ISFA Countertops & Architectural Surfaces Vol.3, Issue 4, 2010

VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 4 • 2010 • SINGLE ISSUE $14.95

www.ISFAnow.org

VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 4 •

2010 • COUNTERTOPS & ARCHITECTURAL SURFACES

INTERNATIONAL SURFACE FABRICATORS ASSOCIATION

Houston Sports Arena Gets Silestone Facelift

Page 38

What’s Inside: Fabricator Profile: Oldcastle SurfacesPage 26

Undermounting Sinks to LaminatePage 30

NIOSH Shares Findings at Concrete Countertop FacilityPage 42

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Letters To The EditorCountertops & Architectural Surfaces welcomes Letters to the Editor. If you have questions about the magazine, or would like to make a comment, or voice an opinion about the magazine, ISFA, or the industry in general, please feel free to write to us.

Please send letters to [email protected] or to Letters, ISFA, 165 N 1330 W Unit A3, Orem, UT 84057 or fax to (801) 341-7361 attention: Editor. Include a telephone number and address (preferable email address). Letters may be edited for clarity or space. Because of the high volume of mail we receive, we cannot respond to all letters. Send queries about Countertops & Architectural Surfaces to [email protected] or mail to ISFA, 165 N 1330 W Unit A3, Orem, UT 84057 or fax to (801) 341-7361 attention: Editor.

Contacting ISFAPhone: (801) 341-7360Toll Free: (877) 464-7732Fax: (801) [email protected]

About This MagazineCountertops & Architectural Surfaces is published quarterly by the International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA), with a fifth “Buyers Guide” issue publishing in November. Individual copies of Countertops & Architectural Surfaces are available at the non-member “newstand” price of $14.95. Countertops & Architectural Surfaces is also available by individual subscription at the following rates: ISFA non-members, one year (five issues) $30.00; ISFA members, one year free with every membership renewal. Special rates and chargesapply for orders outside of the United States. Call for details. To subscribe, call (877) 464-7732. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright © International Surface Fabricators Association 2010. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without publisher’s written permission. Countertops & Architectural Surfaces and The International Surface Fabricators Association assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Materials will be returned only if accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. For change of address, please include old label with new information, including both old and new zip codes. Allow 3-6 weeks for address change to take effect. Periodicals postage rate is paid at the Lehi, Utah, post office as well as others. Opinions expressed by writers in this magazine are not necessarily the opinions of Countertops & Architectural Surfaces or the International Surface Fabricators Association, but rather those of the individual writers.

Postmaster: Send address change to Countertops & Architectural Surfaces magazine, 165 N 1330 W Unit A3, Orem, UT 84057.

Photography:Photos in this publication may not depict proper safety procedures for creative purposes. ISFA and Countertops & Architectural Surfaces support the use of proper safety procedures in all cases and urge readers to take steps to institute such procedures. Photography Provided By: Karran, Oldcastle Surfaces, Jon Olson, Abet Laminati, AZ School of Rock, Cosentino, NIOSH and Concrete Countertop Institute.

Magazine CreditsPublisher & Editor Kevin ColeCreative Director Jeff PeaseContributing Editor Russ Lee

ISFA Officers Of The BoardEvan Kruger, PresidentHunter Adams, Vice PresidentTed Sherritt, TreasurerJoe Hoffman, Asst. TreasurerKurt Bonk, SecretarySid MacKay, Immediate Past PresidentRuss Lee, Executive Director

ISFA DirectorsMike Nolan, DirectorMike Langenderfer, DirectorMartin Funck, Director Dave Paxton, DirectorRuss Berry, Director Michael Job, Director Michael Bustin, Director Harry Hollander, Associate Member Rep. Bryan Stannard, Associate Member Rep.

ISFA StaffRuss Lee, Executive DirectorJeff Pease, Art Director & Web ServicesKevin Cole, Communications DirectorSandy Milroy, Membership & Event Director Kenny Thomas, Sales DirectorMargaret Pettingill, Administrative Assistant

Cover Photo:Silestone Quartz Surfacing is the material of choice for Toyota Center sports arena in Houston. Page 38.

Magazine Credits

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 3, Issue 4, 2010 • 3

The Digital ShopThe Basics of Digital Templating, CNC Machinery and Waterjet TechnologyPage 22

Undermounting Sinks to LaminateA step-by-step guidePage 30

Industry Sales ProfessionalsUseful tips to help you increase sales in today’s economyPage 48 Departments

06 - From The Editor

08 - President’s Letter

10 - Executive Director’s Letter

11 - Calendar Of Events

12 - Industry News

15 - 5 Questions

16 - Education Connection

18 - Shop Management Matters

56 - ISFA News

60 - Product News

66 - Classifieds

66 - Ad Index

Other Features26 - Fabricator Profile: Oldcastle Surfaces

34 - LG Plant Tour

42 - Potential Occupational Exposure Hazards in Concrete Countertop Manufacturing

51 - Digital Laminate: Cool Designs For ‘Hot Italian’

52 - 60 Years! L.E. Smith Celebrates 6 Decades in Surfacing Industry

The Toyota Center Gets a Facelift Houston Stone Systems upgrades VIP area with SilestonePage 38

Concrete in FinlandConcrete attracts interior designers working in old buildings in FinlandPage 54

Table

of Co

ntents

4 • Vol. 3, Issue 4, 2010 • International Surface Fabricators Association

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At the International Woodworking Fair (IWF) in August, I was asked to speak to a group of woodworkers who were considering getting more involved in the countertop market. The subjects I covered were countertop trends, statistics and profit margins. While I’ve been told I’m pretty handy with the pen, my strongest suit has never been public speaking, so

I made sure I did my homework to make up for my lack of grandiose speaking ability.

More than 60 hours of research later, I came up with what I thought was a pretty in-depth look at the countertop industry. I dug up several new sources of information beyond the typical reports and some of the information I found even surprised me, given that I spend a lot of my time going over just such information in whatever form it comes to me.

One interesting index I found was a regularly updated analysis put out by a group of researchers at Harvard University called the Leading Indicators for Remodeling Activity (LIRA), which I wrote about in the most recent issue of our monthly newsletter – The Surfacing Industry News Update. I hope you found time to look at the report, which offers some predictions about the remodeling sector going forward (you can sign up for the newsletter on our Web site at www.isfanow.org). But that wasn’t the only tidbit that I found to be insightful.

I also got my hands on a somewhat aged report put out by a larger surfacing material supplier that was based on a survey of fabricators working with the company’s materials. It was a big help in trying to come up with reasonable and representative information on fabricator margins, but it contained a lot more information than that, such as what sets apart the most profitable fabricators from those performing at the average level.

If you were to try to come up with some similarities among the most profitable fabricators, you might think they are the largest, or most automated or be most heavily ensconced in commercial work. But, what the report shows is that none of these things is necessarily true.

Sure, some of the largest fabricators are also the most profitable, but some of the smallest fabricators are also on that list. Yes, some of those reporting the highest profit yield also reported being heavily automated with the latest CNC machinery, but again, some who were highly profitable did much or even most of their work by hand. And the same is true of those heavily involved in commercial work and those that aren’t. Really the results were all over the board.

So what were the commonalities? I was able to extract four items that these higher-than-average fabricators did consistently well.

Inventory ManagementOne thing that the most profitable fabricators from the survey consistently did better than the average is inventory

management. Finding the right balance between the amount of material to inventory versus the amount of work coming in can be a difficult task, but it can be an important factor. This aspect of the business affects everything from cash flow to project turnaround time and making sure the company has the proper system in place can make a big difference.

Proper Equipment Investment Another area that the most profitable firms did well, was invest in equipment and technology properly. That is to say, that those companies that fared best chose the equipment they invested in wisely. As I mentioned earlier, not all of them had the latest and greatest automated equipment, but neither did they have the least amount. The figures showed that the ones who invested smartly in technology and equipment that would give them the greatest and fastest return fared the best. Those who did invest in high-end CNC machinery, made sure it was utilized to its fullest. It is smart to invest in new technologies that offer productivity gains, but not if it will take years to pay off the investment (with interest) and the equipment increases capacity too far beyond demand.

Reasonable Occupancy CostsThose who fared best, according to the report, better managed their occupancy costs, such as utilities and building rent/mortgage. The most profitable fabricators kept their utility costs (including their communications systems) at around 1 percent of their net sales, regardless of the amount of equipment they were using. And the cost of their rent or mortgage was consistently less than 2.25 percent.

The Right People for the JobLastly, when it came to employees there were some commonalities. Perhaps surprisingly, those companies that were most profitable, on average paid their employees better – around 2.5 percent better. However, those same companies had a lower overall percentage of payroll costs. I believe this is reflective of those top earners having not just the correct number of employees, but also the right people for the job. While the best people for the job may require a little more to hold onto, having a staff that knows its work and performs it well, may mean higher productivity without sacrificing quality.

Overall, the report provides evidence that success in business it isn’t just about the highest volumes or the most expensive equipment. Those who set themselves apart were those who thought through purchasing decisions and were better at monitoring efficiencies. I hope you are doing the same.

As always, I look forward to your feedback. INTERN AT ION AL SURFACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOC IAT ION

Sincerely,

Kevin ColeEditor & [email protected]

From the desk of Kevin Cole, Editor & Publisher, and ISFA Communications Director

From The Editor


Smarter Business Can Make the Difference


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The How and the Why

Throughout life I’ve often wondered how things are made and more importantly, how they work. As a kid I took apart countless things around the house just to figure them out. I’d bet that’s a common theme amongst our member-ship. I’ve always wondered

why things are the way they are. Up until recently, I’ve had a hard time looking at something that works well without being compelled to figure out the who, what, how and why. But I’m starting to get over that compulsion. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older or maybe it’s because I’m learning to accept things that work well and enjoy the mys-tery of “why” without having to put my finger on it.

An example of this was brought to my attention at an ISFA Board of Directors meeting recently. An important part of the meeting was spent on membership development. We discussed the reasons members join and how members benefit from the association. We were trying to quantify the benefits and create a catchy new argument for promoting ISFA membership. Then Mike Langenderfer of the Counter Top Shop in Toledo, Ohio, handed me an article by John Hausoul from a recent issue of Kitchen and Bath Design News that rocked my inquisitive little mind!

In the article, titled “Examining the Value of Trade Associations,” Hausoul cited an American Enter-prise Institute study conducted by AEI President Arthur C. Brooks, Ph.D. The study showed that, “On average, association members earn significantly more money and are more satis-fied with their jobs than non-members. This is true even after holding constant differences in job categories, disparities in education and all other relevant personal characteristics…” Now that’s a pretty powerful discovery. Imagine that the two most important aspects of operating a business are categorically better simply because you are a member of a trade association!

I have, for the longest time, been trying to figure out how to tell others in our industry about the value of being an ISFA member. I’ve used words like “networking,” “training,” “mentoring,” “con-nections,” “collaboration with distributors and manufacturers” and so forth to describe what ISFA offers to help each member. I always knew

active membership worked but I never really knew exactly how it worked.

After reading Mr. Brooks’ findings, I suddenly realized that even though I can’t put into words exactly how it works, it does work and there is relevant research to show it. If you want to achieve greater success in our industry you should join and be a part of it all. Mr. Hausoul writes, “Join-ing an association will not in and of itself make your busi-ness succeed, but if you join … and become involved, you simply will be surrounding yourself with winners – the people who are succeeding in your industry right now.”

No one has expressed it to me better than that. Al-though I hate to say it, this reminds me of the old adage, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” And so it is with trade associations. I can’t explain exactly why the “water” works, but I do know its right here for the sippin’. ISFA is available, we are open and welcoming and ready to be your partner into the future. Come on in, the water’s fine. INTERN AT ION AL SURFACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOC IAT ION

Sincerely,

Evan KrugerISFA [email protected]

From the desk of Evan Kruger, ISFA 2010-2011 President.

From The President



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Life As We Know It The first decade of the New Millennium is just about over, and what a ride it’s been. Ten years ago at this time the

biggest news (and potential worry) on the planet was whether the world would come to a screeching halt when the Y2K bug hit. Remember that? Food storage, guns and generators were the top-of-the-list items on many a suburban mom’s shopping list as the United States led the world in preparing for economic Armageddon.

Well, the world did change, but not because of some computer glitch. Terrorist attacks, big time globalization and the near collapse of the world’s financial markets contributed their fair share to shutting down what may come to be viewed as this planet’s longest and biggest spending spree. And the United States, as the world’s largest market, was in the thick of all of it.

But, as the poet says, “The time’s they are a changin’.”

Just this year China overtook Japan as the world’s second largest economy, and it’s just beginning to gather steam. Ten years ago the focus in China was on exports. Today, that country is looking inward as it scrambles to satisfy demand from its own immense population. Factories are springing up everywhere on a scale that is difficult to comprehend, even if you see it with your own eyes. China now imports much of its raw materials and most of the products it makes are destined for its own domestic markets.

And right behind China is India, whose population is expected to grow even larger than its Sino neighbor-down-the-street by the close of the 21st Century.

For its part, the United States is facing a rapidly changing demographic that is literally changing the face of Ameri-ca. According to an article written by Peter Francese that was published in the July 26, 2010, issue of Advertising Age, America’s Hispanic population is poised to become the new economic force as the nation’s current crop of Baby Boomers slide into retirement and take their once all-powerful consumer spending habits with them.

“The 2010 Census is expected to count a record 50 million Hispanics, or one in every six U.S. residents, meaning the Hispanic population will have increased a stunning 42 percent from the previous census in 2000,” writes Francese. “It’s also got scale: Hispanics are now the nation’s second-largest consumer market after white non-Hispanics, who are still the largest group at about 200 million.”

In fact, Hispanics as a group in America are, on average,

younger (more than 10 years younger than non-Hispanics), more family-oriented (only 4 percent of Hispanics live alone, compared to 15 percent of non-Hispanics), more upwardly mobile, and have larger families (4.0 children vs. 2.9 non-Hispanic). Plus, the new generation, which is 91 percent U.S.-born, is growing up in the American culture.

Francese continues: “More often than not, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, they eat family meals at home, and spend less than average on alcohol. They’re moving to the suburbs, tend to be community-oriented, and have high aspirations for their children. In short, they are the sweet market for consumer goods and services that the entire nation used to be when baby boomers were young.”

When most Americans think of this country’s great era of immigration, the sentimental favorite is the European immigration that took place in the nation’s early years. But that influx of ethnic people lasted only a few decades. By far, the greatest and most sustained immigration in U.S. history is Hispanic, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.

Politics aside, this fact could have huge potential impact on the way you do business. “By 2015, millions of baby boomers will have begun retiring, thus reducing their consumer spending,” says Francese. “Hispanic consum-ers will play a major role in replacing those retirees in the consumer marketplace and will contribute to the upsurge of retail spending and economic growth.”

In a few weeks we enter the second decade of the 21st Century with many of us still reeling a little from the ef-fects of the first decade. The big question going forward is how well will we adapt to the new realities that now confront us on both the local and international stage?

And the second biggest question is, “How well do you speak Spanish?” INTERN AT ION AL SURFACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOC IAT ION

Sincerely,

Russ LeeExecutive Director, [email protected]

From the desk of Russ Lee, Executive Director of ISFA, Charter Fabricator Member (1997) and Industry Partner (2007).

