Category: Product Review

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MATERIALS

GRAY GRANITE

Champlain Stone Ltd., Warrensburg, N.Y., adds Wood Creek Granite^® to its line of company-quarried natural stone. The gray-blue to dark-gray granite offer patterns of white swirls and striations with occasional quartz and mica inclusions, and is quarried in Clemmons, N.Y., which (for LEED® purposes) is within 500 miles of major U.S. cities such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore. Wood Creek is available in rubble or sawn forms; its properties allows for fabrication into architectural components such as paving, sills and tiles.

Contact: Champlain Stone Ltd., 518-623-2902.

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MATERIALS

QUARTZ COLLECTION
DuPont Building Innovations, Wilmington, Del., offers five new colors in its Zodiaq® line for 2011: Coarse Pepper, with white veining through grays and reflective black flecks; Caraway, an almond with waves of cinnamon and ginger-root flecks; Poppy Seed, a deep gray with peppery charred flecks; Chicory, with grays and taupes dotted with sea-salt-like flecks; and Sage, a browned rosemary with anise/vanilla-bean flecks.
The company also makes three popular colors – Antique Pearl, Vela Brown and Abyss Black – available in Zodiaq’s lowest-price category.
Contact: DuPont, 877-229-3935.

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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.

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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

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MATERIALS

BUILDING STONE
Slimrock™, Cecil, Ark., offers Arkansas River Valley stone quarried near Ozark, Ark., for use in a wide variety of applications. The company features thin veneer in a range of colors and sizes, including its Essentials line, with faces from 4”-12” in height, and the Magnum line, with faces up to 22”. Slimrock also offers building stone in a 4” thickness in both split and tumbled faces, flagstones, pavers ranging from 2”-2.5” in thickness, and 1” thick sawn tiles for flooring.
Contact: Slimrock, 479-667-2121.

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MATERIALS

COMMERCIAL QUARTZ
Cosentino North America, Stafford, Texas, introduces the Commercial Series of its Silestone® quartz surfaces, with colors that naturally adapt to high-traffic areas. The new selections are Blanco City (light cream), Niebla (soft gray), Crema Urban (cream), Van Night (black with clear, white and cream tones), Marengo (gray) and Toffee (brown). The surfaces can be specified for countertops, shower walls, tub surrounds, vanities, and flooring; the company offers a 10-year commercial warranty.
Contact: Cosentino North America, 866-801-2425.