint skirt works well on some countertops, although other need a wider underneath support for a correct fitting on the cabinet, and in some cases it requires a thick solid edge of 40mm or even 50 mm, that may need a inner width of 100 mm for stability reasons.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So basically in these cases, you will find several ways of doing it, although one of the easiest and following these steps will be near perfection, with little risk of damaging raw materials while working on the counter. We always have to look at the risk we put on the countertop, after all the raw material is quite expensive, and after we have the shade variations, so we have to keep a keen eye on every detail.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Things you will need to make a perfect union, is proper adhesive, it’s normally a bi-component similar to the ones used on your day to day work, although with some special additive due to the fact of being quartz, quartz has very low porosity, for a resin to do a proper and lasting chemical link a chemical additive is used for this effect, anyone interested in this type of information feel free to e-mail me. So we have component 1 as a polyester resin based adhesive glue pigmented to the right color (as I mentioned on my prior post, it’s iron oxide pigment, anyone with some practice can do it easily). The component 2 is a hardening agent, is basically a PBO catalyst paste used to accelerate the hardening of the glue.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Regarding the use of glue, read the instructions carefully, and remember temperature affects the hardening speed, so keep adapting your adhesive glue according to the weather conditions.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As before you’ll need some useful tools and in this case a few rubber tipped clamps and a good worktable.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Clean thoroughly the areas to be glued, make sure they’re as calibrated as possible, the glue like before the thinner the better.After it starts hardening clean the surface of the excess glue.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Some people to avoid the problems the joint area causes, just bevel both ends and use this solution commonly, everyone easily notices that they have been glued together.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">My suggestion which has improved greatly the final finish and quality of the joint, is after gluing the two pieces, do an extra pass on the head polishing machine, and you will see wonders happen, it literally hides the joint fairly well, however it is important that the glue mixture is made to a perfect color combination.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Looking at other improvements that can be made in most countertops, however I know very few of us really want the bother with it and cost to add this feature is never worth it, but I believe it’s really a great add on to the final client. It’s an anti-drip cut underneath the counter. If you spill a glass of water on top of your counter the most probable thing that will happen is that it’ll just drip down your beautiful wood cabinet. With this ant-drip cut, just as we normally do on wall coverings or windowsills, the water will drip directly onto the floor. In this case, avoiding humidity on your kitchen cabinets.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">When it comes to countertops either in granite or engineered stone we have so many options, and so many possibilities, I just hope to contribute with useful information.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-7108534926437880592011-04-07T03:18:00.000-07:002011-04-08T08:42:55.498-07:00Engineered Quartz : Counter top miter joint edge<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">How to miter join two pieces of <b>engineered quartz</b> or granite.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XLu783vI16O94QOuRx5m7CYPUMkSpyY2RnWBrBgwDhPCMU8DgllzXI_PnztFiNpAm9hKI11KNaZ8c54smKeuQqkHQ-cMpLXyS3KwT_XpOfoeJ3kfBKnh-q1SNjOXd8xFDyCntELFrfI/s1600/engineered+stone+miter+joint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XLu783vI16O94QOuRx5m7CYPUMkSpyY2RnWBrBgwDhPCMU8DgllzXI_PnztFiNpAm9hKI11KNaZ8c54smKeuQqkHQ-cMpLXyS3KwT_XpOfoeJ3kfBKnh-q1SNjOXd8xFDyCntELFrfI/s1600/engineered+stone+miter+joint.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">If you are a do it yourself person or even a professional, I think this post will help you on your current projects either a do it yourself countertop edge made of granite or engineered quartz.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I’ve seen several techniques done, and many with really great results. Hiding the joint in a front skirt of a engineered quartz countertop is one of the major problems for all fabricators. I guess some skirts are easier to hide than others; however in this post we will actually focus on the miter cut technique, but there are a few others which may also bring you very positive results. The main objective is to to hide the joint area making the end user believe that it’s a unified piece of engineered quartz or granite. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Before we go ahead with details, it’s important that you choose the appropriate gluing adhesive for the material you plan to glue. Adhesive for marble use is different than the one for engineered quartz, the porosity is different and may pose difficulties to the gluing chemical process. Just as an example doing a basin out of engineered stone can be a great disaster if you do not use the appropriate technique with the gluing process, the continuous humid, dry, heat, cold processes will gradually destroy the linkage between the several engineered stone pieces.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">As I already mention we will be dealing directly with miter type joints, in my opinion one that requires perfect cutting accuracy but in the end will give you a fabulous result. I will try to the best of my knowledge explain the correct way to actually do a perfect job. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">What is a miter type joint?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">A miter joint is made up with a perfect 90º angle, by joining two separate pieces of engineered stone (or any other product for the general matter) with a 45º angle on each one. Gluing them together we will end up a perfect 90º angle piece of stone.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0Kxqdy6MyADfnO-tp1JDx_mGzVJd3oQB-TFuY7kiK_SDjCymSAqbPlNUhXjMNAD5VTPyP1TrrGDvA-1MknihDQ-ecYskixRMheDkLE6Uq9zJ-Sig30WzZ0CNeLbCSXXkn8FGseKFdHU/s1600/Engineered+quartz+miter+cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0Kxqdy6MyADfnO-tp1JDx_mGzVJd3oQB-TFuY7kiK_SDjCymSAqbPlNUhXjMNAD5VTPyP1TrrGDvA-1MknihDQ-ecYskixRMheDkLE6Uq9zJ-Sig30WzZ0CNeLbCSXXkn8FGseKFdHU/s200/Engineered+quartz+miter+cut.jpg" width="176" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">Gluing miter type joints</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">A miter type of joint are one of the easiest to actually hide the joint area. It’s main characteristic is to give your worktop a side view of a great thickness, since standard thicknesses for quartz slabs are between 1,2 and 3 cm, some like a 4cm view. However there are some important things you should be careful while preparing the pieces to cut and glue:</span></div><ul><li><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span lang="EN-US">The longer the piece the more difficult it is to get a perfect job done, use auxiliary tools to help you with this tough job, scrapples and hooks will be needed to hold the pieces in place during the gluing process and a good worktable will also be essential.</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Perfect cutting, the 45º cut on both ends will have to be perfect as they’ll have to be joined together to make a perfect 90º angle.</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span lang="EN-US">The adhesive glue, should not be too thick as it’s thickness will also increase the joint area and therefore make it difficult to hide, so make a relatively liquid paste for this type of gluing.</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US">Make sure you adapt the color of your paste to the color of the stone, use iron oxide pigments for the job, make certain the color is well balanced . Some manufacturers will sell you putty or professional glue already mixed to the right color, with some experience in mixing colors you may easily dominate this and be independent. (in my example it's yellow)</span></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxWj_Ssu5F0-QM_vPt-Z_zeP2oetn6hymrztkfuo_p2OYFlpznth6aR4MVFjIbh1x4rmFEe4as-LbLwHjWiAoAPNNOJlhKa-B_dcC2CBnEg9xvpSRxv422xj0Om1RDMoU80bLhM_Bd8I/s1600/miter+cutting+gluing+process.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxWj_Ssu5F0-QM_vPt-Z_zeP2oetn6hymrztkfuo_p2OYFlpznth6aR4MVFjIbh1x4rmFEe4as-LbLwHjWiAoAPNNOJlhKa-B_dcC2CBnEg9xvpSRxv422xj0Om1RDMoU80bLhM_Bd8I/s1600/miter+cutting+gluing+process.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span lang="EN-US">Now the trick that will definitely hide the joint is the beveling of the edge, beveling the joint corner will disguise everything and make your job perfect. So a do it yourself granite or engineered quartz countertop may end up looking very professional, all you need is to follow some simple steps and precision cutting to ensure a really great countertop edge.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHhbvwPdMWITEEooqCRVes58WquC_K8jm90yOreW_CeE9K8KzOMhsGiutWK8s3Ct7HKLwNp5vjOoTglOOP7kySH2KsiJHP6p0iBCLpzWE6a22AushetFZv0Wb4W_JLMWrvivz29ebIRA/s1600/Engineered+quartz+miter+cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHhbvwPdMWITEEooqCRVes58WquC_K8jm90yOreW_CeE9K8KzOMhsGiutWK8s3Ct7HKLwNp5vjOoTglOOP7kySH2KsiJHP6p0iBCLpzWE6a22AushetFZv0Wb4W_JLMWrvivz29ebIRA/s320/Engineered+quartz+miter+cut.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><br />
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</div>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-64929003241899054742011-04-06T08:21:00.000-07:002011-04-06T08:21:21.303-07:00Silestone most sold colors in the US?Today it's my turn to ask my readers for help, a very close friend has asked me a question. Which are the most sold colors in the North American markets from the Silestone series, well I need any help I can get for this answer. So please place a useful comment regarding this matter.<br />
In Europe, or better in my own country which is Portugal, the colors that sell are basically white, grey and beige, due to price, and on the top end due to quality and enhancement we have pure white and pure black colors. This a my general idea that I can apply locally with a very reasonably way of justifying 80% of sales of any engineered quartz producer selling in my local market.<br />
But what I am trying to find out is in the US / North America, is this also the color trend for Silestone specifically?<br />
My blog has been more of giving than taking, but I really would like to understand other markets behaviour regarding sales and color trends, if anyone can add useful information I will deeply appreciate it. As always, and people who have dealt with me personally, I try my best to help without asking nothing in return. Well, until now, I really need some help from you, knowledgeable readers who I admire and inspire me to continue this one end crusade of blog writing.<br />