From The Executive Director


Calendar of EventsAZ School of Rock Basic

Fabrication TrainingNov. 1 – 4Gilbert, Ariz.480-309-9422

CCI Intensive Concrete Countertops 101Nov. 1 – 5 Des Moines, Iowa888-386-7711

Cheng Fiber Reinforced Concrete Indoor/Outdoor TrainingNov. 4 – 5 Tacoma, Wash.510-849-3272

Cheng Concrete Countertop Essential WorkshopNov. 6Atlanta, Ga.510-849-3272

MIA Education SeminarNov. 10New York, N.Y.440-250-9222

Buddy Rhodes 1-Day Concrete BasicsNov. 12San Francisco, Calif.877-706-5303

CCI Fast Track Concrete CountertopsNov. 12 – 13Phoenix, Ariz.888-386-7711

Concrete Countertop Plant 2-Day TrainingNov. 12 – 13Brownstown, Pa.717-823-7408

ISFA Total Fabricator TrainingNov. 15-18Orem, Utah877-464-7732www.isfanow.org

CCI Intensive Concrete Countertops 101Nov. 15 – 17 Raleigh, N.C.888-386-7711

Greenbuild 2010Nov. 17 – 19Chicago, Ill.202-742-3818

CCI GFRC for Countertop ProsNov. 18 – 19Raleigh, N.C.888-386-7711

Cheng Concrete Countertop Essential Workshop Nov. 19Berkeley, Calif.510-849-3272

Cheng Professional Concrete Countertop TrainingDec. 3 – 5 Atlanta, Ga.510-849-3272

Cheng Professional Concrete Countertop TrainingDec. 6 – 8 Berkeley, Calif.510-849-3272

AZ School of Rock Basic Fabrication TrainingDec. 6 – 9Gilbert, Ariz.480-309-9422

Cheng Outdoor Living Essentials WorkshopDec. 8Berkely, Calif.510-849-3272

Buddy Rhodes 3-Day Comprehensive Concrete TrainingDec. 8-10San Francisco, Calif.877-706-5303

Cheng Professional Decorative Fiber Reinforced ConcreteDec. 9 – 10 Berkeley, Calif.510-849-3272

MIA Business Success for FabricatorsDec. 10New York, N.Y.440-250-9222

Cheng Professional Mold-Making WorkshopDec. 13Berkely, Calif.510-849-3272

CCI Intensive Concrete Countertops 101Dec. 13 – 17 Raleigh, N.C.888-386-7711

CCI GFRC for Countertop ProsDec. 16 – 17 Raleigh, N.C.888-386-7711

Gore Design Co Pioneering Sink Fabrication WorkshopJan. 3 – 4Tempe, Ariz.408-209-4241

Gore Design Co GFRC WorkshopJan. 5 – 7Tempe, Ariz.408-209-4241

ISFA Total Fabricator TrainingJan. 17-20Orem, Utah877-464-7732www.isfanow.org

World of ConcreteJan. 18 – 21Las Vegas, Nev.972-536-6379

Surfaces/StonExpo/Marmomacc AmericaJan. 24 – 27 Las Vegas, Nev.866-550-6860

Vitoria Stone FairFeb. 15 – 18Espirito Santo, Brazil+55-273-337-6855

China Xiamen Int’l Stone FairMarch 6 – 9 Xiamen, China+86-592-595-9616

Coverings 2011March 14 – 17 Las Vegas, Nev.703-683-8500

Natural Stone ShowMarch 15 – 17London, England+44 (0) 115-945-3889

Concrete DécorMarch 15 – 18Nashville, Tenn.541-341-3390

StonetechApril 20 – 23Beijing, China+86-108-460-0802

Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (K/BIS)April 26 – 28Las Vegas, Nev.800-933-8735

AIA National Convention and Design ExpoMay 12 – 14New Orleans, La.972-536-6424

Stone+TecJune 22 – 25Nuremberg, Germany+49 (0) 9 118-606-8108

AWFSJuly 20 – 23 Las Vegas, Nev.877-303-0711

Int’l Countertop Expo (ICE)Oct. 20 – 22, 2011Las Vegas, Nev.877-464-7732www.countertopexpo.org

Calendar of Events


Cosentino Opens First U.S.-Based ‘Cosentino Center’ in Anaheim, Calif.

Cosentino launched its first “Cosentino Center” in North America in Anaheim, Calif. in September. The center aims to enhance both the trade and consumer experience, and marks the launch of a greater plan to significantly expand Cosentino’s presence in the U.S. market over the next year.

The Cosentino Center concept follows similar action to that in Europe. More than a showroom, the center is designed to support, promote and educate trade professionals by integrating distribution facilities, exhibition areas, workspaces for designers to bring clients, classrooms for continuing education and fully functioning kitchens and event space for demonstrations. The centers are designed to create unique interactive environments for architects, designers, distributors and fabricators to view the latest products and design trends, attend educational workshops, hear from visiting expert speakers and receive training.

The center, in central Anaheim, near downtown Los Angeles, includes more than 50,000 sq.ft. of warehouse space and distribution center and a state-of-the-art showroom. It will include a comprehensive showcase of the full portfolio of Cosentino brands, including Silestone, ECO, SenSa, Scalea, Marlique, MURO and Prexury.

The launch marks the start of larger plans to expand its U.S. presence in the next 12 months. Cosentino will also open centers in Dallas, Phoenix and Atlanta before the end of the year, with further plans to expand its distribution in Florida, California, Ohio and New York in 2011.

Integra Adhesives Adds To StaffTo support the growth of the company, Doug Turner, president of Integra Adhesives, has added of a number of new staff in various departments. Jean Poisson has been named as general manager of the company. With more than 20 years experience in various manufacturing environments, Poisson brings a solid background in general management, sales, marketing and business development.

Additionally, Dave Duguay and Hugh Colquhoun are now part of the customer service/inside sales department. Both certified fabricators, they are available to offer technical support and sales assistance.

Rob MacDonald has been appointed as Distributor Sales Representative. Also a certified fabricator, MacDonald will manage existing and new distributor accounts in North America.

Finally, Paul-Simon Holguin has been appointed as the Southwestern U.S. sales representative. Based out of Los Angeles, Holguin has a several years of experience in the industry and extensive fabrication knowledge. He will support the company’s fabricator accounts in the territory.

DuPont Appoints New President of Building Innovations

DuPont has announced the appointment of Timothy P. McCann as president of DuPont Building Innovations, effective Oct. 1. McCann was formerly vice president of DuPont Performance Coatings, Americas.

McCann, 53, joined DuPont in 1980 as a technical representative for DuPont Permasep and has worked in a number of businesses since then, including DuPont Engineering Polymers and DuPont Fluoropolymers. In 2005, he was named vice president and general manager of DuPont Electronic Technologies. In 2009 he was appointed vice president - DuPont Performance Coatings, Americas.

Formation of Glue Warehouse LP Announced Glue Warehouse LP, a privately held company owned by Chad Thomas and Ray Aleksic, has opened its doors to fabricators across the United States. Thomas and Aleksic are well known throughout the surfacing industry and have been in the acrylic adhesives business for more than 10 years.

“Our goal is to offer the highest quality adhesives while setting a new standard in turnaround time,” said Thomas, co-owner of Glue

Warehouse LP. “Having eight distribution locations allows us to provide next-day delivery to almost every address in the United States.”

Glue Warehouse has partnered with IPS Weld-On to offer its flagship product Seam-It. This exclusive acrylic adhesive formulated specifically for Glue Warehouse by Weld-On matches all major colors of the most popular brands of solid surface.

LG Hausys Launches Authorized Dealer ProgramLG Hausys has announced it will be launching a new Authorized Dealer Program. “Exploring New Dimensions” has been strategically crafted to support retail partners’ growth by providing new marketing and merchandising tools that include sample displays, showroom countertops and co-operative advertising.

“Registered dealers ordering LG Hausys countertops through this program will also earn points towards reward merchandise and incentives,” said Jim Rogers, residential marketing director of LG Hausys. “And, as we continue to launch new styles and colors via our HI-MACS acrylic solid surface and Viatera Quartz Surfaces brands which offer value and innovation to consumers, we will be focused to directly support our retailers with professional marketing tools they need to succeed at optimal levels.”

By the end of first quarter 2011, LG Hausys America Inc. will have a fully-operational facility outside of Atlanta dedicated solely to the production of its quartz surfacing. The firm already has a manufacturing plant nearby that produces its line of solid surface. Now, with these two factories, LG Hausys becomes the only company producing both acrylic solid surface and quartz surfacing materials in the United States.

Park’s Digital Stoneworking Expo Highlights New Shop Processes and Developments

Park Industries hosted a Digital Stoneworking Expo in June, which was designed to be a strategic planning

session for countertop fabricators considering the

In The Industry has the latest news and events for the decorative surfacing industry.

In The Industry


move to digital production systems. The expo brought together shops from across the United States and Canada for a one-day educational seminar to learn how digital fabrication can reduce production cost, improve process control and create marketing advantages to improve business profitability.

Industry leading fabricators such as Paul Menninger, of Capitol Granite & Marble from Midlothian, Va., and Stuart Young of The Granite Shop from Calgary, Canada, presented information to stone countertop fabricators. Menninger spoke about the “Bottom Line” impact of implementing digital technology into his fabrication process and shared many of his financial results. Young focused on the “Transformation of a Manual Shop into a Digital Shop,” and shared many of his experiences and financial results as well.

Product demonstrations from industry suppliers included Laser Products Digital Templating Systems and Slabsmith Digital Photo Layout & Slab Inventory Software.

Dale Tile Acquires Pollux ManufacturingDale Tile Company, a Minneapolis-based employee and family-owned tile and stone business, has acquired Pollux Manufacturing Inc., a fabrication company producing a variety of granite and engineered stone products. The transaction closed June 30. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

According to Alan Dale, CEO of Dale Tile, the transaction gives his organization new manufacturing capabilities and an expanded product line. As part of the deal, Dale Tile will acquire Pollux’s granite and DuPont Zodiaq hard surfaces manufacturing facility in Minneapolis. Pollux produces a variety of manmade and natural stone surfaces for the mass market, including major retailers such as Home Depot.

According to Joe Balthazor, founder of Pollux and CEO of its sister company Hallmark Building Supplies Inc. of Waukesha, Wis., the transaction gives Hallmark the ability to focus its resources solely on its growing marketing and distribution business for DuPont Corian, Zodiaq, DuPont Tyvek and Nichiha fiber cement products. Dale Tile also owns Minnesota Tile & Stone (MTS), a ceramic tile distributor and custom natural stone fabricating company that produces custom stone countertops and surfaces. Plans call for relocating the MTS fabrication plant and staff to the 35,000 square-foot Pollux plant in

Minneapolis. The Pollux facility will be renovated to include the addition of a showroom, new office space and a remodeled plant area. Pollux will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Dale Tile and will operate as Pollux LLC under its current management team. All Pollux plant employees have been rehired by Dale Tile.

Floform Acquires Multi-TekIn July, Floform, a member company of the Artisan Group, announced the addition of Multi-Tek to its family of companies, further expanding the largest premier countertop fabricator in Western Canada, as well as launching Artisan Group products such as Artisan Stone Collection, Heritage Wood and Saratoga Soapstone on Vancouver Island.

“Multi-Tek has established a great reputation in the Victoria area and Floform sees this as a perfect fit to expand our reach and introduce new products, building upon the success of Multi-Tek,” said Ted Sherritt, Floform CEO. “Merging with Floform is simply a name change, and Multi-Tek will continue to provide the same high quality service with the same great employees.”

For the last five years, Multi-Tek has been a major part of the countertop industry on Vancouver Island, as a source for natural stone, quartz and solid surface countertops for contractors, builders, architects, designers and homeowners. Foform has been in the industry for 50 years and currently installs 100 countertops per day across Western Canada.

MIA Announces Its First AIA-Approved Sustainable Design CES Course The Marble Institute of America (MIA) has announced the development, and approval by the American Institute of Architects, of its first AIA Continuing Education System (CES) course that also qualifies for the Sustainable Design credit. The course, titled “Genuine Stone: A Natural Choice for Sustainable Design,” provides architects one CES-HSW/SD Learning Unit. The AIA Board of Directors modified the AIA-member continuing education requirement to include four hours of education in sustainable design as part of the existing 18-hour annual requirement. This sustainable design requirement became effective in 2009 and extends through 2012. The one-hour course provides an introduction to sustainable design and the sustainability movement, plus descriptions of how natural stone contributes to a sustainable design solution over a project’s life cycle.

Trindco Opens New Showroom LocationTrindco Premium Countertops based in Suffolk, Va., has opened a new showroom in Virginia Beach, after renovating an abandoned house built in 1926, which had sat empty for 10 years. Hunter Adams and Jay Trinder, the

co-presidents of Trindco, saw the abandoned house as a way to break into the Oceanfront area with their countertop selections. “We had always tossed around the idea of opening a showroom in Virginia Beach,” Adams said. “We wanted something a little closer to home, and a place to serve our customers who live in this area.”

The duo worked with contractors to bring the house up to code, which including reinforcing the foundation, widening the doorways, upgrading the floors, installing all new drywall and heat and air units. They finished the interior with a new kitchen and bathroom, offices and two showroom areas. The exterior was also repaired and painted. Landscaping was added as well as a parking area. In total, the showroom and office area is about 1,400 sq. ft. The upstairs, which is available for rent as private office space, has a full bathroom and 1,200 sq. ft. That area has been renovated as well. In total the company spent about $250,000 on the renovation, not counting the purchase of the house and land, but the investment is designed to expand the company’s reach and increase business overall.

Fishstone Concrete Supply Moves to New FacilityFishstone, a provider of supplies for concrete countertop companies, has relocated to a larger facility. The new building is located in Elgin, Ill., near Chicago. The company hosted a successful open house in August to show the new facility, which included product demonstrations, guest speakers, promos and networking opportunities with businesses local to the Midwest involved in the concrete countertop industry.

TWD Surfaces Celebrates 25 Years in the Countertop Business

Ray St. Gelais, owner of TWD Surfaces in Bridgewater, Mass., has been building a wholesale

countertop fabrication business since 1985. Originally a novelty furniture shop, TWD Surfaces



now has 36 employees in a 30,000-sq.-ft. facility and offers Artisan Stone Collection granite, quartz, solid surface and wood countertops.

“I am very pleased and proud to note that TWD has achieved a milestone that not many businesses reach as we enter our 26th year,” said St.Gelais. “I think that the combination of expanding our product offerings and having great customers is our secret to success in a changing market.”

TWD began with making custom kitchen cabinets and have since advanced to being a well established wholesale custom countertop manufacturer for commercial and residential markets. Though their products and services have changed over the years, St. Gelais believes TWD owes the company’s success to its customers. Recent TWD projects include Dulles Airport, Boston Logan Airport, Rhode Island Hospital, Rhode Island College and Massachusetts General Hospital.

ToolCo Catalog Available for DownloadToolCo Industrial Corp., manufacturers of a variety of cutting tools, has announced the availability of the company’s catalog for download. The 40-page catalog, found at www.ToolCoBits.com, features diverse lines of cutting tools, including slot cutters, carbide tipped router bits and solid carbide router bits. The company has manufactured more than 1,100 SKUs of solid carbide router bits and 600+ SKUs of carbide tipped router bits and slot cutters. The cutting tools are made for industrial applications, woodworkers, solid surface fabricators and for manufacturers of plastic products, furniture, RVs, mobile homes, boats, cabinets, and doors.

Biesse/Intermac Hosts Fall EventBiesse America and Intermac America held its fall “One2One” event at its headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., in October. The events offered live machine demonstrations, interactive workshops and expert tours and seminars. Many machines from the Biesse line were under power including several from Biesse’s all new Gantry Line of routers. Other Biesse machines on display included the Roxyl and Stream single-sided edgebanders, a Skipper machining center for boring and routing, an EB Twin Pusher panel saw, a Randomat-E random length end matcher for flooring and cabinet rails, a selection of Regal sanders, and a Rover C Edge for routing, drilling and edgebanding of contoured panels.

For stone customers, Intermac demonstrated its Visual Camera Tool Presetter System on a Master 33 work center, which allows tooling setups while

the machining center is in continuous operation. All Master Series CNC work centers perform carving, cutting, drilling, edging, engraving, grinding, inlaying, milling, polishing, profiling, sawing and writing. Intermac also featured the Marmo Meccanica 711M, designed for creating eased edges of natural stone and quartz products up to 6 cm thickness using an inline machine.

Diamut also performed live demonstrations of its CNC HyS (Hyper Speed) line of tooling and featured its lines of finger bits for stone and line offerings for straight line polishing machines and single edger machinery.

Rachael Ray Show Contest Winners Get Granite Countertops from Artisan Group, Top Master Jeanne and Alex McKenzie of Wamego, Kan., are the lucky winners of the Rachael Ray Mega Gift Away and received granite countertops from Artisan Group and Top Master in Kansas City. Readers entered through the Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine and the McKenzie’s were recently notified that they were the winners of new Artisan Stone Collection granite kitchen countertops. “The partnership between Artisan and Every Day with Rachael Ray makes perfect sense because the Artisan Group provides the products necessary for an amazing kitchen, and Rachael Ray shares the way to prepare great meals,” said Chad Seiders, executive director of Artisan Group.

Bio-Glass Nominated for Designpreis 2010Miami-based CoveringsETC announced that its eco-brand Bio-Glass surfacing material has been nominated for the German Designpreis award. Companies or designers cannot enter for the coveted Designpreis award by themselves, but must be nominated by the Ministries and Senators for Trade & Industry of the German States or by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. Bio-Glass, designed by Coverings ETC founder Ofer Mizrahi, is made from layered 100 percent recycled glass from glass bottles and stemware, with no colorants or epoxies added. The material can be used for countertops, partitions, facades and other surfaces. The Designpreis jury will select winners based on a wide range of criteria, including aesthetics, design quality, ecological compatibility and quality, functionality and ease of use, innovativeness, symbolic and emotional content. The 10 jurors are established experts in the

fields of academia, the design world and the media and are appointed by the Federal Minister of Economics and Technology. The 25 winners of the Designpreis 2011 will be presented at the Ambiente Trade Fair in Frankfurt in Feb. 2011. AC Stone Granted WBE Certification in New YorkAC Stone, sister company to Structural Stone, has been granted the Women Business Enterprise (WBE) certification by the New York City Department of Small Business Services. This adds to the growing list of such certifications granted to the company, which also includes Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and WBE certifications in Rhode Island, DBE Certification in Washington, D.C., and DBE, WBE and Minority Business Enterprise certifications in Massachusetts.

Majestic Marble & Glass Joins Artisan Group Majestic Marble & Glass was recently selected as a member of the Artisan Group, a national organization of 33 independent countertop fabricators who have joined together to offer their own brands of premium countertops including: Artisan Stone Collection granite and marble and Saratoga Soapstone. The group also offers sinks through an exclusive Kohler specialty dealer program. Founded in 1990, Majestic Marble & Glass specializes in the manufacturing and installation of cultured marble products, shower enclosures and mirrors. Majestic’s Constrata Surface Innovations division fabricates and installs a variety of stone, quartz and solid surface products. Majestic services developers, contractors, designers, fabricators and homeowners.

