Granite Countertops: Spotlight On Curves



Some of you may remember a previous blog I wrote back in December, “It’s Here!” announcing the arrival of another CNC mill for our shop. Well, yesterday, I had the opportunity to take photos at a job that we installed a ton of granite countertops & marble at, that turned out just beautifully!

It is always nice to see the finished product, which unfortunately, I don’t get to witness too often.  As I went from room to room snapping my photos, I noticed the amount of curve work and the number of undermount sinks we produced for this job. I was impressed with the craftsmanship, and quality of the install, and thought I’d share a few photos to show the output of our mill, etc. Thanks to the PGC team for a job well done!

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Special thanks to South Shore Builders for allowing me to take the photos. Following are some photos from the job & the CNC Mill:

Posted in Granite, Company, Industry News on April 9th, 2008 by Barb | | 0 Comments



Granite Countertop Myths, Lies & Plain Old Garbage!



Here we go again…today as I was browsing the internet, I came across an engineered stone site that contained a product comparison between their product and granite. Of course, it was loaded with lies and misleading information.  This type of false information upsets me because it not only confuses the consumer, but is unethical. To set the record straight on some of these myths and lies, I decided I needed to do some sort of rebuttal, so here it is:

1. Staining: Some engineered stone companies would have you believe that not only do granite countertops stain easily, but that you have to go through some lengthy, pain-staking process to seal them. According to the MIA, Marble Institute of America, “Most granite countertops do not need to be sealed. If a homeowner cleans their countertops after each meal, they will rarely, if ever, have staining or cleanability issues with granite. This being said, many granite countertops receive additional benefit from being sealed. That benefit is the further reduction of moisture migration into an already moisture resistant surface.” At PGC, we seal every countertop before it leaves our facility before installation. Granted there are a few granites that are more porous, with the vast majority of colors however, there are no issues in regards to staining. Engineered stones do not require sealing. Some make claims that they are stain resistant and chemical resistant, yet give information on how to remove various stains.
Read more: http://www.marbleinstitute.com/consumerresources/sealing_stone.cfm; http://www.paramountgranite.com/docs/stain_free_granite_you_bet.pdf
2. Maintenance: Granite is a very low maintenance material. Most granite surfaces only require they be cleaned with a soapy washcloth and hot water. Most engineered stones are also relatively easy to maintain and clean. Most recommend that they be cleaned with a hot soapy washcloth, or some sort of window cleaner.
3. Bacteria: The claim that granite countertops harbor bacteria is a “bunch of garbage”! In fact, in a study by Dr. O. Peter Snyder of the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management (www.hi-tm.com) using E. coli bacteria as its contaminating agent, they found significant cleanability advantages of natural granite countertops over almost all other commonly found countertop surface materials! Granite actually ranked 1st in Cleanability! Read more: http://www.marble-institute.com/industryresources/sanitation.cfm;
http://www.natural-stone.com/contamination.html
4. Porosity: This claim wasn’t on their site, but was so unbelievable, I had to share it. A few weeks ago, at a tradeshow, one of our sales reps heard a representative from the same company telling a consumer that granite is extremely porous. He went on to claim that if a liquid is spilled on granite and not cleaned up immediately, it would actually leach through the stone and into the cabinet drawers. What?!! If that were true, we’d have a real mess in the basement of our church where we installed a granite baptismal font.  There would also be huge problems with many buildings constructed out of granite. What are they thinking? There are stone buildings throughout the world that have been around for centuries that have stood the test of time, and all sorts of weather conditions. Let’s hear an engineered stone company make that claim!

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Posted in Granite, Industry News on April 7th, 2008 by Barb | | 4 Comments



PGC Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary Of Blog Site!



It is hard to believe, but this month marks the one year anniversary of our blog site. Wow, time sure does fly by! While blog sites have gained popularity over the last several years, many people are still unfamiliar with them, or just learning more about their value and purpose.

So what is a blog you might ask? According to Wikipedia, “a blog (a web log) is a website where entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order.  Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and an area for readers to leave comments in an interactive format.”

I have enjoyed blogging over the last year, and have to admit that is has been a great way to provide valueable information to our customers. If you’re looking for a particular topic of interest, our blog site contains various Categories such as: Business, Company, Cooking in your Kitchen, Granite, Industry News, Learning Links, etc., that make it easy to navigate and find what you’re looking for. If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out our blog site yet, please do. The site contains industry information, tips, opinions, links, and…a few good recipes you might want to try.

Following are some blogs I’ve highlighted from the year:

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Posted in Granite, Company, Industry News, Business on April 3rd, 2008 by Barb | | 11 Comments



Genuine Stone Branding Campaign Up And Running



When it comes to natural stone countertops, there has been some confusion in the marketplace for consumers over the last several years. Many engineered stone companies promote their products as “natural quartz”, when in reality they are composed of approximately 83% quartz by volume, and held together by a resin, (plastic). Some consumers are confused by the “natural” terminology, and in turn this causes confusion when trying to sell natural granite countertops that are actually quarried from the earth.

In an effort to brand natural stone countertops as “real” stone, the Natural Stone Council, has established a branding campaign. According to the MIA, Marble Institute of America, “The primary mission of the Natural Stone Council is to increase the understanding of preference for, and consumption of stone sold under the Genuine Stone® brand.” The Natural Stone Council  recently developed a Genuine Stone® logo for fabricators and others in the industry to use. Using the logo will help consumers identify what is real, or “genuine” stone.  

Paramount Granite Company is proud to be adding the Genuine Stone® brand logo for future advertising and promotions, and feel it will benefit the entire stone industry, as well as help educate the consumer.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Posted in Granite, Company, Industry News on April 2nd, 2008 by Barb | | 9 Comments



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Paramount Granite Company - The Natural Choice

The Paramount Blog

Paramount Granite Company specializes in the fabrication and installation of natural stone countertops, islands, bathrooms, bar tops, fireplaces, furniture, tub surrounds, tile, and more.

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