Thank you very much for your time and effort. Stay tuned to my posts, I've been working on a few simultaneously which has reduced my output, but I believe it'll have some interesting information for the industry.Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-43492036141977417042011-03-29T02:40:00.000-07:002011-03-29T02:40:37.086-07:00Engineered Quartz : Material Safety Data Sheet ( MSDS )<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>PT</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b>Engineered quartz</b> like most products and substances should be accompanied by a material safety data sheet, or MSDS. This document is objectively to help both workers and eventual emergency personnel, in any emergency procedure caused by handling or working the engineered quartz. As we will see, these documents may include a variety of information regarding the product itself, in some cases due to the physical characteristics of the product some may not be applied. The MSDS information sheet should include information about the product, health effects, first aid procedures, storage and handling, protective equipment, besides other important information in dealing with the product in extreme abnormal situations.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJSjeOhnFqVJHmEuGJpwIInBky2yJTNe8tMKmXEbpoDSiQe0q2d4NH2goe5boI3-jU1ocgnyOtYoQZp4Iix_ve1fZcgKbxgtoelZbnsQTSGjhryyJiUaAkaO7LOsduR7EPQqT6qo5vGQ/s1600/Engineered+quartz+material+safety+sheet+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJSjeOhnFqVJHmEuGJpwIInBky2yJTNe8tMKmXEbpoDSiQe0q2d4NH2goe5boI3-jU1ocgnyOtYoQZp4Iix_ve1fZcgKbxgtoelZbnsQTSGjhryyJiUaAkaO7LOsduR7EPQqT6qo5vGQ/s640/Engineered+quartz+material+safety+sheet+1.jpg" width="384" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxEJXIfQJiI-rd82LKj4UkYkmSAzk6biNx9cCVzxkU3tViyOptPXsLRio1wQ9la_T_Y2km_JALi5NqTSHhgsxT3mEUjmc1YSws6EhGM-GC4xPS_UXDOvy3vffYTKsUyRcuWCouH4qSEo/s1600/Engineered+quartz+material+safety+sheet+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxEJXIfQJiI-rd82LKj4UkYkmSAzk6biNx9cCVzxkU3tViyOptPXsLRio1wQ9la_T_Y2km_JALi5NqTSHhgsxT3mEUjmc1YSws6EhGM-GC4xPS_UXDOvy3vffYTKsUyRcuWCouH4qSEo/s640/Engineered+quartz+material+safety+sheet+2.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiM8MCsrRIZxulc4xr9xmktoyc6zv6oXiNKaDto0SF1rnlX252WQVfK0oso3sAYVHLnP9kDDvMDyAcmuGubtLqcjfUEd1hxfSH0GhyzrNOX5v5gVvk5NWK_SknsZ1CBorkMU-5QSwc0wI/s1600/Engineered+quartz+material+safety+sheet+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiM8MCsrRIZxulc4xr9xmktoyc6zv6oXiNKaDto0SF1rnlX252WQVfK0oso3sAYVHLnP9kDDvMDyAcmuGubtLqcjfUEd1hxfSH0GhyzrNOX5v5gVvk5NWK_SknsZ1CBorkMU-5QSwc0wI/s640/Engineered+quartz+material+safety+sheet+3.jpg" width="390" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmUyhZk1bovercTQhvcRhyphenhyphenKlUoA9TIRvQF4iNNeJcpVfh5-QrX1MD37qJJ7RmL1ZUDAsaXzl93eZS2e3nlZYj3FYRyZb-RMnMNg868ktOhjB5XK2z3g0elSHvyPHnGHAiMjfEQngg2vE/s1600/Engineered+quartz+material+safety+sheet+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmUyhZk1bovercTQhvcRhyphenhyphenKlUoA9TIRvQF4iNNeJcpVfh5-QrX1MD37qJJ7RmL1ZUDAsaXzl93eZS2e3nlZYj3FYRyZb-RMnMNg868ktOhjB5XK2z3g0elSHvyPHnGHAiMjfEQngg2vE/s640/Engineered+quartz+material+safety+sheet+4.jpg" width="406" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The MSDS document is really a pro-forma which should contain important information regarding the product which may include the following information:</span></div><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Identify the substance or product correctly</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The name of the manufacturer, including complete address and phone contacts</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Identify the composition of the product or substance, especially if any is hazardous. In engineered quartz slabs it should mention quartz and it’s chemical designation SiO2. And may include other substances that are hazardous if any. In many cases, only quartz will be mentioned</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Hazard Notification should be expressly mentioned: in the case of engineered quartz it’s not considered hazardous according to the NOHSC criteria</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">First Aid Measures: A long list of first aid measures will be written out namely in case of:</span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Inhalation: may be necessary first aid if inhalation is during a cutting process with inappropriate water dust extraction systems. The person should be transferred to a open area, certified that all airways are clear and oxygen mask may be used if the victim suffers from breathing difficulty. Specialized medical attention is required.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Ingestion: if dust is ingested, seek medical attention if symptoms develop </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Skin contact: after cutting wash off with soap and water, if any symptoms occur seek medical attention </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">d.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Eye contact: was dust with clean water, if symptoms develop seek medical attention</span></div><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Fire Fighting Issues</span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 70.8pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Extinguishing: powder type extinguishers, in general the material is very hardly flammable</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 70.8pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Special Exposure risks: not explosive, however at 490ºC or higher the product will auto ignite. However the quartz composition in the agglomerate stone will extinguish the flame, so the product will disintegrate giving out a smoke effect.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 70.8pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Protective equipment: standard equipment</span></div><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Accidental release measures</span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If a large quantity of dust is released for some non predicted reason, and if such spill may contaminate water ways, local environmental authorities should be evolved to minimize impacts. In house dust release requires appropriate mask protection to sustain the origin and stabilize the area.</span></div><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Handling and Storage</span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Due to the dimensions and weight involved personnel should follow all safety instruction while handling engineered quartz slabs.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Safety boots and gloves are obligatory, and all storage safety measure should be complied accordingly.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Namely avoid staking pallets and don’t stack more than 28 slabs on the same A-frame. It’s also advisable to avoid exterior warehousing of these types of materials, the damage caused by heat and weathering may cause permanent damage to the product.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">These are some of the information that may be included in material safety data sheets, it depends on the manufacturers and the clients needs for such information. Many of the information included in these documents can be seen on fabricators manuals and other technical information documents that the manufacturer usually distributes to clients and other market agents.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Engineered quartz have serious issues regarding manufacturing, these I will focuss on a post dedicated to that specific matter, the material safety data sheet is a document that normally follows with shipping documents. Each manufacturer includes more or less information according to what they establish as important an useful, in general most products, engineered quartz, made using the same type of technology, and with similar raw-material base, will in theory have similar material safety sheet data.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJ9NXm2BGOrdsxhaRv2Chp2Dw7e8yyy6fdKzAJneyE7jUTCcm2A8QluvBFfggGTD73o46KEa3E5mT9vxksTf0vFgonHZdXjVvhR1g9cdOFXrBG5PF1pwWkb3WxK1UzsBy8nnjjtITw8A/s1600/Engineered+quartz+MSDS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJ9NXm2BGOrdsxhaRv2Chp2Dw7e8yyy6fdKzAJneyE7jUTCcm2A8QluvBFfggGTD73o46KEa3E5mT9vxksTf0vFgonHZdXjVvhR1g9cdOFXrBG5PF1pwWkb3WxK1UzsBy8nnjjtITw8A/s640/Engineered+quartz+MSDS.jpg" width="426" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9OIFDiBDNJV8QBIJCfWhK2jC2FK2w03zVExHh3d3WDdcMAImSPBqp3KJmvUERVyza6vwthZLKkJtGF_zet1RmUJEhYsS3IDdGIEFDKIR2U-4Kr46X5o5kdO17hElFD6hH2tsNu9zzKcA/s1600/engineered+quartz+MSDS+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9OIFDiBDNJV8QBIJCfWhK2jC2FK2w03zVExHh3d3WDdcMAImSPBqp3KJmvUERVyza6vwthZLKkJtGF_zet1RmUJEhYsS3IDdGIEFDKIR2U-4Kr46X5o5kdO17hElFD6hH2tsNu9zzKcA/s640/engineered+quartz+MSDS+2.jpg" width="508" /></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nqhdfRdoL8QlHvcSTcmgc_2OdvGMxuSuKrgheeKHKleICRw7_ZJ97mx-WKw_soQBc-d1kXEE3obnVnfEztqgQ2n7YXaiDi8bqIg-U-vkqs0b3kaG7me72K4Fc7q5KimdzukCcMT8dm0/s1600/NSF+certified.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nqhdfRdoL8QlHvcSTcmgc_2OdvGMxuSuKrgheeKHKleICRw7_ZJ97mx-WKw_soQBc-d1kXEE3obnVnfEztqgQ2n7YXaiDi8bqIg-U-vkqs0b3kaG7me72K4Fc7q5KimdzukCcMT8dm0/s1600/NSF+certified.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The majority of the <b>engineered quartz</b> manufacturers have applied for <b>NSF certification</b>, so why is this important? NSF stands for National Sanitation Foundation, a non profit organization which helps certify and create standards for food, water and other consumer goods. It’s an independent organization with a commitment to provide education and research in the public health and safety fields.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Due to the fact that most engineered quartz applications are directly for kitchen countertop use, it has been of the utmost importance to certify it regarding<span> </span>consumer health and safety. So we have seen gradually every engineered quartz producer certifying their products with NSF certification.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSm073d7ZSJ4NCIksSeibsAvwsnuPEiE9uNFJ46ant3kf3khnd47SDfzXWCW9ZtzdlIddRIxNAhg57oafpb0h6VBTTVHgYjYPAlbkwA6Sc6GtJv7TFnaqA4HMOTkapk4l67OUYCEDjdD8/s1600/Silestone+NSF+certified.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSm073d7ZSJ4NCIksSeibsAvwsnuPEiE9uNFJ46ant3kf3khnd47SDfzXWCW9ZtzdlIddRIxNAhg57oafpb0h6VBTTVHgYjYPAlbkwA6Sc6GtJv7TFnaqA4HMOTkapk4l67OUYCEDjdD8/s320/Silestone+NSF+certified.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">NSF certification is physically noticed through a mark, due to the large range of products that may be certified its very common to find it in many, consumer, industrial and commercial products. So many products are subject to this certification, from bottled water, appliances, plumbing to kitchen countertops. The NSF certification mark is an assurance that the product has been tested by an independent entity, that certifies it as a safe product to use which regards to your family health and safety.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">On their website you may confirm the product tested, I ran a search for Silestone products and it returned a full list of colours that have been tested by NSF. So the product itself was certified as a solid surface for food zone use and the standard applied was the NSF/ANSI Standard 051 –Food Equipment Materials. The results also specify that all food contact types were tested and the maximum temperature in use is F 300º. It is also added that this product can be used with a leather finish, and is intended to be used as a table or countertop, and is not intended for food conservation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">So basically the NSF certification defines the type of use a product may have when in contact with food in this case, which assures the end user that the product is safe and healthy for the approved application.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">So if you are buying a kitchen countertop, the NSF certification may be an important thing to view, being that most manufacturers do have it, I believe that some products with shadier origins may have difficulty in attaining such a certification.</span></div>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-90818273965212074842011-03-21T03:39:00.000-07:002011-03-21T03:39:47.085-07:00Kitchen Worktops – From a Supply Chain Perspective<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Many of us when shopping for <b>kitchen worktops</b> feel that the price for a granite or an engineered quartz kitchen top is a bit too much. So I decided to post a supply chain perspective for kitchen worktops, surely it will help explain the value stream of this product.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">It’s important for buyers to value the kitchen worktops correctly, confidence in quality products is essential to maintain a long lasting satisfaction. We will be focusing specially on granite and engineered quartz kitchen worktops, being that the supply chain starts off at different points, but ends up in the same sales channels.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQa_DMIdcvhdkPWiqKsf2IsEwaCKHk1PQhG25UPqs9HIgpFV_sSaXnUPOnrwuM_mbLet2PvtVO3AXu1IaCYEC67xpLanl8ZzSCSmX11ag85DLmd-q-jrOM5X0x9kwUdXNEmaUdbYvZSA/s1600/granite+kitchen+worktops.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQa_DMIdcvhdkPWiqKsf2IsEwaCKHk1PQhG25UPqs9HIgpFV_sSaXnUPOnrwuM_mbLet2PvtVO3AXu1IaCYEC67xpLanl8ZzSCSmX11ag85DLmd-q-jrOM5X0x9kwUdXNEmaUdbYvZSA/s1600/granite+kitchen+worktops.jpg" /></a><span lang="EN-US"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The end price of a kitchen worktop is effected by many factors, besides quality of the raw material, technology implied to manufacture, professional assistance to the sale, installation supervision and control, etc.,etc.