“As an Artisan Group member and fabricator, our customers will have the assurance they are receiving the highest quality of granite available, as well as the fabrication and installation,” said Danny Cox, Majestic founder and president. “Constrata is pleased to offer a Residential Limited Lifetime Warranty on Artisan Group granite for our customers.”

Registration for Coverings 2011 Now OpenThose wanting to attend the Coverings 2011 show may now register for the event. The tile and stone show is to be held in Las Vegas from March 14 to 17, 2011. It will include an exhibit hall, education sessions and networking events for tile and stone professionals. More information and online registration is available at the event Web site at www.coverings.com.

FiveQuestions

ForKenny Thomas

When Kenny Thomas’ two daughters expressed concern about the growing U.S. national debt, he responded by riding his bike more than 3,000 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge to the U.S. Capitol to raise awareness on the issue. Through an educational Web site, a public survey and media coverage, the results included meeting with 12 key members of Congress and reaching a total of 9 million people with his family’s message.

It’s that kind of focus and determination that has fostered Thomas’ success in the business world, and he will be putting to work as the new ISFA Sales Director. He comes from Visa, the world’s leading payment card brand and largest membership association in the financial services industry, where he directed sales-oriented marketing for the company’s commercial payment products and services. Previously, he worked in public relations, marketing and franchise sales for the automotive service division of Quaker State Corporation.

A private pilot, Thomas has owned several small aircraft over the years.

You come to ISFA from outside the countertop industry, so what fresh perspectives can you share for the benefit of ISFA members?

My most recent experience is with products and services that help businesses boost their bottom line and ROI by realizing efficiency-driven cost savings through streamlining their commercial

payment, expense management and strategic sourcing functions. Those same principles of operational efficiency apply to all aspects of running a business in the surfacing industry,

especially now when the economy is slow. The impact of efficiency-driven cost savings to your bottom line is exactly the same as increasing your sales revenue and that takes on

added significance now more than ever.

What attracted you to ISFA and the decorative surfacing industry?Having been at Visa for many years I understand the association business model very well and the vital importance of creating value for members, so being able to do that in a different yet vibrant and growing industry is what attracted me to ISFA. What stands out about ISFA

member companies is their entrepreneurial spirit, artistic creativity, pride in workmanship and the passion they have for the industry and their business.

Do you have any insights that may be helpful for businesses to increase their success in what is still a difficult economy?

The same courage and entrepreneurial spirit that put most ISFA members in business in the first place will be their greatest asset in seeing them through this difficult economy. Utilizing all available resources to help stimulate your business is very important, including those associated with ISFA membership. We should focus intently on the opportunities that are still out there and pursue them relentlessly. I believe that “Attitude Determines Altitude” and we need to always perceive the glass as being half full to be successful in life as well as in business. The good news is that most economic indicators are pointing to a continued slow but progressive recovery that hopefully will make 2011 a much better year for the countertop industry and all sectors of our economy.

What is your mission as ISFA’s new Sales Director and how will it benefit ISFA members?My mission is to increase the association’s influence within the

countertop industry, expand growth in membership and boost revenue growth so we can increase the overall value of ISFA membership. A rising

tide lifts all ships, so what ISFA does to better our industry is also good for every member individually.

By aligning the ISFA brand with yours, you take full advantage of the many benefits of membership such as education, training, business development, strategic partnerships, ICE tradeshow and

perhaps most importantly, the ISFA Certified Professional designation along with the value it communicates to your customers.

What is your all time favorite business book?Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckworth. This book can inspire any business owner to continually think

outside the box and seek creative approaches to running a successful business. It is a great source for tactical-level approaches to do this, and teaches the importance of not overlooking the intangibles that can set

your company apart from the competition, especially in the areas of customer service and relationship building.

Kenny may be contacted at (877) 464-7732 (office), (801) 558-6594 (cell) or [email protected]



Education Connection

If you are a business owner you know it can sometimes be pretty lonely at the top. Whether you breathe the rarified air of a multi-city fabrication company, or inhale the slightly smoggy vapors of a truck/office, it would be nice to get some honest feedback and advice once in a while from someone successful who has “been there and done that.”

That’s the concept behind the ISFA Peer Mentor Program, which was launched in September of this year. Four surfacing fabricators were paired with four ISFA mentors (also fabricators), who have successfully traveled the road their respective “mentees” wish to follow. The concept is to provide one-on-one peer mentoring over a six-month period with some solid business training integrated into the program.

“We begin the mentoring process with a mandatory two-day course in business management,” said Russ Lee, executive director of ISFA. “This instruction covers concepts taught in the Break Even Point, understanding financial statements and, very importantly, a session on how to plan and strategize for the future. There is also time allotted for panel discussions and feedback sessions incorporated into the curriculum.”

Once the initial business training has been completed, the participants in the program begin their six-month journey of learning and discovery. The mentees are required to visit their respective mentors’ shops at least once during the program, ideally within a few weeks of the business training. During these visits and in subsequent communications, the mentors break down the

specifics of taking a business to the next level as it applies to the mentees’ circumstances.

Additionally, all throughout the six-month period, the students are given homework assignments covering specific topics on a monthly basis. They also participate in monthly conference calls with all participants in the program to compare notes and gauge their progress.

Block Tops, in Anaheim, Calif., hosted the two-day Business Boot Camp at their facility. The instructors included Vanessa Bates and Christina Humiston of Block Tops, Chuck Sawyer and Alex Alvarez of Basix. The students included Dave Paxton of Paxton Countertops, Jeff and Laurie Baldwin of Solid Fabrications, Lynda Apple of InConcrete Designs and Michael Bustin of Meld USA. Two mentors were present for the training

Peer To Peer

Participating in the Business Boot Camp at Block Tops Inc. in Anaheim, Calif., are (from left to right), Dave Paxton, Bruce Akins, Christina Humiston, Ted Sherritt, Lynda Apple, Michael Bustin, Alex Alvarez, Chuck Sawyer, Laurie Baldwin and Jeff Baldwin.


session: Bruce Akins of Innovative Surfaces and Ted Sherritt of Floform Countertops. Evan Kruger of Solid Tops LLC and Todd Werstler of Tower Industries were unable to attend the event, but serve as the remaining two mentors.

“I see this entire program as a process of self improvement,” said Dave Paxton. “People will be able to identify the bottleneck in their company, go to ISFA and find the best fabricator in the world to help with that topic, and make them their mentor. Our current bottleneck is financial management, but we plan on going back through the program time and again as we identify other issues. That’s really powerful.”

The heart of the ISFA Mentor Program is the relationship students develop with their mentors. In addition to the obvious education component, students benefit from close proximity to some of our industry’s most successful fabricators.

“We were awed by the boot camp,” said Laurie Baldwin. “To imagine that all of the mentors, very successful business people, took time out of their busy schedules for us, to help us, was humbling. It was encouraging to hear that we all have the same problems and questions at times, just to different degrees. The boot camp made us more aware of the possibilities that there are for us. We look forward to moving ahead with so much help behind us.”

While there is no defining script for how a typical relationship progresses, the goal is for the mentor to provide specific insight and guidance

into how the mentee’s business might be tweaked to achieve stated goals.

“The Boot Camp was exactly what I needed to jump start some changes and goals leading to success and profitability for InConcrete,” said Lynda Apple of InConcrete Designs. “I am so excited to work with my ISFA mentor, Evan Kruger, over the coming months. To think that he and the other mentors donate so much time, energy and wisdom to other ISFA members

purely for the common good is testament to their commitment to the ideals of ISFA. I am honored to be involved in the Mentor Program and can’t wait to report back when I’m through.”

The ISFA Peer Mentor Program is a benefit of membership and is available to all ISFA members in good standing.For more information contact the ISFA office at 877-464-7732 or go to www.ISFAnow.org. INTERN AT ION AL SURFACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOC IAT ION

The six-month program kicks off with a two-day course on business management and planning strategies. Mentee attendance is required, but is optional for participating mentors.

Attendees have the benefit of instruction from a variety of instructors, which adds an element of interest and perspective to the training session.


We all love our shops – the more tools the better! Unfortunately, though, the more tools you add, the higher the risk of something going wrong. And when that happens, OSHA might pay you a visit. I suspect if I would

have titled this article “Top 10 OSHA Violations” you would probably have just flipped the page, so let’s be honest: For shop owners and manag-ers it has become a bit difficult to keep up with what OSHA requires.

It can seem like real drudgery in many ways, but when you get past your initial reaction to the subject and think about the importance of shop safety, it makes a lot of sense to really take it seriously. One important thing to note is that if OSHA visits your shop, they will be handing out fines for individual violations. For instance, if they visit and find you have seven fire extin-guishers and none of them are up to OSHA standards, you may receive seven subsequent fines. You can imagine how fast that could add up.

The OSHA Standards book has 911 pages, so looking for violations that apply to your shop can be a daunting task. However, some of the top 10 OSHA violations for 2009 are applicable to a surface shop, so I will boil it down to some key areas of concern.

Safety MeetingsTo begin, anything to do with safety must first be taught to the employees, which requires a safety meeting. These meetings don’t have to last very long, but the information should be easy to understand. If you try to cram too much informa-tion into a short meeting, the chances are that most people won’t remember it all. Some have found it of value to make a safety binder for each employee to keep. As you expand the safety program, you can add information to the binder. No matter what, at the very least, one binder containing your safety policies must be in a place that is accessible to all employees at all times.

OSHA 10-Hour Certificate CourseSomeone who has oversight of the shop must at-tend the OSHA 10-Hour Certificate Course. This is an excellent foundation on which supervisors can build their safety and health knowledge.

A Safe ShopBy Jon Olson

Figure 1 - All chemicals must have hazardous liquid label on them.

Figure 2 – OSHA standard 1910.147 requires that a lockout/tagout program be in place, but a written plan must also be part of that. The written portion may be as simple as a poster board outlining the place, but a safety meeting must also be conducted to explain it to all employees.

Shop Management Matters


Hazard Communication Standard 1910.1200Our shops are full of chemicals, and employees need to under-stand the safety precautions involved in using them. For example, if someone accidentally ingests a certain chemical would you know what to do? Should vomiting be induced or avoided? Does medical attention need to be sought? Someone in the shop needs to know the answers to these questions. Are you aware that every bottle of liquid should be labeled as to what it contains, even water? Any chemicals must have hazardous liquid labels on them (see Figure 1). Knowing and doing these things could save someone’s life.

Lockout/ Tagout OSHA standard 1910.147For power tools OSHA wants not only a program, but also a written plan so your employees are aware. Does your shop have a lockout/tagout program? A written plan can be as simple as the poster board you see in Figure 2, but you can’t just post the plan. You must have a safety meeting to make sure everyone understands.

First Aid OSHA Standard 1910.151OSHA’s first aid standard is a very important one and it really should fall under a standard facility inspection. Items that should be included are:

Figure 3 – Just having an eye wash station available isn’t enough, weekly eye wash inspections are needed to make sure they are in good working order and clean, as standing water can become infected with bacteria that you wouldn’t want to enter an injured eye.

20 • Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2010 • International Surface Fabricators Association20 • Vol. 3, Issue 4, 2010 • International Surface Fabricators Association

• Weekly eye wash inspections — Free-stand-ing stations need to be cleaned because stand-ing water can become infected with bacteria that you wouldn’t want to enter an injured eye. Also, they need to be checked to make sure they are in good working order (see Figure 3).

• Monthly fire extinguisher checks — The time to discover your fire extinguisher isn’t working is not during a fire. Most extinguishers lose their charge after one year. The monthly inspection helps keep track of this. Also, check to see what type of extinguisher you’re using. Electrical fires require a different extinguisher than wood fires.

• Emergency Lights, Signs and Exits — Are all your exit lights working properly? Are the exits clearly marked? You might own the building, but you can’t decide which exits you can block. OSHA gets to make that call and they hand out big fines for violations in this area.

Compressor Inspections OSHA standard 1910.242 Most State laws require inspections of pressure vessels. Here in Massachusetts we are required to have compressors inspected by a state in-spector every other year. It’s a pain, but it’s also big protection for you and your employees. Plus, it’s the law.

Other Things to RememberThere are numerous other things to keep at the forefront when minding to proper safety procedures. For instance, all storage racks must be visibly labeled with their weight loads (see Figure 4); any lofts you use for storage must be enclosed so as to prevent falling (see Figure 5); you cannot use extension cords as a replace-ment for hard wiring; and ladders that you use in the shop to reach high places must be secured so they do not fall.

A safe shop is possible but let’s be honest: It requires a tremendous amount of work. You simply can’t do it on your own, but you do have

a considerable amount of help available. Your workman’s comp insurance carrier should have many resources available to you. In fact, I would start there to see what they can do. Even OSHA can help. They have a program where they’ll come into your shop, find the problem areas and help you resolve them, without issuing fines. And, OSHA viewing your company as proactive is a good thing.

We can’t relive the old “anything goes” days. They are gone, and that is probably for the best. What’s important now is how you can make yourself and your employees safe.

How safe is your shop? INTERN AT ION AL SURFACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOC IAT ION

About the Author:Jon Olson is production and operations manager for Sterling Surfaces in Sterling, Mass. A solid surface fabricator since 1982, he has gained experience in all phases of fabrication while helping Sterling to grow from 10 to 50 employees and become one of the world lead-ers in the industry. He can be reached at [email protected]. Photos courtesy of baumgartfoto.com.

Figure 4 - All storage racks must be visibly labeled with their weight loads.

Figure 5 – Any lofts used for storage must be enclosed so as to prevent falling.


For more information call ISFA at 877-464-7732

Mark Your Calendar!

The Official Show of the International Surface Fabricators Association

Countertops& BeyondComing to the Rio Hotel & Casino October 20-22, 2011

INTERNAT IONAL SURFACE FABR IC ATORS ASSOC IAT ION


The Digital Shop The Basics of Digital

Templating, CNC Machinery and Waterjet Technology

Sooner or later you – as a fabricator – will be looking at moving out of the “analog world” into the digital realm when processing your countertops. Most shops that I work with don’t have a clue between the two – digital and analog. Most folks that are just getting into countertop fabrication know they will be very hands-on in the first years of their business, using hand fabrication techniques, largely because of cost constraints, in lieu of large mechanized processing methods.

When people come to my school for “Basic Countertop Training,” they are usually just getting into the countertop business, and around half of my students express the desire to get a CNC machine “someday” in the future. But most don’t really know what CNC equipment does, nor do they understand fully what it can and cannot do for them specifically. They just dogmatically believe that they need a CNC machine, regardless of any of the details – period. My first question to someone that is inquiring about CNC equipment is “why do you think you need one?” I also ask them, “What kind of work they are doing now (or projecting in the future) to justify buying one?” And finally, “Do you have a digital templating system, or are you planning on getting one?”

These are all basic validation questions I ask, in order to help advise people (objectively) as to whether or not I feel they are ready for the jump to digital processing. Their budget, the amount and types of edge profiles and shapes and sizes they are working with all contribute to evaluating if a company is ready to switch to digital fabrication.

The following are what I consider some of the biggest “reasons” I can offer for a person that is presently doing everything by hand to make the switch to digital:

1. The company is making hard templates out of lauan strips, cardboard, plastic or any other means of creating a template to use in making an object that has complex radius details.

2. The fabricator is tracing out the shape of the object onto a slab or sheet of countertop stock.

3. The shop is cutting everything out manually – either with a track saw, or bridge saw.

4. The production of finished kitchens is approaching three per day; all done by hand.

The last reason is probably the most critical of the four in determining when you are ready for the digital process. Your production volume will be the first to benefit from switching over to digital format, as you will immediately notice a drop in the man hours you are investing ineach job.

In making the switch, there are a few things I always recommend as far as what to do, and how to do things to your advantage. Remember

By Kevin M. Padden

This is the kind of complex shape that can be templated digitally in a matter of minutes, saving valuable time and increasing productivity.

The key to integrating CNC machinery, waterjet cutting systems and slab visualization programs is to use a digital templating system, such as the one shown here.

Most fabricators start out making hard templates out of lauan strips, cardboard, plastic or any other means of creating a template to use in making an object that has complex radius details.


the name of the game is to “work smarter, NOT harder.” Going digital WILL cost a pretty penny, but when you look at the return on investment after you make the switch, you’ll understand why it makes sense to go digital under the proper circumstances.

TemplatingThere are a number of digital templating systems out on the market today. Regardless of whether you acquire a laser, photo or lanyard style digital templating system, the time it takes to template the same job using “sticks” versus digital is like night and day. Using a digital system (in most cases), a templator can template an entire kitchen in under an hour on the jobsite – from start to finish. Instead of creating a hard template, the object that you are templating is traced into the digital system and a “DXF” file is created.

What’s important to remember about the DXF (Drawing eXchange Format) file, is that the DXF is what most machines use to talk to each other and transmit commands. When I create a document on my computer, I use Microsoft Word to craft it. I then send the document to you and you open it using MS Word, and read it. DXF files use the same principal but in machine language.

