Have you seen any waning in interest in granite as a countertop surface in your market? If so, what seems to be replacing it? Concrete? Stainless steel? Engineered stone?

Simply put...granite rules...timeless and nothing has more class!

Here, in Anchorage, we're seeing a huge following of Quartz and other solid surfaces that have a better reputation for anti-microbial issues. Many of my customers ask if there are alternatives to granite (they like the look) and we show them our various manufactured displays. These are well received and we place orders daily.

Granite is a great product, and really high end granite will always have a following. Right now there is also a flood of cheap granite coming into the country, with varying levels of quality.

Engineered stone is HOT right now in So Cal.

-solidsurfacegeek
http://www.solidsurfacegeeks.com

We just built a house and decided on Quartz. Maintenance is nothing but looks can't be beat. Also really like NOT having to treat the surface once or twice a year. We use it as a cutting board and really working out great.

I speak around the country to fabricators and one of the topics we discuss is Engineered Stone. I ask the question..."How many of you process ES?"

Out of 50 fabricators 3 or 4 will raise thier hands. Then I as the question "Those that process ES do any of you do more than 1/2 of your production out of ES?"

The answer is always "No"

The actual data "stats" do not support the premise that ES has a huge following. It does not make up even 5% of the market.

One of the trends we are seeing is a migration away from the "basic" colors. With the advent of resined granite we are able to offer some very eclectic color choices that were never available before.

Another trend is huge edgework. Many of us run large CNC machines which allow us to do some amazing huge edge work (6CM profiles)

In our market (Oregon) we started offering a chisled edge about 2 years ago. 1 out of 8 kitchens we build have that detail.

We almost never do slab splash anymore...usually tile.

On another vien...

Many natual stones never need to be sealed...the idea that you need to seal twice per year is a concept that folks selling chemicals would love you believe.

I have never seen any data to support the microbial issue. It simply is not out thier. EPA, FDA etc Nothing exists on thier sites.

I would not recomend using your engineered stone countertop as a cutting board. You will find that over time the knife will wear away the epoxy that binds the quartz. Many people misunderstand the statistic that states that engineered stone is 93% quartz. This is a fact. Like many stats they live in a shroud that is a lie. What they do not tell you is that ES is 93% quartz by weight....quartz is MUCH heavier than epoxy. The quartz to resin ratio is MUCH MUCH higher when measured by volumn.

Dispelling a few myths...thats my gig.

Mark Lauzon
Stone Fabricator (and engineered stone from time to time)

Here is a fun little test we did on some resined granite:
http://www.stoneadvice.com/gallery/Testing-Resined-Slabs/zz1Mymug

PS HI LEN!

Here on west coast of Canada granite is losing its footing. My clients have been complaining that they don't care for the "spotted" look most granites have and want a more contemporary, clean look. Most kitchens and baths I've been designing lately have called for more uniform materials - i.e. man made solid surfacing and concrete. Marble and limestone are hugely in demand, although I recommend against them for kitchens due to their soft, porous nature. These 2 materials are definitely the most popular for bathrooms now though. Granite has been around for many years now and so it's bound to be time for a market change.

I'm new on here. I need help with the online designer. If you can help I would appreciate it - or maybe you can direct me.
Designing a kitchen and trying to insert a fridge. It just won't drag to the grid. Help.
Thank you !!

quote:

Originally posted by ProAdmin:
Have you seen any waning in interest in granite as a countertop surface in your market? If so, what seems to be replacing it? Concrete? Stainless steel? Engineered stone?

Mark,
I am pretty sure you know about that Brazillian/Portugese university study on granite and bacteria. It showed that granite supported the colonization of granite far more than the other materials studied. Granite did well on one of the four strains, yet overall, it did from 160% to 590% worse than the plastics.

The study that Mark forgot...

Also, NASA funded a study that I know that you are aware of, and found bacteria living inside the stone, 100,000 bacteria per gram of stone. This was stone taken from an inhospitable desert, imagine what regular countertops have living inside the stone.

Another study that Mark "forgot"

Pretending these studies don't exist won't work any more....

Well, I changed my mind, granite is becoming popular in new markets formerly overlooked by the high end kitchen trade.
Gotta do a mail out to some of those trailer parks....

More granite trailer houses
trailer parks

gotta love Ebay
ebay trailer trash


For the nautical minded
boating with granite tops

And my favorite, a twofer

Hey, I can afford this!

We are currently planning on replacing our existing (in our recently bought pre-owned) home with SHIRESTONE. We saw it at a home show here in San Antonio and were very impressed. It is poured on-site (directly over your existing formica) and colored/textured as it is poured (as per the customer's taste). We've seen the product in various commercial applications, but wondered if there were any homeowners out there who could give their pros/cons on this product.

A new material made from Pine Beetle wood has recently been researched and developed at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). Apparently the reviews of designers and architects in Vancouver has been very positive. Maybe the up and coming material???

check out an article about it at http://dcnonl.com/article/id24526

in alabama, concrete is becoming increasingly popular. my fiance began doing concrete slabs for homes and sidewalks, but nowadays, he's doing nothing but countertops. it may have something to do with our weather though.

mindee_asid:

I live in Mobile, AL and have been looking for someone who does concrete countertops. What area of Alabama are you in? What is the per sq. ft. price? Do you also do shirestone? Thanks!

Hi Sal, I saw your inquiry about the Shirestone countertops and was wondering if you installed them. Like you, I cannot find a single soul who has installed them. Please e-mail me your response. Thanks so much. Joyce

Hi, here's a company that makes and installs. I'm not sure where all they install or where you are, but they have a website you can look at. They mailed me a sample. Tell them LaDonna gave you their information. Good luck.
American Marble of Abbeville
10504 U. S Hwy 167
Abbeville, LA 70511
Phone 337-892-0930