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">A great while before your kitchen worktop gets installed in your beautiful kitchen, it all starts in the quarry, the granite is extracted in giant blocks, leading to the slab manufacturers to cut and polish.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAI0_lZJv5l4hiF1J6POYu6Q0l7w3ts8RCQ4sf1LJbBVX9-RcvC9lGKtCIV6WPBw-HiWNq8XEgCSLYD4xMltSmgOVXm9PbC1heYFzTs-GqPHj_6Cif4I_iOiSYTMkwqJNarYERnwdOkDg/s1600/quartz+kitchen+worktops.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAI0_lZJv5l4hiF1J6POYu6Q0l7w3ts8RCQ4sf1LJbBVX9-RcvC9lGKtCIV6WPBw-HiWNq8XEgCSLYD4xMltSmgOVXm9PbC1heYFzTs-GqPHj_6Cif4I_iOiSYTMkwqJNarYERnwdOkDg/s320/quartz+kitchen+worktops.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">While the engineered stone also starts off at the quartz quarries, although it then is grinded into specific grit sizes. The quartz grit and other components are the input at <a href="http://granitequartz.blogspot.com/2011/02/engineered-quartz-guided-tour.html">engineered stone plants</a>, being the output high quality engineered quartz slabs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">As you may imagine before your kitchen countertop arrives and is installed in your kitchen it goes through several companies and stages, at this point we are at the polished slab stage, being from here on granite and engineered quartz have similar paths. As both are manufactured from this point on with similar tooling and use the same sales channels to arrive at the end users home.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The slabs are then shipped to slab distributors who wholesale slabs to the manufacturing industry. And from this point on we may find several sales channels available. The kitchen countertop manufacturers may service the consumer, however due to the necessity of scale sales, and to the whole installation involved they tend to avoid the direct channel to the end customer. So they tend to service the market through intermediate businesses, having in some cases market channels directly to contractors and developers, who coordinate the kitchen countertops with cabinet manufacturers.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtUs2kYhU0y9FH-u6XGMgCjab8VP4mWptjBFMWLlE721l2PlGEZfpKrX-Kt8Ym5BHRyZ0XKbeqGNijw-6JiUKtTqxj0xRxKhKYRCyb8YRhYN21osOGilb7FbsSVgf4KlBZrlZfeu1cHo/s1600/Engineered+quartz+slab+warehouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtUs2kYhU0y9FH-u6XGMgCjab8VP4mWptjBFMWLlE721l2PlGEZfpKrX-Kt8Ym5BHRyZ0XKbeqGNijw-6JiUKtTqxj0xRxKhKYRCyb8YRhYN21osOGilb7FbsSVgf4KlBZrlZfeu1cHo/s320/Engineered+quartz+slab+warehouse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">At the next level we may find a few types of business which focus on the end customer, either directly or as we mentioned before through contractors and developers, due to the quantities involved and the constant stream of sales from the latter, they both have particular features. While on one end we have a better price paid by the end consumer, on the other hand we will have volumes, which will imply scale and bigger earnings.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The types of businesses we may find at this level may be: Kitchen and Bath Dealers, Cabinet Shop, Installer Reseller, Big-Box Store. So on one end we see installers and on the other side retailers. Some will focus on certain niche markets, like the contracting and developing market, these tend to syndicate their orders to approved suppliers. The end customer will certainly need to visit a few showrooms to help decide and view some options available.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Regarding the kitchen countertops specifically, obviously from country to country things may be slightly different, but in general the sales channels defined are the major outlets for kitchen countertops.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The businesses who service the market will tend to carry a few (one or two, rarely more) brands of engineered stone, with a sample collection to help the clients selection, while granite type will have a wide selection of samples organized by colour. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Some important features to look for when buying kitchen worktops:</span></div><ul><li><span lang="EN-US">Be </span><span lang="EN-US">sure you choose your kitchen countertop material correctly, ask all questions regarding the material and especially all needed maintenance, if it has a brand name, look it up on the Internet, see if it has positive reviews</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US">Be certain</span><span lang="EN-US"> that the installation is serviced by professionals, many problems occur during installation, so supervise this phase closely, make sure they don’t try to hide mistakes</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US"><span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Look over your countertops material carefully, make sure there are no pours, cracks or other defects</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-US"><span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Check edges next to the backsplash walls, make sure the gap is acceptable, many tend to use a strip of material as a mini backsplash, however in most cases it is to hide countertop size imperfections;</span></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJkm0wzZSAJ5uSXCheKXwvjFQLMSTeoaFPxMLQuYlXuIotKq959Bk6ueNmV07WXA-IzQz4r1TzMu0I9YOpRBT2zlhzLul0pxcHMushu6S6PVljFjR5I5i6AurH1f5vtvCDvg3O86cSyw/s1600/kitchen+worktop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><ul><li style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span lang="EN-US"><span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Check the areas where the countertop is amended, in most kitchens the countertops are divided into a few pieces, make sure that the division made is logic, this means the least possible number of pieces, and also, verify the joint, make sure it’s well disguised and not fully visible.</span></li>
<li style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span lang="EN-US"> Another important thing about the joint area, is that both pieces should have the same thickness on the visible end, so check to see if they two pieces are perfectly calibrated.</span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJkm0wzZSAJ5uSXCheKXwvjFQLMSTeoaFPxMLQuYlXuIotKq959Bk6ueNmV07WXA-IzQz4r1TzMu0I9YOpRBT2zlhzLul0pxcHMushu6S6PVljFjR5I5i6AurH1f5vtvCDvg3O86cSyw/s1600/kitchen+worktop.jpg" /></li>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJkm0wzZSAJ5uSXCheKXwvjFQLMSTeoaFPxMLQuYlXuIotKq959Bk6ueNmV07WXA-IzQz4r1TzMu0I9YOpRBT2zlhzLul0pxcHMushu6S6PVljFjR5I5i6AurH1f5vtvCDvg3O86cSyw/s1600/kitchen+worktop.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
</a></ul>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-61130615315189491552011-03-11T02:41:00.001-08:002011-03-11T03:37:14.519-08:00Top 5 Engineered Stone Brands on online search engines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaiVjST2LWAncL0bDGQamOVM1t3gJeOGSwSSjhqH4Qw3hAzKgwK79vArS_zMwColU7DS8qXKMSEETZbfezZJHic-IVQmI7QhVwYQIsvui8SChvU43ZxsW4zX7Ow-tlViGtVNr-lAbSmGs/s1600/engineered+stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaiVjST2LWAncL0bDGQamOVM1t3gJeOGSwSSjhqH4Qw3hAzKgwK79vArS_zMwColU7DS8qXKMSEETZbfezZJHic-IVQmI7QhVwYQIsvui8SChvU43ZxsW4zX7Ow-tlViGtVNr-lAbSmGs/s1600/engineered+stone.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've written a few times about marketing and <b>engineered stone</b>, although the industry itself is far from being in the spotlight of this digital era, some brands are already in the lead. A Internet study has defined the top 5 brands in the engineered stone industry with higher online exposure. I personally believe that the online exposure of some engineered stone brands, is due to the great marketing skills they apply off-line. So, when someone looks up in a search engine an engineered stone by its brand name, this means that they know exactly what they are looking for, it's also a result of the excellent efforts made by the branding of that product.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>So which are the top 5 engineered stone brands most searched on the Internet?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Viewing this list, the top position may not be a surprise for most of us, but we will end up with useful conclusions regarding which brands of engineered stone are commonly searched for on line.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>1st Place : Silestone</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silestone is the engineered stone brand with more online exposure, every month we have more than 250.000 searches, this means that the end consumer marketing is working well, the brand is being recognized not only by the market operators but by the end clients themselves.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">No doubt that Silestone has in the past been a pioneer, their marketing skills are the best in the industry, leaving their direct competitors far behind.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>2nd Place: CaesarStone</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 2nd we have CaesarStone, especially due to their great exposure in the US, they appear to have very good results, currently more than 110.000 searches per month are done with the word CaesarStone (either alone or in a phrase). They've got a good image with the public, and really have a unique marketing skill, centered specifically on the product, while Silestone strategy tends to focus on people, events and special features.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>3rd Place: Zodiaq</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A Dupont brand, reveals a good marketing and branding strategy, it ranked 3rd in search engine, although the number of average searches for this engineered stone brand is just below 30.000. Dupont also owns Corian brand for solid surfaces, the Zodiaq brand is far from the on-line relevance of the Corian brand, Zodiaq has a long way to go to catch up with its sister brand.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>4th Place: Stone Italiana</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Incredible, Stone Italiana is the first Italian producer of this list, for International leaders as they assume to be (Italian manufacturers), looks like marketing and branding has been left behind. I think that this may be important to reflect on, especially marketing managers of the engineered stone industry. Stone Italiana has just over 20.000 searches per month.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We may question why Stone Italiana is well quoted, I do admire Stone Italiana, they have really good quality and very innovative products, I figure they may even be leaders in innovation, so the brand has become relevant to the market.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHk7R_kvixTNz7KP6u4YX4ZmXISVrE0R5h1vHeMPj3SEwgb32yVbhFsm2VBDDqj8IxjtWCM__Pb_oTGd9nyAYz89VYv9LLeU77iZa-_Jybpyfdo2p0ltn09y2sFQKjeYIPUErBSqfUwEg/s1600/Compac+quartz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHk7R_kvixTNz7KP6u4YX4ZmXISVrE0R5h1vHeMPj3SEwgb32yVbhFsm2VBDDqj8IxjtWCM__Pb_oTGd9nyAYz89VYv9LLeU77iZa-_Jybpyfdo2p0ltn09y2sFQKjeYIPUErBSqfUwEg/s1600/Compac+quartz.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>5th Place: Compac Marble & Quartz</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With just a bit more than 15.000 searches, we have Compac Marble & Quartz (Marmol Compac), they've been doing a relevant job in marketing, however I think that the name change a few years back, and other issues regarding their branding has made it difficult for people to easily recognize their brand name. I guess that this 5th position is probably not according to their budget spent on marketing, but sincerely I think their branding is not easy to understand by the general public and most of the market agents. Some call them Compac, others still refer to them as Marmol Compac.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just an overview of the data, Silestone brand is top in this league, followed well behind by CaesarStone. The other brands have a really low exposure, but I believe that the digital era for engineered stone has not began for most manufacturers. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">This study excludes solid surface material like Corian, Avonite, Staron and others, although Corian for example has a great search engine exposure and brings in more than 500.000 searches a month, which is an impressive figure.