In order to maximize the ability of a digital shop to produce to its capacity, you’ll need to start by having a digital templating system in place to create the template files.

CNC MachinesThis is probably the pinnacle of machinery in a mechanized shop. Most fabricators that have CNC equipment are the envy of those that don’t have them. And the people that want them most are not always sure of actually “why” they need

them, but they just know that they do . . .

When you plunk a piece of CNC machinery down in a shop, the best way to make that CNC equipment the most effective you can out of the starting gate, is to have a digital templating system in place and in use. The time savings alone in processing the commands to the CNC machine are noticeable on the very first couple of jobs you run.

IF you have to trace templates manually with your CNC system, you’ll find that once you go digital, the difference is like night and day.

Waterjet Cutting EquipmentThe really serious shops, in my humble opinion, are the ones that have a waterjet system for cutting product. Waterjet cutting is NOT only limited to countertop products. Fabricators that have waterjet cutting equipment often try to

Kitchens like this are easier to do and get finished quicker using mechanized systems such as a CNC machining center.


maximize profitability by handling other cutting jobs in addition to those for their countertop business. Many will cut ANYTHING that the waterjet can cut, which means pretty much anything on the face of the planet with the exception of tempered glass.

Having a digital source for creating templates – along with understanding the “waterjet speak” of the various programs that are out there – will allow you to come up to speed faster than someone that’s just discovered digital processing.

Digital Rendering/Slab VisualizationThis is a relatively new technical expansion into the digital age. With this technology, you shoot a digital picture of a slab that has a lot of movement in it and load the picture into a program. Then you can drag and drop a section of countertop (drawn in CAD) on the picture. You can move the countertop outline around on the slab until you find the spot you want to cut. Then you repeat the process for a second, third, fourth and fifth slab if need be, and do the same steps to see where everything will match.

All of this is done BEFORE you start cutting it out and learning through less trial, and more error! This helps consumers actually see the layout of the slabs before their jobs get started, which helps fabricators stay out of disputes with their customers. Before, there was no real way to give the consumer any input on the slab layout, other than doing it manually by taping templates to the slabs and standing back and trying to imagine.

Your ability to step out of the analog realm, and into that of the digital process all starts with a digital templating system. For the next step beyond that, I would suggest adding a slab visualization program (such as “Vein Match” from USG Robotics), and then look at rolling on your waterjet and CNC selections. Once you have all of these four components in your arsenal, you will have made it to the bigs! How you use them in making your company go from “just like everyone else” to a powerhouse depends entirely on how you use these systems. INTERN AT ION AL SURFACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOC IAT ION

About the AuthorDigital Templating, CNC machinery and waterjet utilization are all topics that are taught at the AZ School of Rock. For more information, contact Kevin M. Padden at www.azschoolofrock.com, by phone at 480-309-9422 or via e-mail at [email protected]

Waterjet cutting systems use water and powdered garnet in a cutting stream that’s around the diameter of a sewing needle to cut out pieces from a slab.

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2010 • 25International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2010 • 25

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Oldcastle SurfacesOldcastle Surfaces Inc. began as Custom Surfaces in the Atlanta market in the early 1980s, when Rick Smith started the business with a focus on solid surface. Oldcastle was an early member of ISFA, joining the association in its inaugural year as Member No. 103, where Smith was very active hosting fabricator meetings and speaking at events. At a recent ISFA fabricator meeting held at Oldcastle in conjunction with the IWF show (see ISFA News, Page 56), Smith recalled his early involvement in the association and expounded on the valuable business relationships he developed, as well as the friendships he grew.

After examining the market and doing the necessary research, in 1998 Oldcastle Surfaces made the big decision to add its first stone shop. That decision, set in course more than 12 years ago, brought in a new set of clientele and new opportunities that have allowed the business to grow to its current size and spread geographically.

The Oldcastle of Today

More than 26 years later, the company is Atlanta’s premier fabricator of solid surface as well as natural stone, quartz surfacing, recycled surfacing, wood and tile. It also services the states surrounding Georgia from satellite locations. Now headed up by Steve DeBerardino, Oldcastle Surfaces is a six-site operation that primarily serves the Southeast with locations in Atlanta, Birmingham, Ala., Greer, S.C., Winston Salem, N.C.,

Hardeeville, S.C. (Savannah), and Nashville, Tenn.

The 150,000-sq.-ft. Atlanta location houses the company’s corporate office along with a high-end, newly remodeled showroom. It also is home to the company’s largest stone facility and a large solid surface plant. While the solid surface shop operates largely with hand-held equipment, the company recently added a Komo CNC machine to the line-up. This, along with two Striebig vertical panel saws, a V-groover, a dust collection system and overhead cranes keep the work flowing and the product quality high.

The stone facility, unlike its solid surface counterpart, was built to take advantage of the latest automation and stone processing equipment. The Atlanta location alone has three double-table CNC machines, four bridge saws and a waterjet cutting system, as well as line polishers.

Oldcastle’s Greer, S.C., location also has the latest state of the art stone technology, which incorporates automated processes for the majority of fabrication from the saw to the CNC. All other Oldcastle sites are equipped with a combination of bridge saws and CNC machines.

Working through Tough Times

Although like most fabricators the company has been hard hit by the weak economy of the past couple of years, Oldcastle still

Fabric

ator P

rofile



employs approximately 200 people across its six locations. It is currently producing 7,000 sq. ft. per week in the stone shop, which accounts for about 60 percent of its total business.

“We have been successful weathering the storm thanks to our business diversification,” said Melissa Hill, vice president of residential sales and marketing with Oldcastle. “We have always been good about growing our market shares in commercial, residential and home center channels. This past year we have taken that one step further on the residential side of the business and have branched out to offer tile backsplashes, plumbing reconnects, faucets and accessories and even CastleSeal™, which provides the company’s granite customers a 15-year warranty on staining as part of our packages.”

The company offers a one-year installation warranty that covers any problems that may arise from the installation process. Oldcastle goes the extra mile when it comes to installation, making sure that all of its installers have had background checks before sending them out to the job site. That, along with professional training via an apprenticeship program within the company, helps to assure there won’t be any problems once the installers are in the field. By focusing on craftsmanship and customer service, Oldcastle has been able to build a solid reputation of dependability and quality that brings in new customers and keeps previous customers returning with new projects.

Diversity is Key

When it comes to inventory, Oldcastle has a large investment. “Over the years we have

changed the color pallete to follow the markets trends and we are starting to work more and more exotic granite slabs into the mix by working closely with our suppliers,” explained Hill. “Having a strong relationship with the suppliers has certainly helped us stay competitive in the markets we service.”

Today, exotic materials comprise about 20 percent of the company’s stone work and it is pushing to see that number increase to 50 percent by mid 2011. In addition to granite, the company also offers DuPont Zodiaq, LG Viatera, and Cosentino’s Silestone and SenSa products. Olcastle specializes in the well known brand names of solid surface, such as DuPont Corian, Samsung Staron, Avonite, Wilsonart and LG HI-MACS.

Oldcastle sees the importance of having a full


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product mix and client mix. Solid surface presents opportunities in the healthcare industry, and the investment in an upgraded showroom is a driving force for more residential business. The company caters to designers, contractors, builders and cabinet professionals, as well as corporate, commercial, government and military facilities.

Oldcastle Surfaces offers a complete range of services from design consultation to value engineering, as well as complex custom jobs which incorporate thermoforming, inlay colors, sandblasting or coved splashes. “The goal is to be able to offer the client a great experience with us and limit their need or desire to go to somewhere else to complete their order,” added Hill.

Outreach and Marketing

Oldcastle also places importance on giving back to the community, and is always looking for ways to help make a positive impact. The company has donated time and materials to special projects such as The Battered Women’s Shelter, Arvida’s Cancer House and the Ronald McDonald House, and it donated countertops to Brock Built’s ‘Green House’ whose proceeds are donated to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The company

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 3, Issue 4, 2010 • 29Circle Reader Service # 07 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

has also recently joined with Habitat for Humanity where it not only donates the countertops for the houses being built, but also helps build the homes.

In spite of the diversity, Oldcastle Surfaces Inc. has been investing in its marketing more than ever the past year. The company has invested in vehicle advertising for its fleet with eye-catching graphic designs and has reinvented its Web site – www.oldcastlesurfaces.com – to be more customer friendly and informative. “Our Web site has the key information provided in an easy to read format,” said Hill. “This helps our customers get a feel for the process before we begin.”

In 2011 the company plans to further increase its visibility in the markets it services. The company’s slogan is “Surfacing the Southeast,” but Oldcastle Surfaces leaves no stone unturned. INTERN AT ION AL SURFACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOC IAT ION

For more information contact Oldcastle Surfaces Inc., 1400 W. Marietta St., Atlanta, GA 30318, (800) 355-3108, [email protected], www.oldcastlesurfaces.com.


We live in a very different world today than we did even five years ago. A lot of things have changed in all of our lives, and in our industry one thing that certainly has changed is the look and feel of the traditional laminate countertop. Kudos to the laminate manufacturers for stepping up and developing some truly stunning products; the combination of plate technology and enhanced digital printing is allowing the likes of Formica, Wilsonart and others to really put laminate countertops back on the playing field. Laminate is becoming an exciting option again.

While it may not be as new, the undermount acrylic sink for laminate countertops is certainly just as revolutionary. With the first acrylic sinks made specifically for seamless integration in laminate back in early 2000, this exciting application has gained great momentum in recent years. Within the past year, another sink product has been introduced to the market – the stainless steel seamless undermount sink for laminate.

Typical stainless steel undermount sinks with their 1-in.-wide rolled rims are clearly not suitable for bonding directly to laminate. By casting a specially formulated resin matrix onto a substantially modified stainless steel sink, then CNC-machining the mounting surface for a completely flat and level mounting flange, the stainless steel undermount sink for laminate was born. You now can seamlessly integrate a stainless steel sink into a laminate countertop. This is how it is done:

Step 1: Trace the sink outline onto the back of the particleboard substrate.

Step 2: Make your cutout using a jigsaw.

Step 3: Place the sink into the cutout opening then glue and staple wood support strips around perimeter of sink to support sink when top is turned over.

Step 4: Flip countertop and sink over. Ensure sink is positioned 1/16 in. higher than the top of the substrate. Use spacer strips of laminate or screws through wood strip supports to change height of sink.

Undermounting to LaminateBy Mark Webster


Step 5: Fill the 1/8-in. gap around the sink completely with Bondo.

Step 6: Belt sand rim of sink and Bondo with coarse grit sandpaper until flush and level.

Step 7: Spray back of laminate with contact adhesive. Place the sink cutout over the area on the back of the laminate where sink will be bonded to keep this area clear of contact adhesive.

Step 8: Spray substrate with contact adhesive. Use the sink cutout to protect the sink.

Step 9: After wiping rim with denatured alcohol, place a 3/8-in.-wide wide bead of brown solid surface adhesive about 1/8 in back from the inner front edge of the sink.

Step 10: Adhere laminate and roll. Place a sheet of substrate over the sink area to provide pressure while adhesive cures for 30 minutes.

Step 11: Use the Karran bevel bit (or equivalent) with oversize bearing to trim the laminate. The lower the bit rides in the router, the closer it will cut the laminate to the bowl wall. Make several passes, stopping short of touching the sink with the bit.

Step 12: Hand file the remaining laminate until laminate is flush with the edge of the sink.



Step 13: Run a piece of fine grit sandpaper horizontally along the edge of the laminate with the grain of the sink to give final finish to the installation.

For most fabricator’s this process can easily be completed in an hour. As a concept to the homeowner purchasing new countertops, the undermount sink is a simple and obvious choice. They all want it. They love the look of it. They love the hygienic aspect of having no rim to hold dirt and promote bacteria growth. They love the convenience of wiping countertops directly into the sink.

For the fabricator, the undermount sink is a great profit maker. Fabricators may not typically have gotten the sink sale, but now they can take advantage of that, as well as the sink installation. This allows for the gross sales dollar, and profit, per countertop to be significantly increased. Now doesn’t that sound like a great idea? INTERN AT ION AL SURFACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOC IAT ION

About the AuthorMark Webster is vice president of Karran USA, 1422 East Elkhorn Road, Vincennes, IN 47591, 866-452-7726, www.karran.com, [email protected].

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About an hour north of Atlanta, long after the scenery along Interstate 75 turns from cityscape to agricultural, one comes upon the freeway exit for the city of Calhoun. Travel seven miles deeper into the countryside and a modern looking, gleaming white factory rises up in the middle of several acres of Georgia pastureland.

This is the home of the LG Hausys solid surface manufacturing plant, which is the sole supplier of HI-MACS solid surface sheets for all of North America and Europe.

LG Hausys employs a continuous cast system for producing its acrylic solid surface sheets. The process requires strict control over the proportions of raw materials used to turn liquid slurry into hardened sheets of solid surface. The basic ingredients are liquid resin, PMMA (acrylic) pellets, ATH (alumina tri-hydrate) filler, particulate (sometimes called crunchies), pigments and catalyst.

Plant Tour : LG Hausys

Each sheet is individually labeled with color, run number and barcode.

Sharon Burns, lead colorist at the plant, explained how custom color matching usually takes about two weeks.


Once the materials are mixed and poured into the mold, the product goes through a controlled chemical reaction. Initially, the core temperature of the sheet is raised to start the chemical reaction (known as polymerization). After reaching the desired exo-therm, temperature is again used to cure the sheet, which goes through a controlled cooling process that eliminates internal stress within the slab or warping.

As already mentioned, the plant employs continuous cast technology, which means the material is cast as one long continuous sheet. After curing, it goes through a series of steps to cut the slab into sheets, adjust their thickness using a planer and apply a final finish through a series sanding steps. The sheets are then trimmed, inspected, labeled, a peel-coat plastic sheet applied, palletized and staged for delivery. Total time from mixing of raw materials to finished sheet is approximately one hour.

The pieces that are cut off of the finished sheets, or the few whole sheets that are rejected with defects, are sorted and are eventually recycled back into the process as filler material for LG’s Eden Collection of solid surface, which features up to 41 percent certified pre-consumer recycled material.

An automated facility, the LG plant uses a minimum of personnel to produce HI-MACS sheets. A typical shift employs a handful of production employees and has the capability to operate around the clock, seven days per week. In fact, more people are used in the logistics part of the equation (scheduling, ordering colors and patterns and delivery) than in actually making the sheets. About the only time production stops is for color changes or line maintenance.

One of the company’s selling points for large commercial projects, in particular, is the ability to do custom color matching. This is especially appealing for a project that requires an exact color match, such as a company’s logo, for example, to be incorporated into the decorative surfacing used in the project.

Considering the scope of operations, the minimum order for custom color matching is surprisingly low. Typical turnaround time from submittal of color swatches to final approval is about two weeks.

Currently under construction adjacent to


The specialists at LG are able to color match practically any material and finish.

LG employs a closed water system during production, which means

any water used is collected and run through a purification system.

After the sheets have been planed and sanded to optimum thickness,

the edges are trimmed.

Temperature is tightly controlled as the sheets go through the curing process.

Raw materials, including ATH (filler) and PMMA (acrylic) are stored in silos outside the plant. These dry ingredients are delivered to the mix-ing room via a blower system.

36 • Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2010 • International Surface Fabricators AssociationCircle Reader Service # 09 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info36 • Vol. 3, Issue 4, 2010 • International Surface Fabricators Association

the solid surface plant, LG Hausys is building a quartz surfacing plant for production of Viatera Quartz Surfacing materials. The plant is scheduled to come on line in the first quarter of 2011, making LG the only major manufacturer to have solid surface and quartz surfacing production capabilities in the United States. INTERN AT ION AL SURFACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOC IAT ION

In a high production plant such as this, efficient material handling is critical. As sheets come off the line they are sorted, packaged and palletized using automated equipment.

Every process in the plant has been engineered for the greatest efficiency. Here, plastic sheeting used in casting the sheets is collected and recycled.

Construction is currently underway for a new quartz surfacing production facility adjacent to the solid surface plant, which will produce LG’s Viatera Quartz Surfacing material.

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The Toyota Center Gets a FaceliftHouston Stone Systems Upgrades VIP Area with SilestoneSince opening in October 2003, the Toyota Center has become one of the premier live sports and entertainment venues in the nation. Spanning six city blocks, it is home to the NBA’s Houston Rockets and the AHL’s Houston Aeros. Toyota Center also plays host to the nation’s top concerts and touring shows.

Designed by HOK Sports and Entertainment Group in conjunction with Houston-based Morris Architects, Toyota Center is highlighted by large open windows and comfortable seats. The arena’s playing surface is set nearly 32-feet below street level, giving it the largest lower level of any arena in the nation.

The 750,000-sq.-ft. stadium seats up to 19,000 people with 2,900 club seats and 103 luxury suites. However, all of the traffic the building receives can take its toll on the facility. Such was the case with the granite countertops in the club level restaurants, lounges and suites.

After a half dozen years of the wear and tear that comes with being a prominent entertainment venue, the VIP sections of the


facility were beginning to show signs of their usage and were in need of a facelift. A decision was made to replace the granite that was originally installed there with something more easily maintained.

