Greening The Backshop
When it comes to materials, nearly everyone waves the banner for sustainability. But how about making a green attitude work – and pay for itself – during everyday fabrication?
Category: Articles
NKBA Lauds Stone in 2011 Awards
Natural stone plays a large part in winning entries of annual kitchen/bath design competition this year.
July 2011
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT …
VACUUM LIFTER
Wood’s Powr-Grip®, Laurel, Mont., offers the PT10HV11 vacuum lifter, capable of lifting loads up to 1,500 lbs (680 kg) with power tilting of loads 90° between flat and upright positions. The Powered Tilter 1500 spreads the weight of the slab across the pad frame, reducing risk of breaking or dropping stone; while the unique pad frame is sized for large stone slabs, optional shutoffs for individual vacuum pads permit use with a wide variety of load sizes or shapes. The PT10HV11 is specifically designed with ten 10″ (25 cm) lipped vacuum cups with foam pad rings, enabling a seal with honed, saw-cut and flamed surfaces, as well as polished stone.
Recently developed Pad Frame Extensions provide an option to augment the versatility of the PT10HV11 vacuum lifter, allowing operators to reconfigure the pad frame layout to accommodate different sized or irregularly shaped loads.
Contact: Wood’s Powr-Grip, 800-548-7341.
StatWatch: U.S. Stone Imports, May 2011
Stone charges ahead in May, fueled by big increases in granite value and volume and good performances from the marble sector. Other stone categories offer mixed results.
StatWatch: U.S. Stone Imports, April 2011
Granite takes a bit of a stagger – mainly in volume – in U.S. dimensional-stone imports this April. Marble’s no winner either, but travertine turns in a strong performance.
Sustainability: Setting the Standard in Stone
When it comes to long life-cycles and durability, stone IS the sustainable material. It’s up to the industry, though, to prove it.
Travertine Redux
Can you change the look – and the value – of a less-than-premium-grade travertine floor? Tom McNall advises that it’s not a quick fix, but a thorough restoration can take the square-foot appeal from a Jefferson to a Jackson.
Summit Stone Works Inc.
The nearby ski slopes of Colorado’s Summit County often call to J.D. Monroe and his staff at Summit Stone Works, but renovation work for the area’s massive condo rental base should give the shop a real lift in business.
May 2011
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MATERIALS
SOUTH AMERICAN STONE
Andean Stone Co., Miami, offers travertine/marble and onyx quarried in Peru. A wide range of colors are available in both cross- and vein-cut for tiles, slabs, shower panels, mosaics, molding, sinks, fireplaces and architectural pieces. Among its newest colors are Misti Sandstone, Marron Limestone and Jurassic Black Marble.
Contact: Andean Stone Co., 305-460-3320
StatWatch: U.S. Stone Imports, March 2011
Is the recovery continuing for stone? The data from U.S. ports-of-entry offers a mixed report; most categories and countries are building up from 2010, but a single country — and it’s a big one — may cast some uncertainty.