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Italian engineered stone industry is far behind in this web 2.0 era, the brands are not as recognized as others, they may have much to learn from these 5 good examples. </div>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-11988737481333707432011-03-09T04:23:00.000-08:002011-03-09T04:31:59.238-08:00Compac Marble and Quartz – Marmol Compac<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Who is who in the engineered stone business? </span><span lang="EN-US"><b>Compac Quartz</b>, <b>Compac Marble</b> and<b> Marmol Compac</b> are all sales brands of one of the biggest<b> engineered stone</b> manufacturers in Europe. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIw4K9eIjZ5klmnuigeQXJZZkTii5dOBGiiT2rPIxUBmaoelgpKHRm_4WPwD4rc13kTl7dPXY4_3FhX6niXR5fCpr9VM_uQyFPa8Q2fo5tSTaOuTFxLsyQfF1SV78Bc9qssUt5El3apg/s1600/Marmol+compac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIw4K9eIjZ5klmnuigeQXJZZkTii5dOBGiiT2rPIxUBmaoelgpKHRm_4WPwD4rc13kTl7dPXY4_3FhX6niXR5fCpr9VM_uQyFPa8Q2fo5tSTaOuTFxLsyQfF1SV78Bc9qssUt5El3apg/s320/Marmol+compac.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcdtF8s_eWwZYDMhQ11o4XLQPxP-ZL2bAfl0KziJf3R_FK7T_KxOEF1zk6KkF49CyKXgpd6WeAnOWRVYRAqMolHCzGj0dpmMs_4h1XuIl_kGWE3MpArxIVtj7WNpV6cxTbwV97MXU2-I/s1600/Compac+Quartz+headquarters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcdtF8s_eWwZYDMhQ11o4XLQPxP-ZL2bAfl0KziJf3R_FK7T_KxOEF1zk6KkF49CyKXgpd6WeAnOWRVYRAqMolHCzGj0dpmMs_4h1XuIl_kGWE3MpArxIVtj7WNpV6cxTbwV97MXU2-I/s1600/Compac+Quartz+headquarters.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Commonly known as Marmol Compac due to its origin, as this group began manufacturing engineered stone in 1975. Its engineered marble plant is located in Spain, just South of Valencia. In truth it still is the main headquarters for all operations, although, most of the production output and invoicing is generated in their Portuguese plant called Silicalia. Here they have a engineered quartz manufacturing plant with 4 production lines running and a fifth one bought (running market information). Silicalia is located in the central part of Portugal far from any major city, as also is known that they had several benefits from the local town to install their factory in their county. In terms of industrial expansion, they are planning to install an engineered marble plant near Baza, close to Almeria. Although due to market expectations they’ve only settled for a nice big sign next to a major motorway.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Silicalia was installed in Portugal due to contract limitations. Breton, the Italian manufacturers of the machinery and owner of the technology and know-how, set up an exclusive agreement with Cosentino Group ( Silestone brand), giving them a manufacturing and know-how exclusive rights, this exclusivity is indexed to the quantity of quartz production lines bought, being two years for each one. Therefore, Cosentino started production in the 90s, and currently they have 11 production lines installed, so that’s 22 years of exclusive manufacturing. Nevertheless, Quarella also has an engineered quartz plant in the Northern part of Spain called Prestige, they’ve been excluded of such agreement, as they are the oldest engineered quartz plant operating in Spain.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">So Marmol Compac, the original name, was given due to the engineered marble technology they bought a few decades ago. By accumulating engineered marble and engineered quartz in their core business, the name Marmol Compac was changed to Compac Marble and Quartz. Engineered stone companies producing both engineered marble and engineered quartz in Europe are few, being Marmol Compac in the top 5 positions regarding production capacity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Compac Marble and Quartz is a family managed enterprise, that is based on a warehousing sales strategy, as most of their sales originate in Spain. They’ve set up an owned warehousing distribution units all over Spain, and have expanded this strategy to the United Kingdom. Although I did hear recently that the operation in the United Kingdom was in great difficulty and in the eminence of closing the warehousing units in this market. They also have their own US distribution system set up.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ohn7t380Yi2Z0l0okjkaBclrozoOaq7m_6tNJHluhwIsIYm37Odv65IKWx2WKaAjXZQqYVlza0W3VTktaWfP1z1GrdC-w2CB5i2Hdt6pOo1_rLl8YrF3LZ6AclSodon9rzEDJ_IljqM/s1600/Compac+Quartz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ohn7t380Yi2Z0l0okjkaBclrozoOaq7m_6tNJHluhwIsIYm37Odv65IKWx2WKaAjXZQqYVlza0W3VTktaWfP1z1GrdC-w2CB5i2Hdt6pOo1_rLl8YrF3LZ6AclSodon9rzEDJ_IljqM/s1600/Compac+Quartz.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Compac Marble and Quartz have been one of the most innovative companies in this sector, they have a very good R&D team. They’ve created some very unique colours, one of my favorites is Silver, a grey colour with very light sparkles, in my opinion, it’s a great result of extensive R&D. I have a photo of it, although just looking at it you will not see how profound the colour is.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">They’ve also have evolved in white colours and have currently on of the best pure white colours in the market. In marketing they’ve followed Silestones foot steps and have used VIPs in promoting their products, although still quite behind Silestone, but I’d give them a 2<sup>nd</sup> place worldwide in marketing.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFp6ALU_QjgF6o9su_UnVcSIuQjVZyomUOahl7Exk5puqVUvqKUFr3VPXSbpD4PqXDAC9i0pPyUdEG4CmpVOlhvvlMTaMLgHDV4XzFuYuJNPtq6nH6hDFgVp2UFI90WIo-tLLBkSRlFts/s1600/Compac+quartz+marmol+compac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFp6ALU_QjgF6o9su_UnVcSIuQjVZyomUOahl7Exk5puqVUvqKUFr3VPXSbpD4PqXDAC9i0pPyUdEG4CmpVOlhvvlMTaMLgHDV4XzFuYuJNPtq6nH6hDFgVp2UFI90WIo-tLLBkSRlFts/s1600/Compac+quartz+marmol+compac.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Compac Marble and Quartz has also innovated in distribution, they’ve opened two outlet type warehouses for second choice slabs, discontinued colours and other excess stock. The prices are really good, however you are limited to the existing stock.</span></div>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-34784705349036207072011-03-03T05:41:00.000-08:002011-03-03T05:41:03.825-08:00Water Jet Cutting : Stone Cutting<!--[if !mso]> <style>
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</style> <![endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Using <b>water jet cutting system</b> to cut natural or engineered stone may be one of the top listed innovations in stone cutting machinery technology. It started out as a very expensive way for stone cutting, although due a gradual price reduction on machinery and an increase offer of cutting services, it is actually relatively affordable and in many situations may save you money.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Water jet cutting systems, can be used in several ways, one way is to design specific shapes that would be more costly or impossible to do with other machinery, like a CNC for example. The designing capable of being made with this technology is virtually limitless, although in many cases the resistance of the stone is the greatest limitation. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">The use of engineered stone in water jet cutting designs is a great asset; it's highly resistant compared to any natural stone. Anyone who has worked with engineered stone knows that the product is really resistant, you can actually cut a 2m rod 2 cm x 2 cm, with a good resistance to shock, in most natural stones, especially marble or limestone, just lifting a piece that long and thin will break it.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaspDxKVpmNN2E6KgdI8vtCsQNR6VtVGDs1Exm7_Mmqk7N1nAU06S107UZ_eISSfWtfLmgfXZE62vAPoeJAZguQhr-xzWQP0nkfYam_-D9hzF_3moADeuRqql7mn-SRKUPqbx5uMxjXU/s1600/water+jet+cutting+vs+diamond+disk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaspDxKVpmNN2E6KgdI8vtCsQNR6VtVGDs1Exm7_Mmqk7N1nAU06S107UZ_eISSfWtfLmgfXZE62vAPoeJAZguQhr-xzWQP0nkfYam_-D9hzF_3moADeuRqql7mn-SRKUPqbx5uMxjXU/s200/water+jet+cutting+vs+diamond+disk.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaspDxKVpmNN2E6KgdI8vtCsQNR6VtVGDs1Exm7_Mmqk7N1nAU06S107UZ_eISSfWtfLmgfXZE62vAPoeJAZguQhr-xzWQP0nkfYam_-D9hzF_3moADeuRqql7mn-SRKUPqbx5uMxjXU/s1600/water+jet+cutting+vs+diamond+disk.jpg" style="float: right;"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none;"><span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US">The use of water jet cutting in the stone business is seen as a very promising one, although for day to day normal cutting, the diamond disk is more cost effective on straight cuts. Some machinery manufacturers have built hybrid stone cutting machines, with both disk cutting and water jet cutting. Using these hybrid machines can really reduce raw material wastage, and if we are cutting quartz countertops, the savings can be enormous.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTqnSM6L3qsoqYDO3FnHwvN0ft30fjPFbzVLCBs8GSRkEzApxMfNUJ6aGcDbJPAIvIZwCM3GBUhUPXtlqdzd_ErELltP6jS8SaIMFiO-r-lKtF4idfKCn903SDx3xqj46Wm5NlBDIgJE/s1600/water+cutting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTqnSM6L3qsoqYDO3FnHwvN0ft30fjPFbzVLCBs8GSRkEzApxMfNUJ6aGcDbJPAIvIZwCM3GBUhUPXtlqdzd_ErELltP6jS8SaIMFiO-r-lKtF4idfKCn903SDx3xqj46Wm5NlBDIgJE/s320/water+cutting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTqnSM6L3qsoqYDO3FnHwvN0ft30fjPFbzVLCBs8GSRkEzApxMfNUJ6aGcDbJPAIvIZwCM3GBUhUPXtlqdzd_ErELltP6jS8SaIMFiO-r-lKtF4idfKCn903SDx3xqj46Wm5NlBDIgJE/s1600/water+cutting.jpg" style="float: right;"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none;"><span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US">When cutting with a diamond disk, most people may not be aware of this, but the bigger the diamond disk the less efficient is the cutting, not in quantity, but in slab optimization. The image you will notice that to make a perfect cut that means the bottom of disk goes right to the end point of our cut to size piece, the disk will need extra cutting distance. In the image the rectangle image you will find a sketch of a cutting procedure for a slab, cutting this slab with a diamond disk requires a bit of experience and time to solve. Point A and B are critical points, using water jet cutting it's really simple to solve. The hybrid machinery available would easily identify these stress points and exchange the disk for the water cutting system, so you would have most of your slab cut with a diamond disk, and the stress points would be perfectly cut with the incorporated water jet cutting system.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">What is normally done in this situation, both pieces would have to be separated, giving it a safe distance for cutting. In this case the slabs is big enough for such operation, however in many cases it may not be possible. Although to avoid stress point A, distance will not totally solve the problem, your best option would be flipping the polished end of the slab, cutting on the rough back of the slab, where imperfect cuts may be hidden.</span><br />
<div align="center" class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqixAVVs8nybWiZvIb2pG8xqv7wZx7okWuqR5Qe_2f7B5am50xq0gutOn6PrbnFFwZ7QZgatVVCIVvdOe5TD3ED2mQ7lAyNu_soO0vvC61lSnp6-YrZPi6wzNr0O32HnvBtcwBM7pAqo/s1600/diamond+disk+cutting.jpg" style="float: right;"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none;"><span><br />