Importance was also placed on more uniform color choices and sustainability, leading stadium designers to go to Stone Systems of Houston and Silestone by Cosentino for answers.

Stone Systems of Houston is a highly automated company that operates out of a facility that is roughly 50,000 sq. ft. Utilizing bridge saws, four waterjet cutting systems, five CNC machines and four automated edge polishers, the facility produces a minimum of 50,000 finished sq. ft. of quartz surfacing and natural stone a month, operating a single 8-hour shift per day.

With 15 locations around the United States and Mexico, Stone Systems of Houston covers all of South Texas and Louisiana. The Houston location also works with approximately 60 to 80 other companies who outsource fabrication work to the facility, and is a sister-company to Cosentino USA.

The Houston Sports Authority, which runs the facility, has made a commitment to sustainable practices and has established a number of environmental initiatives, including Silver LEED certification in building maintenance. This dedication to environmental stewardship is one of the reasons the Sports Authority felt Silestone was a good fit.

The designers wanted to use colors that matched those in the Houston Rockets logo (red and white), so they chose Silestone’s Stellar Fire and Stellar Snow colors. The choice also allowed them to maintain their commitment to choosing environmentally friendly materials, as both colors contain 35 percent recycled glass and mirror particulates.

The counters in the main areas were all done in the red Stellar Fire and the baseboards were all done in white Stellar Snow. However, they wanted a more regal feel in the private suites, and so chose materials from the Silestone Platinum Series, with the choices being Carbono and Zirconium, both of which are a dark grey with black, charcoal and white particulate offering a sleek, metallic-inspired look.

The tops were all done in 2cm material, and given a glossy finish, while the large bar aprons


and baseboards were done in 1cm material. The finished project is one that exudes class and sophistication, while also promoting the sanitation and maintenance-free aspects required of such a public institution.

However, the job was not without its challenges, according to Israel Cruz, general manager of Stone Systems of Houston.

Typically, all projects handled by Stone Systems are completed and installed within 10 working days, however with this job the timeline wasn’t so straightforward. From the time the project came before Stone Systems to the time it was installed was about four months because of some unique circumstances that made access more difficult.

“The Houston Rockets were in season at the time,” explained Cruz. “So we had to plan the whole thing around the times when they had away games. The Rockets would go on the road for four to five days, and we would get in and get our work done.”

“The four months it took to do the project doesn’t do us justice,” said Cruz. “Once we were able to get it, the templating only took four to five hours using our laser templating system, the fabrication took about seven working days and the install took about eight hours. We are all automated; we don’t do any hand work at our facility, so we are able to get work done very quickly.”

In addition to the limited access, the project had other challenges as well. The sheer size and scope of the project, which Cruz estimates to have been between 12,000 and 15,000 sq. ft., was another complicating factor. The project included several huge bar tops, cooking areas, cook prep areas, gift shop counters, baseboards, bathroom vanities and even flooring in a couple of places. Additionally, Stone Systems replaced the countertops and tabletops in a few of the private suites.

Although tricky work, Stone Systems was not hampered in its task, largely because of the advanced technologies it takes advantage of, including digital templating and the latest in automated machinery.

“We use only laser templating,” said Cruz, “which is a big help to a project like this. We are able to make the templates and e-mail files directly to our server without having to go through the process of digitizing cardboard or


lauan templates. That would have slowed us down a lot.”

And even the massive bar tops that all featured major curves, didn’t slow the process down. “The bars were huge with a lot of curves,” explained Cruz. “It would have been near impossible to do without the use of our waterjets.”

Additionally, Stone Systems had an even larger concurrent project at the Houston Astros baseball stadium – Minute Maid Park, which added to the difficulty. “It was tricky handling both of these big projects at the same time,” said Cruz. “The job at Minute Maid Park was actually larger in terms of square feet, but was mostly straight runs. The work at the Toyota Center was much more complex by far.”

But, the company is no stranger to big jobs in prominent locales, having also done a lot of work at the internationally known Sam Houston Race Park, where horse racing, concerts and events take place all year.

They went to work and completed the project in a timeline acceptable to the Toyota Center team given the unusual circumstances. The result has been a sparkling success, with the club level getting the sleek, updated look that was wanted, and the facility’s schedule free of disruption. INTERN AT ION AL SURFACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOC IAT ION

For more information, contact Stone Systems of Houston at 281-752-9601, [email protected] or www.stone-systems.com.

For more information on Silestone, go to www.silestoneusa.com.


The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), conducts research and makes recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. The NIOSH health hazard evaluation (HHE) program is available for employees, employers or union representatives to ask our comprehensive team of experts for an investigation of their health and safety concerns. Our team contacts the requestor and discusses the problems and how to solve them. This may result in sending the requestor information, referring them to a more appropriate agency or making a site visit (which may include environmental sampling and medical testing). If we make a site visit, the result is a report of our investigation that includes recommendations specific to any problems found, as well as general guidance for following good occupational health practices.

This article will discuss an HHE at a business in the concrete countertop manufacturing industry. Included in this article are findings and recommendations provided to the company in our report. This and other HHE reports are available online (see Additional Information Resources sidebar).

Concrete Countertop Manufacturing HHE

We received a request for an HHE from a small business specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom concrete countertops for residential and commercial applications. The business employed five to six full-time employees. Employees were not reporting any health symptoms believed to be related to working at this business, but because the manufacture of custom concrete countertops is a relatively new niche industry, the managers asked us to evaluate their shop for possible occupational health hazards. Work at this facility involves potential exposure to respirable particulates (from dusts generated when mixing concrete and sanding grouted and finished concrete slabs) including silica and wood dusts, as well as potential exposure to noise, concrete acid stain and skin sensitizing agents contained in epoxy-based sealants.

We made five visits to observe work operations and to conduct exposure assessments for noise, respirable crystalline silica, respirable dust (or respirable particulates not otherwise regulated) and asbestos fibers. We took personal breathing zone (PBZ) air samples for respirable dusts and silica and area air samples for asbestos.

We also took samples of settled dust to analyze them for silica and metals. We measured noise exposures from hand-held grinders. Lastly, we evaluated the dust control ventilation systems and observed work practices and equipment.

In evaluating the hazards posed by workplace exposures, we use both mandatory (legally enforceable) and recommended occupational exposure limits (OELs) for chemical, physical and biological agents as a guide for making recommendations. The below section, “Health Effects and Occupational Exposure Limits” further explains the limits we use as a guideline when making our recommendations.

At this company, we found one air sample that exceeded the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) for exposure to respirable dust (5 mg/m3), and two samples that exceeded the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists® (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Value® (TLV) for respirable dust (3 mg/m3). The remaining air samples were below these criteria. Settled dust in the drying rooms contained 2 to 3 percent crystalline silica and some metals.

We noted that dust at the facility could be better

Potential Occupational Exposure Hazards in Concrete Countertop ManufacturingBy Maureen Niemeier, BBA, and Eric J. Esswein, MSPH, CIH


controlled with improved work practices and ventilation changes. Noise exposures were below the OSHA PEL of 85 decibels as a daily average.

At this facility, we recommended employees use a rubber trowel to apply the minimum amount of grout compound necessary when wet patching and sanding countertops. This would minimize the creation of small airborne dust clouds when the rapidly spinning sanding disk hits dry grout clumps. Since our visit, the facility has reduced the amount of patch applied by 50 to 75 percent using this technique.

To further decrease dust creation, we advised managers to avoid having two workers sanding at the same time in the same dry room. We recommended enhancements to the exhaust ventilation systems in the drying rooms to improve dust extraction, and use of directly ventilated sanders while patching. We advised employees to check the dust bag and barrel on the dust extractor regularly and empty them when they are half full. Adding a dust collection device for the planer, dedicating the existing vacuum collection system to the panel saw and insuring the portable dust collection system is operating at optimum efficiency would better control dust. The facility now uses separate dust control systems for each tool.

A high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuum cleaner should be used periodically to remove accumulations of settled dusts from the metal conduit and wall-mounted heaters in the dry rooms and horizontal work surfaces where visible dust accumulates. The dry rooms at the facility now get a weekly cleaning to remove settled dust. We also advised employees on the proper way to remove dust from their clothing and body after a work shift. Do not use compressed air to blow dust from clothing, faces, and hair because it sends the dust back into the air where it can be breathed in or blown into the eyes. Instead, use a HEPA vacuum cleaner to vacuum clothing. Employees should wash their face and hands with soap and water. The employees now wash down before lunch and at the end of the day.

Lastly, we advised employees to wear blue nitrile gloves to protect their skin when working with epoxy resins (because these products can be sensitizers, they can cause allergic skin reactions). The facility now uses only blue nitrile gloves for this work. If employees become sensitized to these chemicals, they can be at risk for serious skin reactions with future skin exposures. Therefore, prevention of skin contact with sensitizing chemicals is very important.

Health Effects and Occupational Exposure Limits

OELs have been developed by federal agencies and safety and health organizations. They suggest levels of exposure to which most workers may be exposed up to 10 hours per day, 40 hours per week for a working lifetime without experiencing adverse health effects. However, a

General Recommendations for Your FacilityHow can concrete countertop manufacturing workers and managers reduce or remove potential hazards? Consider the following actions:

Dust Control• Controlling dust generation (especially concrete dust that can contain silica) is a critical

aspect of shop operations. Using dedicated and engineered local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems to collect dust where it is generated is particularly important.

• Don’t use compressed air to blow dust off work clothes; instead, use a high efficiency vacuum cleaner and wash face and hands with soap and water at the end of the

• work day.• Check the dust bag and barrel on dust extractors or vacuums and empty them when they

are half full. • Periodically remove settled dust from horizontal workshop surfaces using a HEPA

vacuum. • For sanding, consider the use of directly ventilated sanders to reduce dust

concentrations. One study reported that use of directly ventilated handheld sanders reduced inhalable dust concentrations by 93 to 98 percent.

• Vane axial fans (propeller type) are recommended for dusty environments. They don’t accumulate as much dust as centrifugal fan blades and are more efficient at moving dusty air.

• Use wet methods when cutting and polishing concrete slabs. • If you notice the shop has increasing dust build-up on horizontal surfaces, source

controls for dust (such as LEV) may not be working well enough. Close observations of all shop operations, inspection of dust controls and review of work practices is warranted to determine why dust is not being captured, or to determine uncontrolled points of emissions.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):Assessment of PPE Use• Complete a comprehensive assessment (required by OSHA for all employers) to

determine if hazards are present, or likely to be present, that would require the use of PPE (such as safety glasses, protective gloves, respirators, or other PPE). Employees must be trained in the use and maintenance of the PPE. OSHA requires written documentation that PPE hazard assessment and employee training have been completed. Information about PPE can be found on the OSHA Web site (http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/personalprotectiveequipment/index.html).

Skin Protection• Use nitrile gloves when working with sensitizing resins and sealers (for example,

Ancamine and other chemicals noted on the product label or the material safety data sheet as a skin sensitizer). Latex or thin plastic (food handler) gloves are not designed for skin protection against sensitizing agents in resins and sealants. Consult a reference guide such as “Quick selection guide to chemical protective clothing” (see Additional Information Resources) to determine appropriate gloves (as well as other PPE) for the chemicals at your facility.

Hearing Protection• Consult OSHA guidelines for hearing loss prevention programs if necessary. The OSHA

noise regulation and hearing conservation amendment provides minimum guidelines. Additional information on hearing loss prevention programs that goes beyond OSHA requirements has been published (see Additional Information Resources).

• Wear hearing protection devices (in other words, foam earplugs or protective muffs) if necessary. Moderate, flat-attenuating devices (referred to as musician earplugs) can improve communication and one’s ability to hear warning signals by attenuating noise in a more uniform manner. They can be found on the Internet under musician earplugs or high fidelity earplugs.

Respiratory Protection• Provide employees with respiratory protection if a hazardous product cannot be

substituted with a less hazardous product. PPE is the least effective means for controlling employee exposures because it requires a high level of employee involvement and commitment. It should not be the only method for reducing exposures. Employees wearing respirators must be properly fitted, receive training on their use and undergo medical evaluations. Companies requiring respirator usage must prepare a written respirator program that documents how they comply with OSHA respiratory protection program requirements. If you use a respirator or other PPE, consult federal standards for proper use, maintenance and storage. Refer to the OSHA respiratory protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134) if you are required to wear a respirator, or to Appendix D of the standard if your use is voluntary (see Additional Information Resources).

• Make sure respirator users do not have facial hair because it prevents respirators from sealing to the face and reduces their effectiveness.


small percentage of workers may still experience adverse health effects even if they are not exposed to substances at levels higher than the OELs because of individual factors such as their personal susceptibility, pre-existing medical conditions or hypersensitivity (allergy). Some hazardous substances may act in combination with other workplace exposures, the general environment or with medications or personal habits of the worker to produce health effects even if the occupational exposures are below the exposure limit. Some substances can be absorbed by direct contact with skin and mucous membranes in addition to being inhaled, which contributes to the person’s overall exposure.

OSHA mandates legally enforceable PELs for workplaces covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act. However, not all hazardous chemicals have specific OSHA PELs, and the legally enforceable and recommended limits for some substances may not reflect current health-based information.

To eliminate or minimize identified hazards, we encourage (in order of preference) the use of the traditional hierarchy of controls: (1) substitution or elimination of the hazardous agent; (2) engineering controls (for example, local exhaust ventilation, process enclosure, dilution ventilation); (3) administrative controls (for example, limiting time of exposure, employee training, work practice changes, medical surveillance); and (4) personal protective equipment (for example, respiratory protection, gloves, eye protection). This approach groups actions by their likely effectiveness in reducing or removing hazards. In most cases, the preferred approach is to eliminate hazardous materials or processes and install engineering controls to reduce exposure or shield employees. Until such controls are in place, or if they are not effective or feasible, administrative measures and/or personal protective equipment may be needed.

Primary Concerns for Workers Who Manufacture Concrete Countertops Respirable Particulates Not Otherwise Regulated

Workers who manufacture concrete countertops can be exposed to dusts, or mixtures of dusts, not associated with a specific toxic chemical. Occupational health specialists refer to these as particulates not otherwise

Additional Information Resources

NIOSH HHE reports: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/

OSHA noise regulation and hearing conservation amendment:CFR [2003]. 29 CFR 1910.95. Code of Federal Regulations. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, Office of the Federal Register.

Additional hearing loss prevention program information:NIOSH [1996]. Preventing occupational hearing loss – A practical guide. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 96-110.

Royster JD, Royster LH [1990]. Hearing conservation programs: practical guidelines for success. Chelsea, MI: Lewis Publishers.

Suter AH [2002]. Hearing conservation manual. 4th ed. Milwaukee, WI: Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation.

Respirator UsageOSHA [1998]. OSHA Small Entity Compliance Guide for the Revised Respiratory Protection Standard. http://www.osha.gov/Publications/secgrev-current.pdf.

OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard and Information for Employees Using Respirators when not Required Under Standard - 1910.134 Appendix D. http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=12716&p_table=standards.

PPE GuidanceOSHA guidance on PPE: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/personalprotectiveequipment/index.html

Forsberg K, Mansdorf SZ [2007]. Quick selection guide to chemical protective clothing. 5th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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46 • Vol. 3, Issue 4, 2010 • International Surface Fabricators AssociationCircle Reader Service #11 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

regulated. Although larger dust particles are trapped by the body’s natural defense mechanism (e.g., mucous lining the upper respiratory tract), respirable dust particles are small enough to penetrate to the deepest parts of the lungs and cause harmful health effects. OSHA mandates generic criteria for airborne particulates that do not produce significant disease or toxic effects when exposures are kept under reasonable control.

Noise

Hearing loss because of excessive noise exposure is an irreversible condition that gets worse the more a person is exposed. Noise produces hearing loss greater than hearing loss caused by the natural aging process. It damages nerve cells of the inner ear, and unlike some hearing disorders, noise-induced hearing loss cannot be treated medically. While hearing loss may sometimes result from one exposure to a very brief loud noise or explosion, it typically begins to develop at 4,000 or 6,000 Hertz (Hz) (the hearing range is 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz) and gradually spreads to lower and higher frequencies. Often, significant hearing loss has occurred before the person recognizes his or her condition. Such impairment is usually severe enough to permanently affect a person’s ability to hear and understand

speech under everyday conditions. Workers who manufacture concrete countertops can be exposed to noise from various sources including shop machinery (cement mixers, saws, drills), and from hand-held tools such as grinders and polishers.

