Vol. 1 • No. 1 • Spring/Summer 2007 $3.95 Showcasing the beauty of genuine stone. Like Jewelry for Your Home From the Quarry to Your Home To Seal or Not to Seal Gallery of Ideas Exotic Stones StoneDimensions Volume 1 • Number 1 From the Publishers Publishers Garen P. Distelhorst [email protected] In the world of consumer publishing, there are a number of magazines that feature the Jack Seiders beauty of residential natural stone installations, but none that regularly publish a significant [email protected] collection of kitchens, baths and other residential uses of stone. That’s why the Marble Institute of America (MIA) is launching StoneDimensions, a quarterly Editor-in-Chief magazine that will mainly focus on the use of natural stone in the home, but also include William V. Levy interesting non-residential applications, too. These non-residential stories and photos will concentrate on religion, education, government and other non-commercial applications. Creative Director The genesis for StoneDimensions was a showroom DVD created by MIA to showcase a Susan D. Myers collection of outstanding residential uses of stone. With more than 165 natural stone applications included on the DVD, it became obvious that we needed to share the beauty created daily in the stone industry, in print, with the widest audience, on a regular basis. Contributing Writers We hope that StoneDimensions will do just that. We look forward to creating a highly meaningful publication that provides its readers with solid ideas they can use throughout Kristan Welch-Swanson their homes as they plan new homes or remodel existing dwellings. We welcome Chuck Muehlbauer your suggestions! Web site: www.marble-institute.com Copyright © 2007 StoneDimensions. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission. StoneDimensions and logo are registered trade marks. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Contributors and advertisers assume responsibility and liability for the accuracy of their statements and claims. StoneDimensions is published quarterly. Garen P. Distelhorst Jack Seiders Publisher MIA President Marble Institute of America 2007 StoneDimensions 28901 Clemens Road • Suite 100 Cleveland, OH 44145 (ph) 440.250.9222 • (fax) 440.250.9223 Cover Photo Private Residence • Akron, OH Soraya Interior, Designer Photo by: William H. Webb, Infinity Studio Photography StoneDimensions 3 5 10 14 20 24 26 Features Like Jewelry for Your Home............................................................5 From the Quarry to Your Home......................................................10 To Seal or Not to Seal....................................................................14 Gallery of Ideas .............................................................................15 Featured Designer: Kristan Welch-Swanson The Endless Opportunities of Remodeling ....................................20 Making the Old Look Just Like New The Challenge at Duke Universtiy ...............................................24 Exotic Stones Definitely for those who want something very different.................26 Q & A with Chuck Muehlbauer The Marble Institute of America’s Technical Director....................29 Index of Photographs....................................................................30 4 StoneDimensions Like Jewelry for Your Home Of all the accolades that have been said about the inherent beauty of natural stone, nothing says more about this wonder of nature more eloquently than the comment by a lady from the Midwest when she stood surveying her new black granite countertop, the centerpiece of a remodeled kitchen. “It’s like jewelry for your home,” she said. StoneDimensions 5 It’s true! Selecting granite, marble, travertine between 80 and 86 percent of their For some kitchen and bath applications, or other natural stone products is a lot remodeling cost at the time of resale. these other materials might be perfectly like going to a jewelry store and choosing acceptable, depending on the budget, the a fine gem. Only in the case of jewelry, It’s important to know that natural stone scope and intent of the job and the “look” the beauty and quality of the stone is will never go out of style. It is, by far, the client is trying to achieve. ultimately discerned under a powerful the first choice in materials for kitchens microscope. With natural stone it’s right and baths around the world and growing But none of them are truly natural or offer there for the naked eye to see. by double-digit increments annually. you the opportunity to proudly proclaim, “You won’t find a countertop exactly like Real stone is the natural choice for indi- this one anywhere else in the world!” Making an intelligent choice viduals who desire something unique in countertops, vanity tops, shower stalls, The more you know about the jewel-like That’s why those who sell multiple types floors and other elements in the home. qualities of real stone, the better you can of materials say that once the facts about When a homeowner chooses natural stone, make an intelligent decision about materials natural stone versus other competing he or she is assured that no other home for that new or remodeled kitchen and products are presented to their cus- in the world will have stone that is an bath projects. tomers, the majority select the real thing. exact duplicate. Consumers have a wide choice of materials Challenging the myth that natural In addition to beauty and uniqueness, to choose from other than natural stone: stone is expensive real stone is durable, versatile, cleanable plastic laminates, stainless steel, concrete and a real value for homeowners seeking and quartz surfaces. Quartz materials are The fact is natural stone, with all of its to install a modern kitchen or bath in an available in over 30 different brands and inherent qualities, represents one of the existing home or those who are building are generally made from quartz granules great values in the home building and a new structure. Real stone adds value to mixed with resin, various colored pigments remodeling arenas. In most cases, real a home when it’s time to sell. In fact, and other materials such as mother of stone is less expensive than other premium studies show that homeowners who pearl, pieces of mirrors and semi-precious materials available for countertops, vanities, remodel and use natural stone recover stones, which are processed in a factory. shower stalls, floors, etc. 6 StoneDimensions The reasons: supply, demand and tech- some quarrying and fabricating countries been removed from the quarry, there is little nological improvements. The industry is around the world, have helped to make human intervention, except for cutting and booming as part of the recent globalization of natural stone very competitive. polishing, to bring out all of the uniqueness the natural stone business. New technologies and natural beauty. Nothing is done to and new quarries have significantly That’s why kitchen and bath professionals alter the natural state of the stone. increased the output of natural stone can’t go wrong recommending real stone. in the United States as well as in India, That’s why the number of different colors and patterns of natural stone is virtually Brazil, Spain, China, Africa, Russia and What makes natural stone different? other parts of the world. With supplies limitless. True, some common types of from the United States, Italy and other In a word, time. It has taken millions, if stone have a similar “look,” but no two traditional sources of marble, granite and not billions of years, for Mother Nature pieces are ever exactly alike. other natural stone, there is a significant to create natural stone. There are many factors that affect the ultimate graining and amount of stone now available for the Different real stone for different world to savor. It’s virtually unlimited. coloration of natural stone. These factors kitchen and bath applications include underground springs, mineral In the past, the stone industry was aware deposits, earth shifts, temperature, natural With the use of natural stone comes the that some potential sources of beautiful solutions in the earth and the pressure knowledge that there is a wide pallet of stone existed, but the cost of extracting the exerted on these elements over time. colors and materials from which the stone from the earth was prohibitive. As in Obviously, there is no way to duplicate kitchen and bath professional or designer other industries, natural stone producers these factors in a laboratory or manufac- can choose to give the customer the look and their suppliers have developed turing environment. and personality desired. advanced technologies for extracting stone from the earth, cutting the blocks of Because of the vast differences in the Kitchen countertops: Granite, one of the stone into slabs and processing/polishing conditions that created the stone, every world’s hardest materials, is the most them for eventual fabrication and instal- block extracted from the earth is different. popular choice for kitchen countertops lation in the home. These advancements, The hand of man has played no role in and other heavily used surfaces. It’s combined with favorable labor rates in the process. Even after the stone has durable, easy to maintain and available StoneDimensions 7 “Overall, there was no statistical difference in reduction after wash and rinse for any of the four