</span></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqixAVVs8nybWiZvIb2pG8xqv7wZx7okWuqR5Qe_2f7B5am50xq0gutOn6PrbnFFwZ7QZgatVVCIVvdOe5TD3ED2mQ7lAyNu_soO0vvC61lSnp6-YrZPi6wzNr0O32HnvBtcwBM7pAqo/s1600/diamond+disk+cutting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqixAVVs8nybWiZvIb2pG8xqv7wZx7okWuqR5Qe_2f7B5am50xq0gutOn6PrbnFFwZ7QZgatVVCIVvdOe5TD3ED2mQ7lAyNu_soO0vvC61lSnp6-YrZPi6wzNr0O32HnvBtcwBM7pAqo/s200/diamond+disk+cutting.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US">I can also see another way of doing this cut with a diamond disk ... I would need to elevate the cutting area, in this case the slab, the disk would then do the cutting not at the bottom (position T), but at X level.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Using a CNC machine can also solve this problem, however timely.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Water jet cutting systems can also be used for designing purposes. Many floor designs can be perfectly cut using this type of technology. No need for those giant paper templates to do the job anymore.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">I have attached some pictures that may give you an idea of the artistic/design capability of this technology. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDTJRm4jpK5Y77xnj10oUI_HPpKC01RVRMyKtR2bqrpNICYyTnuJxwcR41dswGRJM_ejqW26J7WyVE9zHyu5yixKS7eylxhQ3cN4DN8VbkbtP_jaS_lTPOng2c4DNfbnG3T4ZyeUddMI/s1600/jet+cutting+design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDTJRm4jpK5Y77xnj10oUI_HPpKC01RVRMyKtR2bqrpNICYyTnuJxwcR41dswGRJM_ejqW26J7WyVE9zHyu5yixKS7eylxhQ3cN4DN8VbkbtP_jaS_lTPOng2c4DNfbnG3T4ZyeUddMI/s1600/jet+cutting+design.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqyQwvCbKBpT1W1evbFEMEJSTVmzHUBHCr59-fv4brhtd5ozxpawrIUDVGaC5lTbZmt8dVq3J-KsSZdqeUjuzFgZpC5lbPQdxFIDSPIGw6tQM2e_EGJpujefySDKWZm0q6_1vMSKeKsFU/s1600/jet+cutting+design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzFtWz5_EGoHAFbpwpmqjjPYPXSih4aFmSNpZfr3zVm6OtaGdsTWP___KzCaQJJ__U8WL__KxPMDPZtZ6iTjTJR-PN9UJA-RlwufAqsBfaiq5HMpn15W0cKnre5QVYRj37Jv2i_CLY_A/s1600/jet+cutting+engineered+stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzFtWz5_EGoHAFbpwpmqjjPYPXSih4aFmSNpZfr3zVm6OtaGdsTWP___KzCaQJJ__U8WL__KxPMDPZtZ6iTjTJR-PN9UJA-RlwufAqsBfaiq5HMpn15W0cKnre5QVYRj37Jv2i_CLY_A/s320/jet+cutting+engineered+stone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGcUPYh_OyXOkeeu2_FQT5uuqjgVmzx4MP9iFeOwjTLngc8nOu7wJSHItVlwwhdDJkugr49HBQi1ZyBzn6rsAltQcrLtduSYyrOAUTnxqehQgNkOSwa2TOGR_6aCYZ0aHgq9IXnOlEyo/s1600/water+jet+cutting+engineered+stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGcUPYh_OyXOkeeu2_FQT5uuqjgVmzx4MP9iFeOwjTLngc8nOu7wJSHItVlwwhdDJkugr49HBQi1ZyBzn6rsAltQcrLtduSYyrOAUTnxqehQgNkOSwa2TOGR_6aCYZ0aHgq9IXnOlEyo/s320/water+jet+cutting+engineered+stone.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-12020296718340609262011-03-02T06:56:00.000-08:002011-03-02T06:56:05.760-08:00Wall Cladding - Cultured Marble<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:RelyOnVML/> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>PT</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> <div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Cultured marble</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> can provide a unique and durable <b>wall cladding</b> solution. If we consider interior use of cultured marble it can last almost forever, being wall cladding it certainly will be protected against many things, namely traffic. Cultured marble in external environment may have some problems, but it is a durable product.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">I've mentioned cultured marble, which makes my scope of products relatively big, although each one will have specific features which we will have a chance to view.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Cultured marble can be divided into two main groups, one that is a cement based product, uses cement bonding. And the second type is a polymer base product, which uses resin as a bonding agent. When we try evaluate quality in these types of product, we have to go much beyond just its physical appearance, we need to see how well it's compacted. A well compacted product means you will have less bonding agent, and more natural marble, there are people who tend to call cultured marble to things that look like marble, but include 0% natural marble in it's making. Many manually made cultured marble wall cladding products are very low quality, with very low compaction levels, basically a product made by artisans. The products made with Breton technology, namely the Breton Block system are the ones I've seen with better quality performances, making it the most perfect cultured marble I've seen. This means it actually has very similar characteristics to natural marble.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Polymer Based Cultured Marble</span></b></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">The use of a polymer base in the cultured marble business brings several advantages to the final product, especially quality wise. For one thing, using polymer based materials, the water absorption of the natural stone reduces significantly. Being made greatly from marble, which in its natural state absorbs water, the same stone used in cultured marble will have a better behavior regarding water absorption.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Another positive thing about polymer base, is that it actually gives the cultured marble better mechanical features (especially when using polyester resin based material). The gloss of the polished cultured marble surface is a very good one, comparable to the natural marble itself.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">Indoor use</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">Current building laws will oblige the use of specific application methods depending on the height and weight of the wall cladding. Currently in most countries, you may apply wall cladding using adhesive glue up to 3 m high. Above 3m you should use mechanical fixing to ensure safety in the application; this especially applies for exterior use.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">Exterior Use</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">In exterior use the polymer base material has advantages and disadvantages, being that exterior wall cladding should be fixed with mechanical fixing devices, there are several type of fixing systems to choose from.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">In exteriors cultured marble with polymer binding may present some additional problems that you will have to be aware of. Being marble based, acid rain and pollution will gradually affect your exterior wall cladding, although the effect on polish can be relatively quick, the stone itself is quite durable.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uKh4VEPBATLFFQnQst4MoD2ACT1LXP16QPVHA5pAXpCC1B3pZymK5enV0Sww-rhqcL2OunotKj32juLaUyk4IlLUNduiRbGKAqk14iyaOWTH5AHu8KAGux2AKxuzdmCIjVaVJI17pV8/s1600/cultured+marble+exterior+wall+cladding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uKh4VEPBATLFFQnQst4MoD2ACT1LXP16QPVHA5pAXpCC1B3pZymK5enV0Sww-rhqcL2OunotKj32juLaUyk4IlLUNduiRbGKAqk14iyaOWTH5AHu8KAGux2AKxuzdmCIjVaVJI17pV8/s320/cultured+marble+exterior+wall+cladding.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">The use of light colors that reflect the UV rays will improve your materials durability, dark colors are not advised for several reasons, one of which is that discoloring is very common, due to UV ray action and weathering, its common to see dark colors gradually discolor.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">Another negative thing relating to polymer binding, besides the anti-UV additives that the product should have when destined for external use, truth is that UV rays will gradually destroy the polymer, so depending on the exposure of the wall cladding, in 10-20 years time, you’ll see the polymer with severe structural damage.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">Polymer base cultured marble has also an elasticity problem, when made with less efficient manufacturing processes it may use more polymer binding, which technically gives it more elasticity. A cultures marble made with technology as I referred earlier will have between 5 and 10% resin in its composition, making it a relatively stable product for exterior use. These products also have high standards for size and thickness tolerances, making them an easier product to apply and very stable in use. Other products will need more attention during application.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>Cement Based Cultured Marble</b></span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">In this group of cement based products we can find several types of cultured marble, from products made through individual molding to big industrial block molding. Nevertheless they all have molding in common.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">There are many types of manufacturing systems for these products; one very common is a hydraulic type cultured marble, which commonly uses a two layer system, a rough bottom, with a perfect cultured marble covering. As I said before, Breton does have, in my honest opinion, one of the most advanced technologies, that furnishes top quality to the final product. The base of this technology is the vacuum vibro-compressing system, which really reduces the quantity needed of binding agents.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">These cement bonded products have high water absorption indexes and due to its cement base will have lower gloss levels than polymer based material. </span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">The cement based cultured marble also tend to made in very thick pieces to maintain its integrity, while polymer based material are really perfect and stable.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Interior Use</span></span></b></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">As mentioned before, using adhesive glue with cement based cultured marble depends on the weight per sqm factor and the height of the application. Make sure you obide by the law and make sure the adhesive glue is proper for the type of material you’ll be using.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Exterior Use</span></span></b></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Exterior use for cement based cultured marble, same applies here, above 3 m, use mechanical fixing for the cultured marble wall cladding.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">The cement based cultured marble has some advantages in exterior use, namely that the UV rays do little damage to the product, although some pigments may discolor with extensive UV ray, the problem is minor.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Regarding the acid and pollution damages, if the product is a cultured marble it will have a negative effect on the surface, and will in time suffer minor damages.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">The cement based cultured marble will last longer than polymer based material.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Great Ideas for Cultured Marble Wall Cladding</span></span></b></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGK49J6VmYIqP9sKKTY_Ag8WE85DcFjGzwQ9SqYu8Wut2nyjZDodIrzQLNykfDnnCMmi1JJPMtrxt5eDiyLwgfo1i9fQ-1mmWf3zHnWSv6jpYXpD4Qp0sza-U2iLV4YyhzrFBXxdw8ZAk/s1600/Exterior+wall+cladding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGK49J6VmYIqP9sKKTY_Ag8WE85DcFjGzwQ9SqYu8Wut2nyjZDodIrzQLNykfDnnCMmi1JJPMtrxt5eDiyLwgfo1i9fQ-1mmWf3zHnWSv6jpYXpD4Qp0sza-U2iLV4YyhzrFBXxdw8ZAk/s1600/Exterior+wall+cladding.jpg" /></a></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Cultured marble made with high quality technology can provide you with some great products for exterior use. A bush-hammered finish for example will resist relatively well to some problems mentioned before, and will improve the products whiteness, as bush-hammering tends to brighten the base color. Also you may gain a sparkling look, white cultured marble is made with crystallized white marble grains, which have some impure elements like quartz and micas (in relatively small quantities), these are just enough to give your bush-hammered finish a very mild sparkling detail.</span></span></div><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">You may also use unique colors or combination of colours which will absolutely enhance your design. It's easy to find at affordable prices cultured marble, looking at other options it will come out more expensive in many cases.</span></span></span>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-24740255612765611332011-02-25T02:31:00.000-08:002011-02-25T02:40:13.657-08:00Engineered Stone and Greenguard Certification<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2YS-Ye7gZzBZSnKLaE-Cw8zKN0UfkCWFTwrq94LgoH7Ms3NyqxYD8iZC93DFkfQpJGRsE6CND_Gnt-feQahj3IUN3hcF0bUt5k_SCCjEz7k4E0q5AjT02yDzIMuJSDMbAkSsEto7yJo/s1600/Engineered+stone+greenguard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2YS-Ye7gZzBZSnKLaE-Cw8zKN0UfkCWFTwrq94LgoH7Ms3NyqxYD8iZC93DFkfQpJGRsE6CND_Gnt-feQahj3IUN3hcF0bUt5k_SCCjEz7k4E0q5AjT02yDzIMuJSDMbAkSsEto7yJo/s1600/Engineered+stone+greenguard.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Currently we see many <b>engineered stone</b> brands that have several certificates, today's post we will be dealing specifically with the <b>Greenguard </b>certification program. Many industries have been coloring themselves green and engineered stone is clearly looking at every green certification and making sure their products are not left behind.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Why is Greenguard important?