Silica

Silica is a natural mineral that exists in several forms, but only exposure to crystalline silica can produce the pulmonary condition called silicosis. Although this disabling, progressive and sometimes fatal disease usually occurs after 15 or more years of exposure, NIOSH has found that it can develop after only a few years of exposure to high concentrations of crystalline silica. Initially, silicosis may not produce symptoms. However, as the disease progresses, it is characterized by shortness of breath and a reduction in pulmonary function. Individuals with this disease are also at increased risk of developing tuberculosis. The smallest particles of quartz and other major forms of crystalline silica (cristobalite and trydimite) can be inhaled into the deepest part of the lung and are more hazardous. The NIOSH recommended exposure limit (REL) for respirable silica (all forms) is intended to prevent silicosis, however, evidence indicates that crystalline silica is also a potential occupational cause of cancer. Workers who mix, cut, sand or grind on concrete can be exposed to respirable crystalline silica depending on the nature of the work practices and the effectiveness of dust controls installed in the shop. INTERN AT ION AL SURFACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOC IAT ION

About the AuthorThis report was put together by Maureen Niemeier, BBA (a freelance technical writer), and Eric J. Esswein, MSPH, CIH, working with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). This article is based on a health hazard evaluation NIOSH conducted at a concrete countertop manufacturing facility and is designed to be an education resource. More information on NIOSH is available at www.cdc.gov/niosh.

Renewal Instructions:To renew your membership with ISFA, simply fill out the Personal Information section, and Payment Method and that’s it! Fax it back to (801) 341-7361 and we’ll do the rest. Please allow 2-4 weeks for your membership renewal packet to be delivered. New Member Instructions:For Surfacing Experts wanting to become a new member, please fill out the entire form. Membership in ISFA is the industry endorsement of high quality. This endorsement cannot be purchased for the price of membership, but must be established by the company and upheld by each member of the organization. Fax this form back to (801) 341-7361 and we’ll do the rest. Your new membership packet will be in the mail shortly. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.

Code Of Ethics Agreement (Please Sign Below)Each member of the International Surface Fabricators Association agrees to observe high standards of honesty, integrity, and responsibility in the conduct of their business. By adhering strictly to the highest quality standards of fabrication, manufacturing and installation. By promoting only those products and services that are proven quality and value. By writing contracts and warranties that are clear, honest, and fair to all parties involved. By honoring all contractual obligations in a reasonably prompt manner. By quickly acting on and attempting to resolve all customer complaints, and in situations where complaints appear unreasonable and persistent, by encouraging the customer to initiate and approach third party dispute settlement mechanisms. By being fiscally responsible and honoring all legitimate financial obligations; By maintaining all required licenses and insurances;

I,_______________________________, do hereby certify that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge, and do agree to abide by the Code of Ethics of the International Surface Fabricators Association for as long as I hold an active membership therein.

Type of Membership: (please select one)

ISFA Membership: $400 - Any Specialty Surfaces company that has been in business at least two years and carries appropriate liability insurance. Subscriber Membership: $400 - Applicant companies which meet all other qualifications, but have been in business for less than two years shall be eligible for Subscriber Membership in the Association

Branch Membership: $200 - Branch Membership is available to companies having more than one location. Each location must fill out seperate membership applications. Branch Membership annual dues are one-half that of the headquarters location. Each location wll be treated as a seperate member in all respects except only headquarter locations may vote in General Elections.

Monthly Membership: $35/Monthly

Sponsorship Information: In order to become a member of ISFA, you need to provide information regarding an ISFA member or company willing to sponsor you in. If you do not know what to put in this section, just leave it blank. We will help you with this.

Sponsor Company: Contact Person: Telephone: Trade Reference: (Please provide a trade reference, generally your distributor of solid surface.)

Trade Reference: Contact Person: Telephone: Proof of Insurance: A copy of your certificate of liability insurance must be attached to or faxed with this form to process this application.

Name: Title: Company: Address: City: State/Province: Zip/Postal Code: Country: Phone: Fax: By providing your fax number, you are giving ISFA permissioon to send you information via fax. Check here if you do not wish to receive education & event information via fax.

E-mail: Check here if you do not wish to receive Product and Service information from ISFA and our industry partners via e-mail.

I Am: Renewing my ISFA Membership Applying To Become A New Member

I am faxing a copy of the check along with this form. (required if paying by check) Card Type: Visa Mastercard American Express DiscoverCard Number: Print Name On Card: Expiration Date: Official Signature: If Paying by check, fax copy along with this order form. You can also mail this form to: ISFA, 165 N 1330 W #A3 Orem, UT 84057

Personal Information

Method Of Payment

New Member Information


Specialty Surfaces Fabricators, Manufactures and Experts Membership ApplicationMain: (877) 464-7732 • Fax: (801) 341-7361 • www.ISFANow.org

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“Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman, not the attitude of the prospect.”

- W. Clement StoneBusinessman & Philanthropist

5 Myths Every Business Must Avoid to Survive the Recovery By Vivian Hairston Blade

Recession PlagueAt a recent stockholders meeting, the Vice President of Sales for a global manufacturer, reported: “The economy has been tough on our industry. Sales volumes significantly declined and have not nearly returned to pre-recession levels. The company has laid off employees, cut expenses, and, unfortunately, has had to cut price to remain competitive.

Competitors have cut price as much as 40% on some products. We’re ‘under-water’ on critical components our customers need. But, we have no choice.“

Sound familiar? Could this be your company?

Like so many businesses during the recent recession, this company is having a tough time bouncing back. Consumers’ wallets and businesses’ checkbooks continue to be tight. In fact, the Price Index for personal-consumption expenditures, excluding food and energy, had bottomed out in late 2009, but is showing signs of being unstable again.

While sales and profits continue to struggle, employment will remain stagnant and the economy will be slow to recover. It’s a vicious cycle. Every company feels the trickle down effect. Customers have reset their expectations. And, companies attempt to cut price to retain customers, grow share and increase top-line revenue.

But is this really a viable business strategy? Focus on short-term revenue hinders investment in substantially improving the quality of your business for the future. Though not sustainable, many companies still operate on this short-term view.

5-Myths Every Business Must AvoidIt’s time for you to take a look at five common myths that keep companies ‘sprinting’ to the finish line. If you want to survive the recovery, avoid these failed strategies to stay ahead in the ‘marathon’.

Myth 1: Customers demand lower prices during a recession.When customers stop buying, the first reaction is to drop prices to jump start spending. When price is the carrot, buying behavior changes and customers wait for even deeper cuts.

Myth 2: You have to follow competitor price moves during a recession to stay competitive.Competitors use price wars to protect share. You soon find that suffering profits can’t sustain the business for long. Rarely does volume make up for the loss in revenue!

Myth 3: We’re good at what we do. Customers are privileged to do business with us.Sorry to disappoint you. But, it’s not about you! Companies with this attitude find that customers don’t stick around long.

Myth 4: Customer retention initiatives are a cost that won’t pay back.Companies that treat customer retention as a cost will allocate only a few resources to protect their greatest asset. Their efforts fail to improve retention or increase sales and, therefore, support dwindles.

Sales are an essential part of any business, regardless of what product or service it offers. Simply put, without sales, there can be no business. When times are tough, making sales can be an uphill battle, but are even more essential to the health of the business. As such, a primer on sales with some different ideas that you may want to explore is apt.

There are many ideas on how to improve this most essential operation. Here you will find some simple suggestions on how to increase your sales volume and improve your sales process.


Myth 5: Customer retention is the responsibility of the Sales or Customer Service departments. Service Recovery is not a customer retention program. Only 1 out of every 19 unhappy customers complains. That’s just 5 percent. And of the 95 percent of unhappy customers who don’t even complain, more than two-thirds decide to buy elsewhere. Recovery as a retention strategy just doesn’t work!

A Look in the MirrorDo any of these myths plague your company? Where do you feel the effects?• Does the number of customer defections surprise you? What are

these defections worth in Revenue? Margin?• Are you spending more on new customer acquisition? How much

more does it cost to win a new customer vs. retaining current ones?• Are your customers really “price conscious” or are they really “value

deprived”?

Studies show that when customers believe they get more “value” for their money, they are much more loyal and spend more with those brands.

Why Invest in “Value-Based” Customer Relationships?Companies that take a long-term view of investing in “value-based” customer relationships are rewarded with double-digit growth and profitability that compounds over time.

Does this mean higher costs? More often, investing in “value-based” customer relationships means reducing your costs or being able to charge more for highly valued products and services.

“We’re not fighting for the highest volume but for the best reputation, customer satisfaction, and the best profit,” says Dieter Zetsche, CEO, Diamler, on the prospects of surpassing Toyota’s Lexus as the No. 1 luxury U.S. brand, Business Week, August 2, 2010.

“Most marketers & corporations are now looking to reduce costs in order to improve the bottom line. While they do, it will be important to remember the favorable economics of keeping and growing customers vs. finding new ones.” Donovan Neal-May, Executive Director, CMO Council, Forbes.com.

VALUE is about how you make your customers successful. Don’t forget that customers define VALUE and expect you to deliver VALUE, at a minimum, to meet their fundamental expectations if the relationship is to continue. Keep in mind that a change in the economic climate causes the needs of your customers to change, which requires a change in how you respond to their needs.

Your tools – 5-VALUE Creating ImperativesTM

How do you effectively deliver greater VALUE in this tougher environment and remain profitable to survive the recovery? Integrate these 5-VALUE Creating ImperativesTM into your business operations.

Take a closer look at each imperative. As you review these brief descriptions, challenge your current thinking, culture and processes! V - Voice – Give your customers one! Be disciplined about listening to their challenges and needs.A - Accountability – Hold leaders accountable for customer voice and for

action that responds to customer voice.L - Levers – What is most important to your customers in how you help them succeed? How do they depend on you?U - Unbelievable Experiences – Create experiences that surprise & elate your customers! Focus on those levers that drive your customers’ success and relationships.E - Engage & Empower – Customers & Employees are your two most important assets. Engage them. Empower and trust employees to take good care of customers and build collaborative relationships.

How well do you execute in each of these areas? How much VALUE do your customers really feel?

Each of these VALUE Creating Imperatives requires a discipline to become part of your organization’s DNA. These are critical to your success for improving your customer retention and making your business more profitable, no matter what the economic environment.

Be unequivocal about creating promoters who sing your praises ….. customers who know you are committed to their success and who are committed to your success!!

About the Author:Vivian Hairston Blade is president and CEO of Experts in Growth Leadership Consulting LLC (EiGL). Her professional certifications include GE Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Black Belt and Green Belt, and Certified Net Promoter Associate. Through a combination of coaching and training, EiGL Consulting helps Fortune 1000 companies execute value-based strategies by building high performance, high quality, and high service-level organizations. For more information, visit: www.eiglconsulting.com or e-mail [email protected].

Effective Questioning Combats Centuries-Old Selling Problem By Weldon Long

Since the dawn of mankind we have been buying and selling “stuff,” and over the centuries a predictable pattern has developed between buyers and sellers. The buyer-seller dynamic can spell catastrophe for the sales professional who lacks the artful skill of effective questioning.

The Old Way – The Buyer StallsEssentially the old way involves the purchaser following a reliable pattern when choosing to come off his or her hard-earned cash to buy something and the unskilled seller who can easily fall victim to this insidious game.

The dynamic begins with the buyer gaining as much information about the product or service from the seller as possible. This information may include price, warranties, financing options or delivery options.

Second, the buyer will withhold valuable information from the seller. For example, if a buyer walks onto a car lot to buy her dream car, she is unlikely to tell the salesperson that her old car just blew up and that she has a pocket full of cash she’s just dying to spend. Instead, even if she loves the sparkling new car on the showroom floor, she will keep her cards close to her vest. After all, everyone knows that knowledge is power and none of use want to give an advantage to the salesperson; thus, we keep our mouths shut.

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50 • Vol. 3, Issue 4, 2010 • International Surface Fabricators AssociationCircle Reader Service #12 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

Next, the buyer relies on the tried and true strategy of stalling in an effort to put off spending her hard earned money. It’s not that the buyer won’t spend the money, it’s just that given the choice, we all prefer to postpone spending it as long as possible. Stalling also gives the buyer the opportunity to revisit competitive offerings one last time and maybe work the seller over a bit on price.

Which brings us to the fourth step in this age-old game: The buyer asks for a cheaper price. This step is as predictable as the sun rising over the Atlantic. It is going to happen – even if the buyer likes the product or service and thinks the price is fair. Remember, this process has been ingrained in us for generations and no one writes a check without at least a halfhearted attempt at getting a lower price.While this series of steps is natural, it can devastate the income of a seller who is not adept at derailing the process with effective questions. For example, when the seller begins step one, gathering information, an inexperienced seller may begin randomly

spewing information about how wonderful his product or service is without ever probing for information of his own. When the buyer begins step two, withholding information, some sellers may continue the information spewing routine, further saturating the buyer with more information. When the buyer stalls in step three, the seller panics and begins offering concessions the buyer hasn’t even asked for, and is then left with no defense when, in step-four, the buyer asks for the lower price.

Sadly, this process is played out countless times everyday to the chagrin of business owners who depend on decent margins to keep the doors open.

The New Way – The Seller Asks QuestionsHow can sales professionals avoid this pitfall and improve the probability of closing the deal while maintaining sustainable margins and commissions?

The solution to this problem is the solution to almost any sales problem: Ask questions.

The first series of questions should be designed to uncover the hidden emotions underlying the buyers’ needs and/or wants. This can easily be accomplished by asking basic questions about the current problem facing the buyer and then following up with a simple question or two about how the buyer “feels” about the current situation or would “feel” about the benefits of the proposed solution.

Once the buyer responds with an emotional term, you will know you are on the trail of what is really driving the purchasing decision. That information can skillfully be used to close the deal without having to resort to dropping the price.

Another useful way to use questioning is by asking “Duh” questions and then following up by asking, “Why do you say that?” This simple strategy simply requires giving the buyer the answer before asking the question, then benefiting from the classic influence strategy that “public declarations dictate future actions.”

A buyer is far more likely to take actions consistent with their statements. Remember, public declarations dictate future actions. The seller merely has to hold the buyer accountable to their own words and, bingo, the sale is made and his wife and kids have enough money for groceries and mortgage.

Skillfully asking questions change the direction and the dynamic of a centuries old buying-selling cycle. Our choice as sales professionals is simple: Learn to use questions or learn to get by on fewer or smaller sales.

About the Author:Weldon Long is the president and CEO of Wright Total Indoor Comfort Inc, a leading HVAC company in Colorado. Effective questioning is one of the skills Long used to jumpstart his sales career and create an INC 5000 business. He now provides sales and motivational training to businesses and volunteers his expertise and time with the formerly incarcerated. Long’s memoir of building his business success from his final release from prison after battling addictions is titled “The Upside of Fear” and has won several book awards and critical acclaim. For more information go to www.weldonlong.com or call 719-304-5300.


Digital Laminate: Cool Designs for ‘Hot Italian’Restaurant and retail interiors are designed with three basic factors in mind: function, ambiance and visual impact. It’s the visual impact which creates that all-important first impression, whether the restaurant is upscale, family-oriented or a fast-food facility. While about 20 percent of the visual impact comes from surfaces, using high pressure laminates can be a good way to allow designers/builders to actually splurge because of the material’s reasonable price point. In many cases, using laminate can bring down the cost of interior surfacing to less than 2 percent of the interior budget.

High pressure laminates can have a significant effect on that all-important visual impact because they offer a wide choice of colors, patterns and textures; have more long-term resistance to wear and fading than ever before; and can be used in all areas of a dining establishment, including the flooring.

They also have more sustainable options to meet many “green” building requirements and can showcase digital designs. Spectacular digital designs helped heat up the atmosphere at “Hot Italian” eatery and retail space in Sacramento, Calif., as well as participating in the “green” goal of the project.

A European-styled “fast bar,” Hot Italian is a place designed to be a meeting point where people gather for lunch, dinner or late-night snack or a glass of wine while enjoying a comfortable, modern, urban space. It is also a “Motors & Gears shop” with Italian street sportswear and accessories for cyclists, car, motorcycle and scooter enthusiasts, soccer fans and anyone searching for urban-inspired Italian goods.

ABET LAMINATI’s digitally printed laminate was creatively used on countertops in the restaurant area and on doors of fitting rooms and bathrooms in the retail section at the business. The overall theme for the space was “Italian,” and the intent of the California design firm, Creative Eye Design, as well as Hot Italian LLC, was to use an Italian laminate manufacturer and digital imaging to capture the true essence of Italy. Not only was this accomplished by using digital laminates, but Hot Italian was chosen as one of only 75 participants in the LEED Pilot Program for Retail: New Construction. It is the first LEED certified restaurant in Sacramento.

To help with the sustainable aspect of the job is the fact that all of laminates used were Greenguard Certified. Also, the digital print, high-pressure laminates lower formaldehyde emission levels to as low as 0.03 parts per million, designating them as a low-VOC, sustainably-attractive option.

“We wanted strong, striking graphics to create iconic “Hot Italian” imagery, such as the motorcycle, the couple on the Vespa, the guy with bicycle, etc.,” explained Andrea Lepore, creative director and co-founder of the business. “The images add curves, shapes, and personality to the space that has many hard, straight lines, concrete floors and walls and a glass window line.”

As for the construction timeframe, it took approximately four weeks to manufacture the digital laminate sheets. The images were digitally printed onto decorative paper and incorporated into the high pressure laminate manufacturing process in the typical way. The black and white laminates were fabricated using standard woodworking tools (panel saws, routers, lay up equipment, etc.). The process was a successful mix of creative designs, digital technology and sustainable high-pressure laminate.

More information is available at www.abetlaminati.com.


