Dream a Little Dream

Everyone will be happy.

MATERIALS

I don’t think there’s much argument at this point – at least among seasoned installation crews regularly handling multiple materials – that engineered stone is easier to install than granite.

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The material can be difficult to fabricate when the background colors of the slabs don’t match or the internal tension in a slab is not taken into account. But let’s be honest – the major dissatisfaction with quartz has not been the material itself, but the attitudes and practices of some of its manufacturers.

I can only imagine that man-made materials will continue to improve in their efforts to simulate granite, and I’m actually intrigued by this. Imagine a fusion material of the future that had the depth and random beauty of granite, combined with quartz’s flexural strength and simplicity of cutting. You really would get the best of both worlds.

Will this material be a combination of quartz, glass, and granite … or some other material that’s not yet on the radar? Is there a way to make it lighter? More green?

Like digital templating, man-made hard surfacing is a young industry that, in a perfect world, will work in partnership with the stone industry as it moves forward with innovation.

The stone industry in 2025 will probably be more-advanced technologically than any of us can fathom at this point. Let’s hope that progress will help us produce a continually more-consumer-friendly product and gain market share in the countertop industry.

Jason Nottestad, a 16-year veteran of the stone industry, is National Customer Service Manager for VT Stone Surfaces; he’s now on his fourth year of “The Installer” columns for Stone Business. He can be reached at JNottestad@vtindustries.com.

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