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">People spend a great deal of time indoors, during the winter season, the time spent indoors can range over 90%. Although many of us have never looked at this in this perspective, truth is that, our home air has pollutants, and being home means you’re exposed to many airborne pollutants.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Deficient ventilation, humidity levels, temperature levels may have a negative effect on your home air quality, many products and materials which we use or have in our homes may release micro particles and volatile organic compounds (VOC) into the air, these may stand as great risks to human health. Allergies, asthma, cancer, reproductive and development problems, as well as annoying odors are some of the most common problems that poor indoor air may cause on humans.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">It is said that indoor air pollution can be superior to outdoor air pollution, so it is considered a great health hazard to humans.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">So what is a Greenguard Certificate?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Greenguard Environmental Institute is a non-profit organization, which provides special certification for building materials. Currently Greenguard Environmental Institute has three programs, for which building materials may qualify: Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certification, Greenguard Children and Schools Certification and Greenguard Premier Certification. These three programs certify specifically building materials, however they also have a building certification program, which is the Greenguard Building Construction Certification.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">On the product side, namely building materials are tested and to qualify for their Greenguard certificate have to range as low emitting and non-toxic. To qualify for the certification the manufacturers have to voluntarily settle their products for Greenguard rigorous testing and continuous verification. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">The certification process insures that the building material is low emitting and non-toxic, as they are tested for thousands of nocive chemical agents. There is an annual re-certification process and quarterly quality monitoring which insures ongoing compliance with the Greenguard certification program.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Most engineered stone manufacturers have two certificates the Greenguard Air Quality Certificate and the Greenguard Children and Schools Certificate.The engineered stone industry is currently undergoing severe industrial changes to improve it's emission and toxicity, which will gradually improved usability and future certifications.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Green certificates are here to stay, manufacturers will use them aggressively in their marketing, and manufacturers who have not yet seen this current trend will soon have to certify their products or possibly their product may be rejected due to lack of certification.</span></div>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-80286679401691360082011-02-24T06:34:00.000-08:002011-02-24T06:34:18.022-08:00Engineered Marble and Cultured Marble Maintenance and Care<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>PT</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Engineered marble requires daily maintenance and care, it also appplies to cultured marble, and these procedures will ensure that you engineered marble or your cultured marble maintains its unique beauty and elegance. Engineered marble ( cultured marble ) have a great percentage of natural marble, therefore in part they will need similar care as to its natural stone composition.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The use of a vacuum to do periodical cleaning on your engineered stone ( cultured marble ) is a wise option, as we all do understand that sand, pebbles, stone grit and dirt have a greater hardness than marble, and therefore can originate scratches on your engineered marble floor ( cultured marble ). A good brush type door mat may be essential to avoid sand and dirt entering your home. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Many shopping centers also have big brush type door mats at all their entrances, mostly to clean off all sand and dirt that may come in attached to visitors shoes. The sand and dirt that is carried inside by visitors is considered one of the most damaging to flooring surfaces.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Cleaning detergents should be carefully selected, non-abrasive and with neutral Ph is recommended. The Ph is very important; if you use cleaners with high acid index it will ruin your polish and damage the surface. Unfortunately marble is made up of calcium carbonate which reacts with acids almost immediately. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKkgpMkWzP8ggA_mUl715Mo9Z5pN_Fxxsiu2qA0uq3y-eWEtSRCg90lwGHkYBo42cVrXh4gWSNbY54xoET3o5wgl9Gyi8VwL7jmQrunb3LfJwvdYiwVAx8dHrj_IuefZ8lE7EMjBxZ74/s1600/Cultured+marble.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKkgpMkWzP8ggA_mUl715Mo9Z5pN_Fxxsiu2qA0uq3y-eWEtSRCg90lwGHkYBo42cVrXh4gWSNbY54xoET3o5wgl9Gyi8VwL7jmQrunb3LfJwvdYiwVAx8dHrj_IuefZ8lE7EMjBxZ74/s1600/Cultured+marble.png" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Besides the cleaning detergent, there are many risks for your engineered marble ( cultured marble ) in your home, lemon juice spill, orange juice, wine, cola drink, etc. The list goes on, but one thing we quickly can determine is that the majority of these things are normally found in our kitchen. So I strongly advise you not to use engineered marble ( cultured marble ), as any natural marble, in the kitchen either as flooring, backsplashes or as countertops. To keep it beautiful you'll need to constantly be alert, and daily routine maintenance and care is essential. Engineered marble ( cultured marble ) is a good product to use on flooring (either than kitchen), stairs, washroom flooring, walls and vanities.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The porosity of the engineered stone ( cultured stone ) is much lower than most natural marble, however it does absorb, after spills make sure you clean up or you may stain your engineered marble permanently.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Here is a small list of some chemical common products you may use to protect and beautify your engineered marble (cultured marble ):</span></div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Engineered marble sealer: you will find several types of stone sealers on the market; make sure you find one appropriate for engineered marble, which means products with low porosity. The sealer has to be specific as it needs to infiltrate a product with relatively low porosity; most natural marble has great porosity, so the common sealers used are not advised.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Neutral cleaning detergent: as mentioned before the recommended cleaning detergent should be non-abrasive and with a neutral Ph.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Engineered marble wax: this may only be necessary a while after you install you engineered marble. When first installed, engineered marble comes with a perfect factory shine, with time and usage this shine will gradually fade. To revive you floors shine you can contact specialized personnel to do a total surface regeneration or before that option just apply an engineered stone wax to improve your engineered floor's beauty.</span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">You should never forget, as I have repeated before, that your engineered marble is greatly made up of natural marble (more than 90%); therefore it needs a delicate daily maintenance to keep it looking as beautiful as the day it was installed. Re-polishing the surface is always an option, although delay it as much as you can. Before you re-polish the surface make sure you hire a professional team that have dealt with this product before and read the manufacturers care and maintenance issues.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Before using detergents which you are not certain that they are proper for engineered marble, test it on a hidden part of your floor. If all goes well then carefully use it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Any floor either natural marble or engineered marble looks beautiful, its colourful design and texture will give your home a unique and elegant look. Nevertheless, to maintain this beauty you have to dedicate some time and effort to it. But at the end I guess it's all worthwhile. </span></div>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-69729823921101910182011-02-22T03:01:00.000-08:002011-02-22T03:01:25.612-08:00How to install engineered marble tiles or cut to size pieces?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>PT</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Engineered marble needs to be correctly applied, the correct fitting of engineered marble will insure durability, beauty and ….<span> </span>. Engineered marble unlike engineered quartz has a higher porosity which makes it slightly less technical in application, although most recommendations made for engineered quartz also apply to engineered marble.</span><span lang="EN-US"><span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qRmSkZEZgaFgRqcJFWZn3rA6v5FYTt4DH0NlESwonLrVQLZGu8hdlNq8b6lO6BrbmgZmLC7mZrBiSmZXE-SbLVbTrAVkGsJWJp_IUWY6-uK9JStT7H0RUYgzRfO8mcLAP9eNxQWSrTs/s1600/Cultured+marble+adhesive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgX9a-MXQxmN2d5Nokoa-hS9mVwRqnNlMy8NHwPdoyFCuEMi0s_TAEy-88_jLV3HPnXQ2H-ttmhUYhp4aFViO7NvU406TzJufM5oIfd5v7ecpMSMZPUnZwlvh3OsrebO_Q3LWPWkKNXhs/s1600/Cultured+marble+spread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
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</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bsWfpifB1cjKDjVNeMWstGfjwSEFkIp6qEZdv2ylCR5FEsvH_L3FiZ5ZiZsSmKbmhXae1DfPpYkCl0gr3Tu5p0rTQYKfIa6CW6XKGU-xraUW0Cjfp3sPtn4cfHdOKdVJxw3EvSgbUnQ/s1600/Cultured+marble+rubber+mallet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><ol><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WyUo-zHGu6OjhEW9YnErOwnhWD4sZRP7RZdC4WXx00EzYrW2OGXOlkEtEpfe0dt9twHUl8sOtRAJ2Uh3rzAmJVL7ionWPdHNJ5D4gUufA-QUuYtt7oa5qIOcSUqUZHDSZPK84ghtChU/s1600/Cultured+Marble+grout.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
</a>
<li><span lang="EN-US"><span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Adhesive and cement instructions: according to the European Standards namely the prEN 12004 some manufacturers recommend a Class C2 cement based adhesives for engineered marble </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPFqT7LhaiOUeOcvU4ECYQV1vKDyNn9WjNhfVVzA6-LSp4-Kxz0pJQv-j2dr7k5OIzjVtFpPgXL8hcXrxbQytdAeYzIfbqriH0dWfi6jqk8pOD0Z4Ump5l2S0Uzw9C77HwbmfQKDAMPg/s1600/Engineered+marble+clean.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPFqT7LhaiOUeOcvU4ECYQV1vKDyNn9WjNhfVVzA6-LSp4-Kxz0pJQv-j2dr7k5OIzjVtFpPgXL8hcXrxbQytdAeYzIfbqriH0dWfi6jqk8pOD0Z4Ump5l2S0Uzw9C77HwbmfQKDAMPg/s200/Engineered+marble+clean.jpg" width="158" /></a><span lang="EN-US">applications. Fittings where engineered stone is exposed to high temperature variations, a Class R2 will be advised. Applications of engineered stone on a non-cement base will need a suitable adhesive. Do read carefully the engineered marble manufacturer’s instructions regarding the proper adhesive to use, especially the part which talks about water addition and dosage. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qRmSkZEZgaFgRqcJFWZn3rA6v5FYTt4DH0NlESwonLrVQLZGu8hdlNq8b6lO6BrbmgZmLC7mZrBiSmZXE-SbLVbTrAVkGsJWJp_IUWY6-uK9JStT7H0RUYgzRfO8mcLAP9eNxQWSrTs/s1600/Cultured+marble+adhesive.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qRmSkZEZgaFgRqcJFWZn3rA6v5FYTt4DH0NlESwonLrVQLZGu8hdlNq8b6lO6BrbmgZmLC7mZrBiSmZXE-SbLVbTrAVkGsJWJp_IUWY6-uK9JStT7H0RUYgzRfO8mcLAP9eNxQWSrTs/s200/Cultured+marble+adhesive.jpg" width="200" /></a></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US"><span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Preparing the base: the base should be clean and leveled. It should also not have a humidity index above 2%, if such index is higher you may need to do a waterproof surface treatment.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US">Prepare the adhesive according to the instructions, mix thoroughly.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgX9a-MXQxmN2d5Nokoa-hS9mVwRqnNlMy8NHwPdoyFCuEMi0s_TAEy-88_jLV3HPnXQ2H-ttmhUYhp4aFViO7NvU406TzJufM5oIfd5v7ecpMSMZPUnZwlvh3OsrebO_Q3LWPWkKNXhs/s1600/Cultured+marble+spread.