On October 5, ISFA fabricator L.E. Smith hosted a celebration commemorating that company’s 60th year in the decorative surfacing industry. More than 80 kitchen & bath dealers, fabricators and other industry professionals were on hand to mark the achievement of this third-generation business. ISFA was there to help honor the company and to talk about the benefits of ISFA membership.

Visitors and well-wishers had the opportunity to meet and greet representatives from Wilsonart, Formica, Karran, Parksite, Flakeboard, DSI (Distributor Service Inc.) and, of course, ISFA. Tours of the 100,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing and fabrication facility were provided to attendees, and there were educational seminars, giveaways and lots of great Midwestern food.

Formerly a distributor of solid surface and quartz surfacing, L.E. Smith now manufacturers post-form countertop blanks, and fabricates/installs laminate, solid surface and butcher block countertops for its mostly dealer customer base. The company will soon be adding natural stone and quartz surfacing fabrication to the list of product offerings. L.E. Smith currently markets to six states (Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Kentucky), and has plans for future aggressive growth. In the last 12 months, the company fabricated 45,000 countertops with 88 full-time employees.

60 Years!L.E. Smith Celebrates 6 Decades in the Industry


Raw particleboard sheets are run through a blank processor that cuts and glues the front edge and backsplash and routes an edge profile on the front edge in a single, automated pass.

Contact cement is applied to the particle board blank.

At the same time that the blank is glued, contact cement is sprayed onto the backside of the heated laminate sheet.

While still warm, the laminate sheet is placed on a pivoting arm . . .

. . . and applied to the particleboard blank.

The blank passes through a special set of rollers that press the still warm laminate onto the decorative edge profile.

The post-form blank is finished and ready for final fabrication into a kitchen countertop.

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Concrete Countertops in Finland


By Lane Mangum

Concrete attracts interior designers working in old buildings in the Finnish Art Nouveau style, called Jugend style, built from 1900 to 1920.

Jeff Girard, of the Concrete Countertop Institute, recently visited Finland to help a student improve efficiency and learn new technologies. Matti Mannonen, of Sisustusbetoni (“Concrete Furnishings”), has built a successful concrete countertop and furniture business uniquely tuned to the Finnish market.

Finnish StyleConcrete countertops are relatively new in Finland, where a clean aesthetic that Americans know as “Scandanavian Style” rules. Clean lines, sleek looks, subdued colors and a modern sensibility characterize this style, and solid surface materials are as popular in Finland as natural stone.

Given this clean aesthetic, by far the most

popular color Mannonen’s clients request is natural concrete. This is partly because of the misconception that concrete can provide only a raw, industrial look, a notion that Mannonen is working on changing. “I am pushing the trend towards massive looking and more colorful designs, where the shape doesn’t always have to be rectangular,” said Mannonen.

Integral concrete sinks are also becoming very popular in Finland. Kitchen sinks tend to be much smaller, and therefore present fewer technical challenges. As a result, both kitchen and bathroom integral sinks are popular.

Concrete attracts interior designers working in old buildings in the Finnish Art Nouveau style, called Jugend style, built from 1900 to 1920. Another interesting group that is taking notice of concrete as a surfacing option is one redeveloping old industrial buildings into lofts.

The concrete frame of the building is often visible inside the loft, which is a natural fit.

Marketing and Business DevelopmentMannonen’s marketing techniques are similar to those that American concrete countertop professionals use. He has built relationships with several kitchen designers, interior designers and architects. While Girard was in Finland, there was an interior design exposition open only to the trade, where Mannonen partnered with a kitchen design firm, Avestia, to display concrete countertops in its booth. Many visitors came to the booth specifically to see the concrete countertops, as they were unique in the exposition. Avestia considered the concrete countertop to be the best attraction to its booth, and the number of the visitors on Mannonen’s Web site tripled during the days of the exhibition.

More of Mannonen’s relationships have come


in handy in growing his business. He recently moved production to a factory in Estonia, where skilled labor costs are much lower than in Finland. Having previously done work in Estonia on some park bench and children’s playground projects, his contacts there became invaluable when making the decision to lower his production costs. He was able to turn one contact into his shop foreman there and establish production. Mannonen protects his intellectual property by pre-mixing some of the key ingredients and shipping them to Estonia.

Production TechniquesOne of the innovations in production techniques already mentioned is to have the key ingredients preblended off-site, then have the shop staff obtain and mix in basic ingredients such as sand and cement. In addition to protecting intellectual

property, this allows Mannonen closer quality control of the most critical ingredients.

Mannonen has also made many innovations in forming techniques using melamine, quick bracketing systems and standardized foam. He is also using a 3-D CNC router for quickly shaping foam sink molds. Because integral sinks are very popular and ready-made molds are very expensive and time consuming to purchase from the United States, the ability to make molds quickly and inexpensively is essential. He can offer his customers almost any size and shape of sinks at a reasonable cost, and he doesn’t have an expensive stock of unused sink molds.

Mannonen tracks every cost, including materials and labor for each step. This has been key in making smart decisions about where to invest his money – which tools are most needed, what steps need the most improvement and which materials he should spend time sourcing.

Until now, Mannonen has used precast methods in all production. With Gerard’s visit, he learned glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) techniques. GFRC will allow Mannonen to create the thicker, industrial looks that Finnish designers prefer, as well as furniture, with a lot less weight. Thus he can serve a market demand more easily.

Mannonen was one of the first people involved in the use of GFRC in Finland. He showed Girard a Finnish concrete trade magazine from 1979 in which he wrote an article about “Lighter Pipes using Fiber Concrete” (“Kevyempia Putkia Kuitubetonista” in Finnish). Little did he know that more than 30 years and several businesses later, he would again be relying on GFRC for weight savings in a completely different concrete product.

What the Future HoldsWith Mannonen’s ongoing innovations and smart marketing and business development techniques, Sisustusbetoni is poised to grow. “Upcoming projects include hotel bathrooms, restaurant toilets and reception desks of business buildings, said Mannonen of his plans. “Use of GFRC will bring long, lightweight and seamless countertops and massive looking parts for fireplaces and other elements. And the Finnish sauna will get components never seen before.” Given that Finland is the land of 3 million saunas, Sisustusbetoni can’t help but be a huge success. INTERN AT ION AL SURFACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOC IAT ION

About the AuthorLane Mangum is vice president of business services with The Concrete Countertop Institute, 3529 Neil St., Raleigh, NC 27607-5412, 888-386-7711.www.ConcreteCountertopInstitute.com [email protected].

Here. Now. News.ISFA Makes Opportunities at IWFAt the International Woodworking Fair (IWF) in August, ISFA had a sizable presence, offering a number of opportunities for association members and attendees to make connections and gather information.

The ISFA booth attracted visitors who could talk to association board members, and staff, to find out more about ISFA’s offerings and ask questions. “It was great to talk to members, as well as those interested in joining, about how ISFA can help with their businesses,” said Membership Director Sandy Milroy. “We are here for the industry everyday, but seeing and talking to them face-to-face really helps to solidify the connection and gives us a chance to remind them that we are ready to assist wherever we can.”

In addition to a booth at the show, ISFA hosted two events, a day-long symposium and a shop tour.

Full-Day Cabinets to Countertops SymposiumOn the first day of IWF, ISFA conducted a full-day “Cabinets to Countertops” seminar, in which a panel of distinguished speakers gave presentations on a variety of subjects. Woodworkers from around the country had a chance to hear from some of the top fabricators and experts. The line-up included Evan Kruger, of Solid Tops LLC

and president of ISFA, Russ Berry of A.S.S.T., , Grant Garcia, of Sterling Surfaces, Russ Lee, ISFA executive director, and Kevin Cole, communications director of ISFA. The symposium covered such topics as cutting edge materials, new applications, gearing up for fabrication, outsourcing versus in-house fabrication, countertop trends and statistics, working with architects, designers and other specifiers, and how ISFA works with the industry.

The focus of the event, “Turning Opportunity into Profit,” allowed attendees, whether they were cabinetmakers or already had a presence in the countertop industry, to get valuable information on what it takes to be a countertop fabricator, what resources are available, where we are as an industry, and where we are headed, with tips on how to get there.

An informal lunch at the event allowed attendees and presenters to mingle and discuss their particular situations, ask questions and share experiences. The presentation also included plenty of audience interaction so attendees got the most out of the seminar. The event scored high marks on attendee surveys and plans are already in the works for another symposium at the 2012 IWF event.

“Teaming up with IWF and hosting this event really gave ISFA a good opportunity to reach out, not only to its members, but also those

56 • Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2010 • International Surface Fabricators Association56 • Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2010 • International Surface Fabricators Association56 • Vol. 3, Issue 4, 2010 • International Surface Fabricators Association

interested in the countertop and decorative surfacing industry,” said Kruger. “We brought a lot of people together and were able to provide them with some insight into the industry, as well as connect them with others to share their knowledge and experience.”

Oldcastle Surfaces Shop Tour and Fabricator MeetingIWF attendees from the countertop world, or just those investigating the possibilities of decorative surfacing, were treated to a shop tour and fabricator meeting at the world class fabrication facility of Oldcastle Surfaces Inc. in Atlanta.

Put on by ISFA, sponsored by Cosentino USA and graciously hosted by Oldcastle Surfaces, approximately 85 attendees were given a tour of 150,000 sq. ft. facility, which housed a newly remodeled showroom, Oldcastle’s corporate headquarters, a huge solid surface shop and a highly technical and automated stone shop. Along the way presentations were given by John Womer of CH Briggs, who showed fabricators the proper techniques for wet wall solid surface installation, and Bryan

Stannard of ITW Plexus, who demonstrated hard surface repair using UV-curing technology. Representatives of a variety of manufacturers and suppliers were also in attendance, including Cosentino, LG Hausys, Colonial Saw, Park Industries, Laser Products, SL Laser, MeldUSA, Chemical Concepts, Schultz Forming, CMS/Brembana, Specialtytools.com, and others.

Afterwards, Oldcastle treated the visitors to barbeque and drinks as attendees mingled in the facility’s showroom to network. Discussions ran from the early days of ISFA to modern materials, technologies and techniques, as members of the group got a chance to connect with their peers. ISFA presented information on its current programs and educational offerings, answered questions and offered advice in an informal setting. “Oldcastle Surfaces was the perfect place for an event like this,” said Lee. “It is a very impressive operation, and we were honored that they would open their doors to ISFA members and fabricators from around the world.” INTERN AT ION AL SURFACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOC IAT ION

International Countertop Expo (ICE) to Focus on Countertops and BeyondISFA announced the theme of the International Countertop Expo (ICE) is “Countertops and Beyond” for the 2011 event. “In addition to the core issues surrounding the countertop industry, we will be focusing on the many possibilities open to surfacing professionals beyond typical horizontal applications,” said show manager Sandy Milroy. “We want attendees to get a wider picture than just what they may already be doing on a regular basis. This is a golden opportunity to come into contact with alternate ideas and concepts that can help streamline and innovate within their businesses.” ICE is a mix of material vendors, and the machinery, equipment, tooling, supplies and services necessary to turn raw material into beautiful countertops, vanities, accessories, architectural products and much more. In addition to an exhibit hall showcasing the latest and greatest products, supplies and services, the show includes a variety of conferences and networking events designed to educate attendees and provide them with time to learn from each other. Material fabricators come from all over the globe to view products, make purchasing decisions, strengthen relationships with vendors and other attendees, and build new ones. The 2011 event will be held Oct. 20 to 22 at the Rio Hotel & Casino’s convention center in Las Vegas. As more information and additional show details become available, they will be posted on the show’s Web site at www.countertopexpo.org. INTERN AT ION AL SURFACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOC IAT ION



A.C. WoodhouseGibbons, Christ Church

ACT-Advanced Counter Technology, Inc.Billings, MT

Anpanda LimitedKingston 20

AXYZ InternationalBurlington, ON

Carroll’s Contemporary Designs, Inc.Addison, AL

Caulk-EZ, LLCLong Lake, WI

Colonial Saw CompanyKingston, MA

Colt Industries, IncSt Louis , MO

Concrete Countertop Supply by FishstoneElgin, IL

Countertop Solutions, LLCHouston, TX

Custom Marble Inc.Millstadt, IL

Executive MillworkCalgary, AB

Performance WestYakima, WA

Sheppard’s Countertops & Floors, Inc.Benton, LA

Solid Surface PlusCleveland, OH

Spaulding FabricatorsBrick, NJ

Spaulding Fabricators, Inc.Brick, NJ

Surecrete Design ProductsDade City, FL

ToolCoMarion, NC

Unico Special Products, Inc.Newburgh, NY

Vance IndustriesNiles, IL

W R WATSON INCStafford,TX

Worts EngineeringPembroke, Bermuda

Extreme Adhesives, IncRaymond, NH

Finishing Touch MillworkVista, CA

FloForm CountertopsWinnipeg, MB

Floor Covering ExpressUniversity Place, WA

Glue Warehouse, LPSumas, WA

InConcrete Custom Countertops and Design ElementsFlagstaff, AZ

ITW PlexusDanvers, MA

MR Direct Int.Toledo, OH

Northern Woodworker LtdFort Nelson, BC

Paxton CountertopsGrand Ledge, MI

Penn Fabricators, Inc.Yaphank, NY

Performance AbrasivesCincinnati, OH

ISFA New & Renewed Members

BUYER$’ BUYER$’ G U I D E

Full of product information and the most complete print directory now available, industry professionals will be able to locate particular products and services quickly and easily, along with their full contact information, to make direct contact.

coming

soon

Serving The Industry’s Surfacing ProfessionalsBoard Of Directors

Sid MacKayImmediate Past President Creative Surface Solutions2855 Coleman Street Las Vegas, NV 89032 Phone: 702-365-6444Fax: 702-365-6798 Email: [email protected]

Evan KrugerPresident Solid Tops, Inc. 505 South Street Easton, MD 21601 Phone: 410-819-0770Fax: 410-819-0783 Email: [email protected]

Hunter AdamsVice PresidentTRINDCO1004 Obici Industrial Blvd. Suffolk, VA 23434 Phone: 757-539-0262Fax: 757-539-8921 Email: [email protected] www.trindco.com

Ted SherrittTreasurer FloForm Countertops125 Hamelin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T3Z1 Phone: 204-474-2334Fax: 204-475-9295 Email: [email protected] www.floform.com

Joe HoffmanAssistant Treasurer Hoffman Fixtures Company 9421 E 54th StTulsa, OK 74145 Phone: 918-627-3055Fax: 918-627-3560 Email: [email protected] www.hfccountertops.com

Michael JobDirectorQuality Surfaces, Inc.2087 Franklin Road Spencer, IN 47460 Phone: 812-876-5838Fax: 812-876-5842 Email: [email protected] www.qualitysurfaces.com

Kurt BonkSecretary Cabinets2Countertops7142 Frank Avenue NW N. Canton, OH 44720 Phone: 330-244-0221Fax: 330-266-7635 Email: [email protected]

Russ BerryDirectorA.S.S.T.805 West Elm Ave. P.O. Box 144 Hanover, PA 17331Phone: 717-630-1251 Fax: 717- 630-1271 [email protected]

Mike LangenderferDirector The Countertop Shop Ltd10406 Geiser Road Holland, OH 43528 Phone: 419-868-9101Fax: 419-868-9104 Email: [email protected] www.countertopshop.net

Mike NolanDirector 2171 NC 18 US 64Morganton, NC 28655 Phone: 828-438-0892Fax: 828-438-0893 Email: [email protected] www.windboundhomes.com

Martin FunckDirector Rosskopf & Partner AG Bahnhofstrabe 16 D 09573 Augustusburg - HennersdorfGermanyPhone: 493-729-12524 Email: [email protected]

Dave PaxtonDirector Paxton CountertopsP. O. Box 174Grand Ledge, MI 48837 Phone: 517-719-0146 Email: [email protected]

Michael BustinDirector3001-103 Spring Forest RdRaleigh, NC 27616Phone: 919-790-1749Fax: 919-790-1750Email: [email protected]

Harry HollanderAssociate Member Representative Moraware 3020 Zeus WayReno, NV 89512 Phone: 650-242-4272Fax: 309-414-1013Email: [email protected] www.moraware.com

Bryan StannardAssociate Member Representative ITW Plexus 30 Endicott StreetDanvers, MA 01923 Phone: 210-389-2917Fax: 978-774-0516 Email: [email protected]


Serving Our Members And The Surfacing IndustryISFA STAFF

Russ Lee Executive DirectorEmail: [email protected] Office: (877) 464-7732 ext. 12 Direct: (801) 735-7606

Kenny ThomasSales DirectorEmail: [email protected] Office: (877) 464-7732 ext. 13 Direct: (801) 558-6594

Main OfficeToll Free: (877) 464-7732 Direct: (801) 341-7360 Fax: (801) 341-7361Email: [email protected]: www.ISFAnow.org

Jeff PeaseCreative DirectorEmail: [email protected]: (877) 464-7732 ext. 11Direct: (702) 468-2639

Meg PettingillAdministrative Assistant & RegistrarEmail: [email protected] Office: (877) 464-7732 Ext. 10

Kevin ColeCommunications DirectorEmail: [email protected]: (815) 721-1507

Sandy MilroyMeeting & Membership DirectorEmail: [email protected] Office: (877) 464-7732 Direct: (702) 240-1660

Chemical Concepts Offers New Adhesive Colors

Chemical Concepts Inc. has announced the release of new Chemset C-19 Seaming Adhesives colors, designed to match all colors of stone, solid surface and engineered stone. The new adhesives are available in solid and translucent custom-matched colors, and include Opal, a translucent white adhesive that easily matches to many lighter color materials and can save fabricators from buying numerous individual colors. The adhesives, which are Greenguard certified and made in the United States, complement a line of other products available from the company including abrasives, chip repair kits, dispensing guns, high bond tapes, mixing tips, no-drill fasteners, sealants, silicones and surface mounting fasteners. Complete adhesive color matching charts are available on the company’s Web site at www.chemical-concepts.com. Service #13 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

Moraware Announces Upgraded Job Tracking SoftwareMoraware JobTracker version 3.3 is now available. In this upgrade of the company’s classic job tracking software, users can attach images to values on a drop-down list on custom

fields, forms, quotes and purchase orders. Rather than relying on customers or employees to read about an edge profile or sink offset, users can now include pictures for easy reference.

