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Engineered Quartz stone that contain Microban!!

What is Microban?
Microban is a registered pesticide by the name of Microban Products Company of Huntersville, N.C. Its primary ingredient is a chemical called triclosan, which, in its liquid form, has been used as a disinfectant in hospitals for over 25 years. In 1980, three biochemical engineers invented a process to imbed the pesticide into the structure of plastics. This became the technology upon which Microban’s antimicrobial additives would be based, and in 1990, the Microban Products Company was formed. Since that time, Microban additives have been incorporated into a variety of consumer and commercial products.

What do expert scientists say about adding Microban’s antimicrobial additives to consumer goods?
Not only have experts said that the benefits of Microban’s antimicrobial additives are questionable, but many are also concerned that the wide-spread use of these substances may cause a major public health problem. Researchers are concerned that repeated use of products containing triclosan could be breeding resistant bacteria, or “superbugs.” A 1998 Tufts University study showed that over-exposure created five different triclosan-resistant strains of E. coli. According to Tufts’ Dr. Stuart Levy, “If the idea is to sterilize surfaces, it is misguided. You can’t sterilize surfaces that are open to the air. You will not eliminate bacteria, but rather replace them with other micro-organisms which could be potentially harmful.”

Do you want a surface to contain a pesticide? If the surface is solid what is the pesticide for? If it kills bacteria, How, If it can’t get to food on the surface? If it is on the surface then how can it not be attacking my food on the counter or my hand on the surface? Personally I would rather use my own cleaning products.

Previously, most installations of granite in the Northwest area of our country used stone of approximately 2cm (3/4”) thickness with laminated edgework detail of 4cm (1 ½”) installed over a plywood substrate to ensure strength and durability.

Over the past decade the popularity of stone countertops has increased significantly; as a result many new fabricators have entered the industry with the desire to lower expenses and increase revenues as much as possible. This has created the demand for fast production and installations, eliminating the lamination process by reducing the apparent thickness at the edgework detail to only 3cm (1 1/8”) by using a thicker and heavier 3cm (1 1/8”) stone. In many cases these fabricators are selling these installations without recommending a plywood substrate.

Graniteworx along with many other authorities in this industry do not recommend installations of 3 cm (1 1/8”) stone without substrates at least in the cook top, sink cutouts, and seam areas. Many custom fabricators, including Graniteworx, consider 2cm (3/4”) installations with proper substrates to be superior to 3cm (1 1/8”) installations that are unsupported by substrates for the following reasons:

• 2cm (3/4”) granite properly adhered to a 5/8” or ¾” substrate has more tensile strength (flexibility) than 3cm (1 1/8”) granite alone. Many fabricators falsely promote 3cm stones to be sturdier than 2cm stones because of the difference in thickness, misleading customers to believe this extra thickness creates extra strength. In actuality, 2cm coupled with a substrate is the superior product because of its ability to flex.

• 2 cm granite seams are easily kept flat without creating a lip even if the stone is slightly warped because of its superior flexibility combined with substrate to bond resin at seams. Seams cannot be kept even with 3cm if stone is slightly warped because of it lack of flexibility and because most fabricators do not use a substrate to bond resin at seams.

• Sinks and cook top cutouts are supported with substrates in the front and back of cutouts where the stone becomes narrower requiring flexible strength support. Substrates can be used to assist the attachment of sinks and cook tops with 2cm granite installed over substrate. Substrates allow extra support for a flat bar to be routed between stone and subtop if needed.

• 2cm granite substrate distributes the weight over the cabinets, eliminating the possibility of fulcrum points at various spots of the cabinets. This allows more tolerance for the cabinet maker to level and keep the tops in the same plane, which is a necessity for superior countertop installation. 3cm unsupported granite is 1/3 heavier than 2cm. Unless the cabinets are perfectly level and on the same plane (in practice, normally not the case), any slight problem with levelness or out of plane conditions will cause fulcrum points at various locations on the cabinets and can cause shifting at seams and problems at cook tops and sink cutouts after a period of time. This will also produce an uneven butting of the granite countertop to the top of the cabinets making very unattractive gaps that can be detected with little investigation.

• 2 cm granite with substrate allows overhang to extend up to 12” without support. Unsupported overhangs beyond 10” are not recommended with unsupported 3cm granite.

• 2 cm splashes allow for more counter space compared with the 3cm splashes which create a much bulkier presentation and on standard cabinets may cause less counter space and placement of faucet holes above sinks. A wider variety of edge profiles including specialty step outs and 4 and 5cm laminated profiles are available and can be viewed on this website, by clicking on the edges and special edges tabs located on the left of the homepage.

With the United States in an economic recession and the housing market in turmoil, spending money on a kitchen remodel might seem scary. Yet while home prices have declined, a kitchen remodel continues to add value to your home, depending on where you live and how you spend your dollars. According to the 2008-09 Cost vs. Value Report*, kitchen remodels rank just after siding and window replacement—both of which tend to be “must-do” rather than “nice-to-do” projects—in return on investment.