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgX9a-MXQxmN2d5Nokoa-hS9mVwRqnNlMy8NHwPdoyFCuEMi0s_TAEy-88_jLV3HPnXQ2H-ttmhUYhp4aFViO7NvU406TzJufM5oIfd5v7ecpMSMZPUnZwlvh3OsrebO_Q3LWPWkKNXhs/s200/Cultured+marble+spread.jpg" width="194" /></a></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US"><span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Spread a thin layer (up to 10 mm) of adhesive on the application area, due to the relatively quick drying of the adhesive, your working area should be defined accordingly. Use a grooved trowel for better adhesion of the engineered stone, the engineered stone has a very flat and smooth surface, so proper gluing methods is advised</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US">Apply adhesive evenly on the reverse side of the engineered stone tile or cut to size piece, this will ensure a good adhesion between your engineered stone and the base.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US"><span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Grout Joint: leave at least a 2mm grout joint in between each tile, if the area has severe temperature variations during the day and/or if the size of the tile is greater than 400mmx400mm, 5 mm may be recommended.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US"><span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Use a rubber mallet to ensure that the fitting is perfect and that the adhesive is evenly spread underneath the engineered marble tile.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bsWfpifB1cjKDjVNeMWstGfjwSEFkIp6qEZdv2ylCR5FEsvH_L3FiZ5ZiZsSmKbmhXae1DfPpYkCl0gr3Tu5p0rTQYKfIa6CW6XKGU-xraUW0Cjfp3sPtn4cfHdOKdVJxw3EvSgbUnQ/s1600/Cultured+marble+rubber+mallet.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bsWfpifB1cjKDjVNeMWstGfjwSEFkIp6qEZdv2ylCR5FEsvH_L3FiZ5ZiZsSmKbmhXae1DfPpYkCl0gr3Tu5p0rTQYKfIa6CW6XKGU-xraUW0Cjfp3sPtn4cfHdOKdVJxw3EvSgbUnQ/s200/Cultured+marble+rubber+mallet.jpg" width="200" /></a></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US"><span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Clean any excess adhesive which may be appear on the tile with a humid mop, this should be done before applying the grout in the joint.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US"><span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Wait 24 to 48 hours before applying the grout, be careful while choosing the grout, follow manufacturers recommended products, as the engineered marble may absorb/stain with some products.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WyUo-zHGu6OjhEW9YnErOwnhWD4sZRP7RZdC4WXx00EzYrW2OGXOlkEtEpfe0dt9twHUl8sOtRAJ2Uh3rzAmJVL7ionWPdHNJ5D4gUufA-QUuYtt7oa5qIOcSUqUZHDSZPK84ghtChU/s1600/Cultured+Marble+grout.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WyUo-zHGu6OjhEW9YnErOwnhWD4sZRP7RZdC4WXx00EzYrW2OGXOlkEtEpfe0dt9twHUl8sOtRAJ2Uh3rzAmJVL7ionWPdHNJ5D4gUufA-QUuYtt7oa5qIOcSUqUZHDSZPK84ghtChU/s1600/Cultured+Marble+grout.png" /></a></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US"><span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Clean carefully the surface after filling the joints</span></li>
</ol><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span lang="EN-US">You will need cutting tools during your engineered marble applications. Use diamond stone discs for the job, choose similar ones to natural marble and don’t forget the cutting process requires water to guarantee a perfect cut and higher durability for your diamond tool.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span lang="EN-US">Grout joints between tiles are recommended as are area expansion joints, due to expansion index proper of engineered marble, you may not avoid these, read manufacturer’s instructions carefully.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span lang="EN-US">Most of the problems regarding engineered marble are due to application, in general most of them can be avoided by just following instructions.</span></div>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-90037161605328303582011-02-18T03:22:00.000-08:002011-02-18T03:22:36.629-08:00Quality in Engineered Stone<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Engineered stone like every other product has quality standards, although at the current moment the<a href="http://granitequartz.blogspot.com/2011/02/ce-markings-for-engineered-stone.html"> CE marking</a> is not ready for engineered stone slabs. On this post I want to show you, common industrial problems with engineered stone, you will see things that should not arrive at your warehouse, let alone in someone's household.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Engineered stone being a man made stone or as some like to call it an artificial stone, it's rather complex to make a perfect piece of engineered stone, many little things may go wrong during production, warehousing and shipping.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here is a list of the most common problems that may be visable on your engineered stone slab or tile:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJE-ZQQ1K0i6brdIBA6rH66F-rUUIKv-JofOcM6m0Hsbnmiy_5_1OZNKIyGQVlfssX4XsYCu4q88u9wcYafAIczLeQ5RN_eIgEpbfXHYi8QQrahVWZb80iumJxWFaxd0Amhcv5vxJizsw/s1600/Engineered+quartz+tile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0Gi4AnXt8Pid8uB5X2fEXTrv73Es3oiUi1VNOCjzeVzjlO1kmrBJG4owuC_0F6jjIVHdjIqATenyKPMJXYSJxd75UbNRvcoUUhSdcYOC56fwS3-zbYI4Bj-Alk234DL1BId_MKeFzI4/s1600/Engineered+marble+defects.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BsF3aeq4JlzNzq2W39TjEJvAu1NcKgvISv-PtbsyTiwj2RZTyCE5ocsgfpkYX_5YoZwF7PILIPAN7SCb-IpkmWf8NX6xe0s89UuP4nM_DL35_LG6gidrFGfBTzFbTVAYfvlutYTXsvU/s1600/Engineered+quartz+bad+mixture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BsF3aeq4JlzNzq2W39TjEJvAu1NcKgvISv-PtbsyTiwj2RZTyCE5ocsgfpkYX_5YoZwF7PILIPAN7SCb-IpkmWf8NX6xe0s89UuP4nM_DL35_LG6gidrFGfBTzFbTVAYfvlutYTXsvU/s400/Engineered+quartz+bad+mixture.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><ol style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><li style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">White superficial dust/veins: this superficial white dust is due to bad formulation or uneven distribution of the mixture, what happened was that the mixture was not done correctly, being that in the mixture some dry unmixed quartz dust was incorporated into the slab. In the photo you will see a vein effect, after the dust is cleaned the tile will not have a perfect surface.</li>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0Gi4AnXt8Pid8uB5X2fEXTrv73Es3oiUi1VNOCjzeVzjlO1kmrBJG4owuC_0F6jjIVHdjIqATenyKPMJXYSJxd75UbNRvcoUUhSdcYOC56fwS3-zbYI4Bj-Alk234DL1BId_MKeFzI4/s1600/Engineered+marble+defects.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrXIPzvgbnvokLT9kzLjBOMt0sdHtCb828H908S6XAd2dKyyMC7VyiweEOVVfi5xcQ1h3BnMkqhMA9PD43y1tIFJUMITJdKoy2qamQhUuNq4xEQrLx0pjdHAsxqdin46ryUt9RcmyiuQ/s1600/Engineered+quartz+shade.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a>
<li>Cracking: you may receive pieces or even slabs with small tiny crack that you can barely see. These are due to an improper chemical reaction, normally the hardening process of resin is a very controlled chemical process, but many factors can either accelerate or slow down the reaction.</li>
<li>Tiny pin holes: Unfortunately the photos I have can't give you a correct idea of this, as the definition is not as good as I need to actually show you it. But basically it characterized by small pin holes on the slab surface, it's really difficult to see, and sometimes you may need the right lighting angle to correctly visualize it. These little pin holes with time will accumulate dirt, and the engineered stone will quickly look very awful, although in dark colours this negative may be hidden. In theory a slab by slab production process should be less porous than a block production process, so if you deal with engineered marble it may be a good thing to look out for. Some manufacturers end up resining the surface to hide this defect, but many times the defect is so small that even resin will have problems solving it.</li>
<li>Shade differences in the same slab: I had once a project where I learned a very painful lesson, we cut the counters from the same slab (dark blue with mirror chips), and so we did not worry about checking the shade, as we all did assume that the same slab would have an even mixture. Truth is that polishing also has an important effect on the surfaces shade. Applying those miraculous chemical products will improve the shade difference, but will not solve it.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrXIPzvgbnvokLT9kzLjBOMt0sdHtCb828H908S6XAd2dKyyMC7VyiweEOVVfi5xcQ1h3BnMkqhMA9PD43y1tIFJUMITJdKoy2qamQhUuNq4xEQrLx0pjdHAsxqdin46ryUt9RcmyiuQ/s1600/Engineered+quartz+shade.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrXIPzvgbnvokLT9kzLjBOMt0sdHtCb828H908S6XAd2dKyyMC7VyiweEOVVfi5xcQ1h3BnMkqhMA9PD43y1tIFJUMITJdKoy2qamQhUuNq4xEQrLx0pjdHAsxqdin46ryUt9RcmyiuQ/s200/Engineered+quartz+shade.jpg" width="77" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-eFIzvQHuILkMhkUh8pQAMYq-0qDs2XqADs6Z1Wvf0C1VbomJiM-8xO0h894P_tw4yJdk90mvXiuLL1VfSoBVffeB_dntyUUWbCQIiCmMf0UjZ8ZuLiI9ZJNJ99xoWv0pdC5vU5BRbs/s1600/engineered+quartz.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-eFIzvQHuILkMhkUh8pQAMYq-0qDs2XqADs6Z1Wvf0C1VbomJiM-8xO0h894P_tw4yJdk90mvXiuLL1VfSoBVffeB_dntyUUWbCQIiCmMf0UjZ8ZuLiI9ZJNJ99xoWv0pdC5vU5BRbs/s200/engineered+quartz.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<li>Slab length: I've learned through experience not to believe in everything people tell me, so I usually do a visual inspection of my cargo, a handy measuring tape is essential, and don't be surprised if you find what I found (in the photo you may see that the slab has 303 cm, and I was paying 307).</li>
<li>Warped slabs: engineered quartz slabs is far from being plastic, as it has more than 90% natural stone, as everyone knows most materials warp if they are not warehoused properly. And engineered stone may warp slightly more than your common natural stones. So make sure to properly warehouse you <a href="http://granitequartz.blogspot.com/2010/12/quartz-tiles-and-quartz-slabs-how-to.html">engineered stone slab and tile</a>.</li>
<li>Slab thickness: as I mentioned the length, the thickness may be a more common defect, everyone who has done some engineered quartz countertops, know that an uneven thickness in the same slab or between slabs, will cause adjustment problems. To actually measure the thickness of a slab, besides the measuring equipment, you also need to take the measurement of the slab in several points, 6 are just enough to conclude if the thickness is according to your tolerances. </li>
<li>Tile mitre is a common problem, a quick check can be made by facing two polished surfaces and trying to even out the sides, just by putting the tiles standing on a flat surface you will quickly figure out if the tiles are well cut. Avoid these problems before they get to difficult to handle, these types of controls are in some factories made automatically by machinery, but many factories use sampling methods to do such test. </li>
<li>Engineered stone tile cut imperfection: equipment and tooling age rather quickly, if you have automatic cutting lines you may have several tiles to handle per minute, which in some factories may leave quality inspection to the side to deal with the current problem. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJE-ZQQ1K0i6brdIBA6rH66F-rUUIKv-JofOcM6m0Hsbnmiy_5_1OZNKIyGQVlfssX4XsYCu4q88u9wcYafAIczLeQ5RN_eIgEpbfXHYi8QQrahVWZb80iumJxWFaxd0Amhcv5vxJizsw/s1600/Engineered+quartz+tile.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJE-ZQQ1K0i6brdIBA6rH66F-rUUIKv-JofOcM6m0Hsbnmiy_5_1OZNKIyGQVlfssX4XsYCu4q88u9wcYafAIczLeQ5RN_eIgEpbfXHYi8QQrahVWZb80iumJxWFaxd0Amhcv5vxJizsw/s1600/Engineered+quartz+tile.jpg" /></a></li>
<li>Engineered stone tile uneven bevelling: the correct way to bevel a tile and to guarantee a perfect bevel, is bevelling it with the polishes surface facing down. However most factories do bevel it with the polished surface facing up, which means any little deviation in thickness will be an imperfection in bevelling. It can be a possible problem in some cases where quality control is not taken seriously. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0Gi4AnXt8Pid8uB5X2fEXTrv73Es3oiUi1VNOCjzeVzjlO1kmrBJG4owuC_0F6jjIVHdjIqATenyKPMJXYSJxd75UbNRvcoUUhSdcYOC56fwS3-zbYI4Bj-Alk234DL1BId_MKeFzI4/s1600/Engineered+marble+defects.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0Gi4AnXt8Pid8uB5X2fEXTrv73Es3oiUi1VNOCjzeVzjlO1kmrBJG4owuC_0F6jjIVHdjIqATenyKPMJXYSJxd75UbNRvcoUUhSdcYOC56fwS3-zbYI4Bj-Alk234DL1BId_MKeFzI4/s200/Engineered+marble+defects.jpg" width="200" /></a></li>