The search function now offers suggestions for search terms and the speed of searches is increased. For smaller companies this reduces the number of clicks when looking for a job or account, and for large countertop fabricators the performance improvements are dramatic.

Every update contains a variety of improvements and new features based on customer suggestions. The full release notes are available on the company’s Web site at www.morware.com/help. Service #14 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

Integra Adhesives Introduces New Static Mixer

Integra Adhesives has introduced the new exclusive, patent pending, X-Stream Static Mixer, available now at no extra cost with company’s product line. The X-Stream Static Mixer mixes the catalyst and color away from the cartridge outlet, preventing dry adhesive from forming around the cartridge outlet and allowing the mixer tip to be left on the cartridge for short-term storage. It also provides quality color and catalyst mixing, with the injector technology splitting the activator to improve mixing action with lower pressure, allowing for smooth even cures with less trigger effort. The new X-Stream Static Mixer attaches to a cartridge just like the company’s regular Static Mixer. Service #15 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

CounterBalance Offers Torsion Spring System for Flip-up Countertop Sections

CounterBalance Corporation provides equipment for improving flip-up sections of countertops in the form of counterbalance modular torsion spring systems. The products are designed to remove the effort of lifting and supporting lifting countertop sections by carefully controlling the release of spring energy to precisely counteract the force of gravity. The counterbalance consists of three basic elements: the torque tube assembly, (with torque rods and cam followers), anchor mount hardware and the cam assemblies. Although the counterbalance provides support and control for all kinds of hinged loads, it does not function as the hinge. In fact, the central axis of the counterbalance must be displaced from the main pivot axis of the lid in order for relative motion that makes the cam effective. It works by allowing the torsion rods to untwist at a specific rate as the lid opens. The force of the cams correctly neutralizes the effect of gravity, creating perfect balance in every position.

Cam profiles can be altered to gain a bias such as: pop open, snap shut or auto-rise. Upward or downward bias can be built into any portion of the cam profile. The cam shape is always defined by the requirements of each application. Most counterbalances use a pair of cams and a pair of cam follower arms, but may also be specified in a single arm and single cam construction. The counterbalance product line includes seven configurations: CB111, CB160, CB222, CB251, CB318, CB500 and the company’s newest product the Counter-A-SYST counterbalance.

Product News



The Counter-A-SYST counterbalance was introduced specifically for application on lift gate counters to address issues that business owners were overwhelmed with ongoing liability issues in restaurants, bars, casinos and hotels. They are designed to prevent such safety issues as smashed fingers from falling countertop lift segments. Four standard sizes of the Counter-A-SYST counterbalance are available: the 2450, 2480, 3650 and the 3680. The counterbalance is also available for purchase as a custom product. Service #16 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

Dust Collection Products Provides Equipment to Help Meet Dust Standards

Dust Collection Products, based in California, offers a complete line of after-market dust collectors including the all new clamshell-packaged universal Dust Muzzle Ultra. The company offers two SKUs designed to fit all grinders. The equipment is made to help companies meet RRP, OSHA and EPA dust compliance standards. All products are guaranteed by the manufacturer. Service #17 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

Omni Cubed Releases New Heavy-Duty Manual Seam Setter

The new Stealth Seamer now offered by Omni Cubed is a heavy-duty manual seam setter for

joining and leveling seams. Countertop seams easily open and close by use of a smooth-turning knurled roller, and the working area is open and accessible with the units in place (removal is not needed in order to apply epoxy or scrape the seam). Four leveling components per seam setter allow “fine-tune” adjustment on both sides of the seam, and they feature non-spinning, leveling feet with vinyl caps to prevent scratching of countertop surfaces. When used in pairs, eight leveling points provide total control along the entire seam to eliminate the unevenness caused by crowned countertops. The product features 8-in. hand-pump vacuum cups that provide full-contact reliable hold, and if needed for porous surfaces, the cups can be re-pumped without losing the remaining vacuum. Made from anodized billet aluminum and stainless steel components, this product offers help to achieve the finest seams possible. They can be used alone or in pairs. Service #18 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

LG Hausys Introduces HI-MACS Galaxy

LG Hausys America Inc. has introduced a new line of solid surface material called HI-MACS Galaxy. Combining out-of-this world colors with large transparent chips, HI-MACS Galaxy comes in eight celestial colors infused with translucent particulates and shimmers of pearl. Like other lines of HI-MACS, the Galaxy collection is GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality and GREENGUARD for Children & Schools certified as low-emitting interior material for contributions to LEED building projects. Backed by a 15-year warranty, HI-MACS Galaxy solid surface comes

standard in 1/2-in. thicknesses and 30- by 145-in. sheets. Custom lengths are available through special order. Service #19 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

Braxton-Bragg Now Offers Variable-Speed Bosch Angle Grinder

Braxton-Bragg is now offering the Bosch 5-in. Angle Grinder. With its Constant-Response circuitry, it provides a soft-start as well as maintaining constant speed under load and providing overload protection. This grinder uses a reversed airflow that pulls air into the rear of the grinder and then expels it forward. This keeps the internal motor cleared of stone debris that would have been pulled into air intake if it had been in the front with the blade. It also features the vibration control handle, which reduces vibration up to 60 percent, as well as the Kickback stop that shuts the tool down should the wheel get into a bind situation. It has a 9 Amp motor with speeds of 2,800 to 11,000 rpm. Service #20 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

Glue Warehouse Announces its Flagship Adhesive Product

Glue Warehouse is now offering its flagship product, Seam-It, to the surfacing industry. Seam-It is manufactured by Weld-On, the original developer and largest producer of dual-component acrylic adhesives for solid surface applications. Each Seam-it glue match has been assigned a unique Match Factor,


emulsion. This water-based, non-hazardous material with polymer solids content of 51 percent complies with PCI plant certification program specification Appendix L. UV-stability of the Forton polymer ensures architectural finishes maintain their “as produced” colors. It is available in 40-lb. buckets.

The second new admixture is Crete Lease. Water based and ideal for rubber and fiberglass molds, this product uses new chemistry that exceeds rigid environmental regulations. It has no OSHA hazard rating and is applicable to potable water projects. It exceeds California SCAQMD rule 1113-90, is biodegradable and non-carcinogenic, and is also available in an aerosol spray.

Lastly, the company has added the rapid set admixture Qwix, which is a clinker additive used with Portland cement concrete to enhance the physical and chemical properties related to ultra high early strength and durability. Service #23 on

the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

Betterley Offers New Universal Alignment and Adjustment Gauge.

The new Betterley UNA-GAUGE is designed to adjust and align almost any woodworking tool or machine. The modular design of the Universal Alignment and Adjustment Gauge allows measuring depths to 2 in., heights to 3 in., arbor or spindle run-out and blade or fence alignment, either horizontally or vertically. Whether it’s a hand held router, table saw, shaper, drill press, jointer or router table, the UNA-GAUGE will enable easier, faster and more accurate adjustment and alignment. Service #24 on the

Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

ToolCo Provides Wide Variety of Cutting ToolsToolco Industrial Corporation provides a wide variety of quality cutting tools. The company has state-of-the-art manufacturing and inspection equipment that enables it to produce diverse lines of cutting tools including slot cutters, carbide tipped router bits and solid carbide router bits. The company has manufactured more than 1,100 SKUs of solid carbide router bits, 600+ SKUs of carbide tipped router bits and slot cutters. The cutting tools are made for industrial applications, woodworkers, solid surface fabricators and for manufacturers of plastic products, furniture, RVs, mobile homes, boats, cabinets and doors. Service #25 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

New Study Looks at Next 5 Years of Stone Industry TrendsA new study produced for the Marble Institute of America (MIA) takes an intimate look at how the international natural stone industry will fare over the next five years, including potential trends in mergers and acquisitions, growth potential, capital spending and the perception of U.S trade policies. Conducted and compiled for MIA by the HEG (Hudson Economics Group, Ltd.), this new “2010 Survey of the Natural Stone Industry” is designed to be a resource for quarriers, distributors and fabricators as they ponder future directions of the business. The survey is based on hundreds of personal interviews, and focuses on respondents in Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, North America and South America. Service #26 on the Reader Service Page or

go to www.isfanow.org/info

The Tile Doctor Launches Nontoxic Antimicrobial Cleaner, Coating for Tile, StoneThe Tile Doctor has announced the availability of its Shield product line to the tile and stone industry. Shield is a non-toxic antimicrobial which, means it controls the growth of microorganisms without the use of chemical toxins. Available as a 3-part system that can be applied to hard surfaces, Shield contains proprietary organosilane technology. It is the only antimicrobial technology that modifies the surface and remains durable to provide long-term effectiveness against bacteria, fungi

making it easy to select the color wanted and eliminate waste.

Seam-it is competitively priced and provides quality color matches when seaming Corian, Staron, Avonite, Formica, Gibraltar, Livingstone and many other industry brands of solid surface. With eight fully stocked warehouse locations nationwide, Seam-It adhesives are always close by and available for next-day delivery. Service #21 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

New Upgraded Striebig Panel Saw Available from Colonial Saw

Colonial Saw has added the new Swiss-made STRIEBIG Evolution, an upgraded manual traveling vertical panel saw, to its product offerings. The Evolution includes many automatic features, such as auto-locking of the saw beam and panel support rollers. From the new touch-screen color display panel the operator can pivot, plunge and lock the saw head, engage the optional adjustable split-blade scoring saw and also set the dimension of the optional EPS.X programmable stop. The screen will also display faults and provide easy trouble-shooting assistance. Digital measuring with fine adjustment in both axes is standard, as is the auto-shifting, full-wood backing grid, which can support thin materials and small parts. The Evolution also has a new laser light guide for the horizontal cut line, and externally produced cut lists can be uploaded via a new USB port. Service #22 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

Fishstone Offers New Admixtures for Decorative ConcreteFishstone has introduced three new admixtures to their consumable product line for decorative concrete. The first is Forton VF-744 Polymer, which is an all-acrylic thermoplastic co-polymer

Karran has launched the new 200 Series of Edge sinks with a patented Edge resin matrix rim allowing for seamless installation in laminate, solid surface and stone. The company’s second production facility is now producing these popular sinks, providing a greater capacity for the company. Among the new sinks are the E-250, E-215 and the E-210. All of the sinks models in the series are made from 18-gauge, type 304 stainless steel, with a soft-brushed satin surface finish and patented Edge resin matrix rim allowing for seamless installation in laminate, solid surface and stone. The cornerstone of the 200 series is the E-250. This 33- by 19- by 8-in. double equal bowl sink has been designed with tighter radiuses and crisper edges than the E-150 model. It has a divider that is 6-1/4-in. tall, which allows for a 1-3/4-in. drop below the rim for ease of fabrication. Others in the series are the E-215 prep sink and the E-210 bar sink, which is a little larger than the E-110 and has a very

practical depth of 8 in. Service #28 on the Reader

Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

Intermac Adds 3 New Machines to its Stone Product LineIntermac America has added three new products to its stone machinery lineup. The Idea Top 20.10 and the Idea Plus 1.2 machining centers will be exclusively sold in North America by Intermac as part of an agreement with Italian machinery manufacturer Cobalm. These 3-Axis machining centers feature HSD electrospindles and are specifically designed for the drilling, milling and polishing of marble and granite. Both models have moving bridge structures with bases and bridges built in thick electro-welded steel for high rigidity and precision. These machines are suited for bowl cutouts, vanity tops, countertops and monument parts.

Also new to the Intermac line is the Intermac LCV-711M. These straight, continuous belt edge polishers are designed for flat edges and chamfering of stone up to 6cm thick. They are

and algae and their byproducts such as odors, deterioration and harmful health effects. Shield aides in the elimination of such microorganisms and reduces the need for common harmful cleaners such as bleach-based products. The benefits of Shield can also be achieved specifically for grout via the company’s Grout Admix product. The product seals and protects grout and prevents the need for post-curing sealing. Service #27 on the Reader

Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

Karran Launches New Series of Stainless Undermount Sinks for Laminate, Solid Surface, Stone

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 3, Issue 4, 2010 • 633.8125 in. wide by 5 in. tall. w/bleed

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Circle Reader Service # 32 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info Circle Reader Service # 33 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

Sink Hole Savers protect countertops from breakage during lifting, moving and installation. The Original Sink Hole Saver works to keep tops in once piece during installation, but the edge-clamping design allows it to be used for other applications such as: 1) with CNC and waterjet machines (for lifting stone off the machine), 2) on A-frames (protects countertop during transport) and 3) during manual fabrication (strengthens top while cutting). The Automatic Sink Hole Saver VCA (features automatic vacuum pump) and the Sink Hole Saver VCM (features thumb-pumped cups) secure to countertop surfaces with durable 6-in. vacuum cups. These vacuum cup rails are used during installation of curved or “bump-out” countertops, and are often combined with the Original Sink Hole Saver (clamp version) for added versatility during tough installations. Service #30 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

Integra Adhesives Introduces New ClampIntegra Adhesives has introduced the new MitreForma Clamp, a new fabrication tool designed specifically for creating miter fascia in a quick, precise and fool proof way. Available exclusively in the United States through Integra Adhesives, the MitreForma Clamp creates high quality 90 degree seams in a fast and simple way. Available in two sizes, the MitreForma Clamp cuts preparation time by up to 75 percent and saves valuable labor time. Service #31 on the

Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

capable of handling large volume productions while consuming minimal floor space. Service #29 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info

Omni Cubed Provides 3 Sink Hole Saver Models

Omni Cubed Inc. manufactures three models of Sink Hole Savers (available in 4-, 6- and 8-ft. lengths) to cover all types of installations.

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Surfacing Industry News Update

Stone industry training that works

Hands-on training for natural stone fabricatorsNow offering on-site training and consulting

480.309.9422 • www.azschoolofrock.com


Circle Reader Service # 34 on the Reader Service Page or go to www.isfanow.org/info.aspx

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Ad Index

AttentionFabricators

Page Number 46 Axiom64 AZ School of Rock63 Beckart Environmental36 Betterley28 Chemcore63 Chemical Concepts35 Concrete Decor9 Cosentino2 Domain Industries67 Integra Adhesives7 ITW Plexus19 Karran68 Kohler32 Moraware29 Omni Cubed50 Omni Cubed66 Performance Abrasives5 Samsung66 Select Machinery

Referral Number

11343396

321041

3735

3887

12362

35

FOR SALE: Entire shop/showroom contents. Includes everything to open a solid surface shop/showroom or start a satellite shop/showroom, including CNC machine; dust collector; thermoforming oven; 25 HP compressor; 3 trucks; nice forklift; saws; tools; shop tables; racks; displays; office systems; computers; conference tables; fall-off materials; etc., etc., etc. Located in Traverse City, Michigan. Asking $140K.List and pictures are available to interested parties. Please e-mail [email protected] or call 231-645-3902.

Gorilla Clamp forStone & ParallignClamp for SolidSurfacing• The most powerful clamps in

their class.• The power to pull seams tight

without fear of over clamping• Perfectly aligned seams that

require little sanding

www.selectmachineryinc.com

Solid Surfacing Machinery & Equipment For all your solid surfacing needs

800-789-2323 NY

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The parallign forsolid surface

COUNTERTOPS & ARCH DESIGN MAGAZINECMYK, 2.4722 X 5.0625, DUE 2/28/10

Circle Reader Service #35 on the Reader Service Pageor go to www.isfanow.org/info

Circle Reader Service #36 on the Reader Service Pageor go to www.isfanow.org/info


www.integra-adhesives.com

To learn more about how Integra can provide solutions for your business needs:Call toll free (North America) 888.862.6665 - Fax (1)604.850.1354

A complete solution

for a seamless surface

NEW

NEW


KOHLER® Cast Iron Kitchen Sinks.Over 20 gorgeous colors to coordinate with today’s most popular kitchen cabinets and countertops and an enameled surface guaranteed not to chip, crack or burn.

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Documents

ISFA Countertops & Architectural Surfaces Vol.3, Issue 4, 2010