*The 2008-09 Cost vs. Value Report—a joint study done by the National Association of Realtors and Remodeling magazine—provides national and regional averages. The report estimates the cost of an average home improvement project and compares it to the value it would recoup if the home sold a year later. In 2008, more than 4,000 real-estate agents, brokers and appraisers in 80 cities provided ROI estimates.

Graniteworx will be receiving our next container of granite slabs on November 20 and another on December 2

You can have granite installed within days from slab selection.

Our average install is completed in 1 day so you can still have a kitchen makeover befor the upcoming holidays.

Say you saw our commercial on You Tube and receive a free stainless steel kitchen sink with your new granite from Graniteworx.

Watch our commercial here

U.S. Consumers Overwhelmingly Prefer Granite over Any Other Countertop Surface For Dream Kitchen, New Survey Shows

Cleveland, Ohio – October 16, 2008 – A new national survey finds that by overwhelming majorities U.S. consumers prefer granite countertops to any other countertop surface for their dream kitchen and believe that granite countertops increase the resale value of a home.

The survey of 2,021 U.S. adults aged 18+ was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Marble Institute of America. It asked respondents which countertop surface they would most want in their dream kitchen. At 55 percent, “granite countertops” was by far the most popular response, followed distantly by synthetic stone at 12 percent. The survey was conducted Oct. 7 through 9.

When asked how much they agree with the statement “granite countertops increase the resale value of a home,” 90 percent of the surveyed consumers either strongly or somewhat agreed.

“The survey reaffirms what we have known all along: across America, granite is the most desired countertop surface on the market today,” said Jim Hogan, president of the Marble Institute of America. “After months of inaccurate reporting and questionable research aimed at raising doubts about granite, it is tremendously gratifying to know that consumers continue to feel that granite countertops are as safe as they are beautiful, practical and durable.”

In fact, 84 percent of survey respondents either strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement, “Granite countertops are among the most safe, beautiful and durable kitchen counter surfaces on the market today.”

“The results of the survey show that consumers’ preferences for granite countertops are virtually the same across all regions, genders and age groups,” Hogan said.

The survey found remarkable consistency across the United States, with minimal variance in responses from different regions of the country. It also showed the appeal of granite was consistent among both age and socio-economic groups.

About the Marble Institute of America

For over 60 years the Marble Institute of America (MIA) has been the world’s leading information resource and advocate for the natural dimension stone industry. MIA members include marble, granite, limestone, sandstone, and other natural stone producers and quarriers, fabricators, installers, distributors, and contractors around the world.

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive via its QuickQuery^SM online omnibus service on behalf of the Marble Institute of America between October 7 and 9, 2008 among 2,021 U.S. adults aged 18 years and older. Results were weighted as needed for region, age within gender, education, household income and race/ethnicity. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full methodology is available.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and rich history in multimodal research that is powered by our science and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

Common Misbelieves About granite

1.     Granite is absorbent. Granite qualifies as impervious to water and is actually less absorbent than some solid surface (plastic) products. Granite is commonly used as building material for high-rise buildings due to its ability to withstand gale force winds and rain.

2.     Granite stains easily. Granite is resistant to stains. Generally, any liquid spilled on a granite top, if wiped up within a few minutes, will not stain. However, even water can soak into a granite countertop and leave a dark colored spot but this will evaporate in minutes. Liquids that do not evaporate such as oils will cause stains if left to soak into the stone.

3.     Stains in granite are permanent. Most stains can be removed. Even oil stains can usually be removed using a poultice or paste that will draw out the oil from the stone.

4.     Granite will lose its polish over the years. While this may be true of marble, granite will shine years from now just as if it was brand new. Granite is highly scratch resistant and will not show wear from daily use.

5.     Granite requires a lot of maintenance. Routine cleaning with mild soap and water is all that is generally required. Once a year, a re-application of a penetrating sealer should be performed, which only takes about 15 minutes—less time than scouring a solid surface countertop with a cleanser to remove scratches.

6.     Heat will cause granite to chip and crack. Granite is heat resistant and can withstand the heat of hot pots and pans without damage. Impact from a heavy object may chip granite but heat from anything short of a blowtorch will not affect your countertop.

7.     Dark colored granites are harder than light colored granites. Granites are composed of a variety of minerals, each of which has specific performance properties. The hardest mineral commonly found in granite is quartz, which is normally a somewhat translucent, white to grey colored mineral.

8.     Granite’s tiny pores and fissures harbor bacteria. Bacteria are found everywhere. If it is on a granite top, then it can also be found on a laminate or solid surface top. Use an anti-bacterial soap to wash your countertop if you are concerned.

9.     Granite and marble are essentially the same. Besides the fact that they are both natural stones and can be polished, they are otherwise very different. Marble is generally a calcious stone, formed from oceanic deposits and then compressed under pressure (metamorphosed). Granite, however, is an igneous rock, essentially molten magma, which is cooled and then hardened below the earth’s surface.

10.  Granite is expensive. Granite is usually competitively priced compared to other high-end surfacing materials. You will be amazed when you compare the price of granite to other popularly famed “luxury surfaces”. Granite offers you an unmatched value with its natural beauty, elegance and longevity.