<li>Grey smudges: these occur more frequently in engineered marble than in engineered quartz, and is mainly due to the production process.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0Gi4AnXt8Pid8uB5X2fEXTrv73Es3oiUi1VNOCjzeVzjlO1kmrBJG4owuC_0F6jjIVHdjIqATenyKPMJXYSJxd75UbNRvcoUUhSdcYOC56fwS3-zbYI4Bj-Alk234DL1BId_MKeFzI4/s1600/Engineered+marble+defects.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></li>
<li>Surface scratches: you find several types of surface scratches, some due to bad packing others due to manufacturing. One thing for certain, it's easier to find scratched material on engineered marble, than engineered quartz, the hardness of marble is relatively low and can be scratched by many materials.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0Gi4AnXt8Pid8uB5X2fEXTrv73Es3oiUi1VNOCjzeVzjlO1kmrBJG4owuC_0F6jjIVHdjIqATenyKPMJXYSJxd75UbNRvcoUUhSdcYOC56fwS3-zbYI4Bj-Alk234DL1BId_MKeFzI4/s1600/Engineered+marble+defects.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a> Regarding packaging engineered marble and engineered quartz should be done with the polished surface facing each other. When dealing with engineered marble tiles, especially on long voyages, if their is not protection in between polished surface, micro scratches might appear on the end of the tiles. Packing has to be very well done to avoid these situations, the trepidation during transportation will gradually make friction between the tiles and any micro dust will become an abrasive. The other often situation, and common to engineered marble and engineered quartz are micro scratches on the polished surface, namely in dark colours. Very frequently small particles of sand/dust appear during the polishing process (in saturated water for example) and they create defects on the surface, which sometimes may not be effectiently detected by visual inspection.</li>
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</div><ol></ol><ol></ol>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-14660873246811119142011-02-16T06:13:00.000-08:002011-02-16T06:13:58.925-08:00What is a CE marking and what does it mean?<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Many may question what is a CE marking and what does it stand for? CE is short form </span><span lang="EN-US">for Conformité Européenne</span>, i.e., European Conformity, you may find many products in you household with this marking, it means that the product complies with European Directives for that product, these may refer to safety, health, consumer safety, and many other things that the product, manufacturer and other market agents have to comply with. </div><div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Buying or selling building materials in Europe, requires that the given product is fit for its intended use, basically has to comply with requirements included in the Building Materials Regulation 89/106/CEE. These requirements are of several types, namely complies with consumer health and safety standards, therefore references are defined for:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><li>Mechanical resistance and stability</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><li>Resistance to Fire</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><li>Hygiene, health and environment: which may include noise, energy consumption and heat retention</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">The CE marking is based on EC directives, and are used as European Standards, therefore every state member of the European Community will have to comply with these norms. These basically guarantee that the product is fit for use according to the defined product standards.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Some products have to be marked with the CE symbol themselves, however it’s not obligatory for all products, each type of product has the marking needed in the standards. The standards themselves besides defining the testing and other issues, also may be specific regarding packing and product marking.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">To be able to buy and sell in the European Community, the product should comply with the CE marking, this insures that it complies with European law.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://granitequartz.blogspot.com/2011/02/ce-markings-for-engineered-stone.html">Agglomerate stone</a> as mentioned in a prior post has already some CE marking standards in application as of the 1st of January 2010, namely the UNI EN 15285 which refers to modular tiles for flooring and stairs (internal and external). This standard was published in July 2008, and defines the agglomerate stone requirements and testing methods for modular tiles used in flooring and stairs (internal and external).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">In truth these standards mean, that any product made or sold in Europe will have specific physical properties to be considered a agglomerate stone for modular tile use. If the stone doesn’t comply with the standard it may not be sold as CE complying, which may mean it be banned from the market, or not considered as a valid option for a construction project.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3b5SBZocDJpSz5SCkrfwgQOiVOvu7PRvGEBfF02w8sEfeWNuPaNdfzMAZSG8dgbwiiV9xam6vrCLbXcLv2upORsaN9_Gc_dA3AVhtNzjsg0H2VWargTdcG4PuJxQWYMOklodEx2ESMjA/s1600/CE+marking+agglomerate+stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3b5SBZocDJpSz5SCkrfwgQOiVOvu7PRvGEBfF02w8sEfeWNuPaNdfzMAZSG8dgbwiiV9xam6vrCLbXcLv2upORsaN9_Gc_dA3AVhtNzjsg0H2VWargTdcG4PuJxQWYMOklodEx2ESMjA/s320/CE+marking+agglomerate+stone.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">A product that doesn’t comply with CE marking can’t be sold as being, in this particular case, an agglomerate stone modular tile. A certified product has to undergo several testing and manufacturing procedures to ensure compliance with the standards. So we have controls in factory and also by certified laboratories, these entities guarantee the product quality and therefore compliance with the CE marking standard. Traceability is one of the in factory controls, from raw materials to the end product, many in factory procedures are made to insure product quality.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Unfortunately non CE marked material does appear in some work sites, not every European member has the correct inspection settled for these products. In many countries, the CE marking is not checked, and at many construction sites you may find un-marked material. In time most of these abnormal situations will slowly disappear and making the CE marking standard a good thing for consumers as it insures quality to the end buyer, who in many cases have in the past not received high quality products.</div>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1043345281493007789.post-28734740849084412342011-02-10T05:52:00.000-08:002011-02-10T05:52:59.095-08:00Eco friendly countertops – Eco by Cosentino<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrg5Y6x5-n0K1PLRWuPXIEf_Xmo0SkD1giI1heorfomeKAoEf_AU4hZWPVMDPQZvvoMoDTSLpguYsnjcvVPj2PJrGMnl4u4KmzkF1MYSzNxzVU_R5mufHxiz8fbAFxtcvuVy5DVw-r5pg/s1600/Green+countertops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrg5Y6x5-n0K1PLRWuPXIEf_Xmo0SkD1giI1heorfomeKAoEf_AU4hZWPVMDPQZvvoMoDTSLpguYsnjcvVPj2PJrGMnl4u4KmzkF1MYSzNxzVU_R5mufHxiz8fbAFxtcvuVy5DVw-r5pg/s200/Green+countertops.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span>Eco friendly </span><span class="googie_link">countertops</span></b><span> are starting to be marketed all over, plus green </span><span class="googie_link">countertops</span><span> are in the trend, so it’s a growing </span><span class="googie_link">niche</span><span>, some are using recycled glass for <b>green </b></span><b><span class="googie_link">countertops</span></b><span>, Eco by </span><span class="googie_link">Cosentino</span><span> uses a wider variety of materials.<br />
Most of you know that </span><span class="googie_link">Cosentino</span><span> is also the owner of the </span><span class="googie_link">Silestone</span><span> brand, and it’s main headquarters are in </span><span class="googie_link">Macael, a</span><span> small town in the South of Spain.<br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span>So what is exactly Eco by </span><span class="googie_link">Cosentino</span><span>?</span></b></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span><br />
It’s a solid surface with green credentials, this means that it uses mainly recycled products as it’s components, so 75% of it’s components are post consumer or post industrial waste, not any kind of waste, mainly glass, porcelain, mirror chips and stone chips, bonded together by an </span><span class="googie_link">eco</span><span> resin.<br />
The </span><span class="googie_link">eco resin</span><span> used has a 22% origin in vegetable source (mainly corn). The granular waste included in its composition is mainly waste that has reached the last phase in its life cycle, being the land fill its destiny.<br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span>So what arguments does this product have besides the green credentials stated?</span></b></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span><br />
Being Eco by </span><span class="googie_link">Cosentino</span><span>, a brand from the same group as </span><span class="googie_link">Silestone</span><span>, we all know how powerful their marketing is, so here goes a list of their marketing arguments to promote this product:</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4sghEjJsYti8qzr6mTtrgGtegErX0_Jm5QyBpI4cJMudVDUAAJ3BiKl1oX13FaBJU1q0dSkt8cJMp5sw61vLw3bsb37F06dUpBNJRPMC5s5FK4WieU1eKsnQK-qriJnwPfsLwMoas3I/s1600/Eco+by+Cosentino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4sghEjJsYti8qzr6mTtrgGtegErX0_Jm5QyBpI4cJMudVDUAAJ3BiKl1oX13FaBJU1q0dSkt8cJMp5sw61vLw3bsb37F06dUpBNJRPMC5s5FK4WieU1eKsnQK-qriJnwPfsLwMoas3I/s200/Eco+by+Cosentino.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><ul style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><li><span><b>High performance:</b> the product is noted as a high performing solid surface, which means it’s highly resistant to scratching, scorching and staining. </span></li>
</ul><ul style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><li><span><b>Non porous material</b>: if the components used are mainly glass, and other non porous materials, the final product will also have these characteristics</span></li>
</ul><ul style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><li><span><b>Limited colour options</b>: while with </span><span class="googie_link">Silestone</span><span> you have more than 70 colours, Eco only provide about a dozen, and two surface finishes.</span></li>
</ul><ul style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><li><span>Available in one slab size 315 cm x 159 cm and in 3 </span><span class="googie_link">thicknesses</span><span> 12 mm, 20 mm and 30 mm</span></li>
</ul><ul style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><li><span><b>10 year warranty</b>: </span><span class="googie_link">Cosentino</span><span> group has used the warranty argument in the past with great success, it helps break some barriers regarding new products, with </span><span class="googie_link">Silestone</span><span> it worked really well, with Eco lets wait and see, I’</span><span class="googie_link">ve</span><span> googled for reviews and not too good things came up regarding this product, but I guess bad news runs pretty quickly.</span></li>
</ul><ul style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><li><span><b>Green Certificates</b>: as expected, being a main marketing </span><span class="googie_link">motto</span><span>, they have several green certificates for this product: Green Guard, NSF, C2C (Cradle to Cradle), and LEED certification will benefit from using Eco. </span></li>
</ul><ul style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><li><span><b>Price</b>: </span><span class="googie_link">Cosentino</span><span> Group is known for a high priced materials, unfortunately not always accompanied by high quality, most of the time marketing fills the gap.</span></li>
</ul><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span>I can only add that, they’</span><span class="googie_link">ve</span><span> been very professional in the past, and have done their homework very well, they are using all their marketing strategies based on their </span><span class="googie_link">Silestone</span><span> success story and have wrapped it green. The true success of the product will be dictated by users, so lets wait and see the outcome.</span></div>Tomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540583831494347468noreply@blogger.com1