Paramount Granite Blog

Learning Links 01/16/08

The Green Building movement has become a popular topic of interest over the last couple years, as people are becoming more aware of the need to help sustain the environment. Many builders, remodelers, and subcontractors are educating themselves and taking steps to offer green building practices for their businesses. The natural stone industry has jumped on this new movement and is working to help educate the public. Granite, afterall, is a product of nature, and it makes sense to establish granite countertops as environmentally friendly for building officially.

Following are some links for more information on granite and green building:

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Posted in Granite, Company, Business, Learning Links on January 16th, 2008 by Barb | | 0 Comments

Learning Links 12/11/07

“A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes.”
–Mahatma Gandhi

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of hearing all of the negative hype in regards to the building and remodeling industry. Yes-it is true that things have slowed down, but what do you expect after more than a decade of record growth. Just because the market is in a transition phase, doesn’t mean people don’t want to build, or remodel, although the media would have you believe this. What is wrong with talking about the positive trends and outlook instead of just doom and gloom? The problem is that good news and a positive outlook doesn’t sell newspapers. To help you get your thoughts back on track, I’ve included several links below that contain positive information.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Posted in Industry News, Learning Links on December 11th, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments

Learning Links 09/19/07

It is interesting how the kitchen has changed over the years. Not that long ago, kitchens were strictly a place for preparing food and eating a family meal together. For the most part, kitchens were small in size and considered a place for the woman of the house. Todays kitchens, however have changed. They have become larger and are often used in part for entertaining. Many kitchens today are designed to be more open and spacious and have many other amenities such as desk areas, TV’s, computers, top of the line appliances, granite countertops and granite islands.

Following are some links containing information on the latest kitchen statistics, kitchen island designs, and getting started with the kitchen remodeling process that I found interesting and useful:

sectionID=156&articleID=566481

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_kitchen/article/0,1793,HGTV_3375_1398068,00.html

http://www.hometime.com/Howto/projects/kitchen/kitchen_1.htm#countertop

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Posted in Learning Links on September 19th, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments

Learning Links 08/22/07

Although we fabricate and install granite countertops and other natural stones, we often get asked questions that are related to kitchen design/build, remodeling and cabinetry. While we don’t specialize in the design aspect of building, or remodeling, we sometimes can give suggestions, or ideas based on what some of our customers have done in their homes, etc.

The internet can also be a useful place to gather information before starting a project. Following are some links that give some comparisons on various countertop materials, cabinetry trends, and kitchen design trends:

Soapstone, Caesarstone, Wood, Corian: http://design.hgtv.com/kitchen/Video_detail.aspx?id=1069

Cabinetry trends:
http://kitchendesignplus.com/index.cgi?actiontotake=trends

5 trends in kitchen design: http://www.wftv.com/homeimprovement/4904367/detail.html?aracontent=c20_id1772

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Posted in Learning Links on August 22nd, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments

Learning Links 07/23/07

When it comes to selecting stone for your granite countertops, granite island, granite bathroom vanities, or granite bar tops, we prefer our customers start with us, so we can answer any questions pertaining to fabrication lay-out, edges, backsplash, sinks, etc. up front. We know, however, that this isn’t always possible. There are circumstances where it is impossible for a customer to get to our facility because of time constraints, distance, etc. In those cases, we are happy to direct you to a supplier in your area.

There are a number of suppliers that we work with that have many slabs to choose from. Most prefer that the customer schedule an appointment before coming out to insure that they can help with your selections, and answer your questions. Note: Please direct any fabrication questions to PGC.

Following are some local supplier links. Upon visiting, they will tag your slab(s) with PGC, as the fabricator and send us a selection sheet.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Posted in Granite, Company, Learning Links on July 23rd, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments

Learning Links—07/09/07

In our showroom, the question, “Will my granite countertops stain?,” comes up on occassion. Staining of granite countertops is rare because of the hardness of the material. There are instances however, where it can occur. (e.g. When a consumer leaves a bottle of cooking oil on their granite countertop for several days that is leaking and has chosen a more porous stone.)

Over the years, we have taken a few calls similar to this. The customer is usually in a panic and isn’t quite sure what to do. Our response is always, there is no need to panic. Most stains are removeable. The key is to find out what caused the stain and go from there.

If you would like some more information on how to remove some specific stains, please check out the following links, including one from the MIA, Marble Institute of America, or give us a call. We’d be happy to assist you.

http://www.marble-institute.com/consumerresources/stains.cfm

http://www.nsraweb.com/articles-30/removing-tomato-sauce-stain-marble-granite-6221.html

http://www.nsraweb.com/articles-30/removing-candy-stain-marble-granite-6220.html

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Posted in Granite, Learning Links on July 9th, 2007 by Barb | | 2 Comments

Learning Links 06/04/07

In our showroom, a popular and frequently asked question always seems to be, “how do I clean and maintain my granite countertops?” While we happily answer this question, we also provide a granite maintenance and care form, and also direct the consumer to our maintenance and care web page for more information.

Following are some blog sites that I found that are also informative, when it comes to care and maintenance for your granite countertops.

http://bestcountertops.blogspot.com/2007/04/granite-countertop-cleaners.html

http://www.countertopscenter.net/maintenance/a-guide-to-cleaning-granite-countertops/

http://www.constructiondeal.com/howtofind/2006/12/maintaining-your-granite-countertop.html

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Posted in Granite, Learning Links on June 4th, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments

Learning Links 05/25/07

Many consumers are interested in the latest kitchen trends when they build, or remodel their home, especially when it comes to granite countertops. While the internet provides a great way to explore and find information, as a consumer, you have to keep in mind that information is posted from around the country, and around the world for that matter. Color trends, pricing, etc. can vary greatly from one location to the next. It is best to use the internet to gather background information, but make sure to check with PGC, or local fabricator for accurate pricing, color information, and availability.

Following are some informative links:

http://design.hgtv.com/kitchen/SpecialFeatures_detail.aspx?id=21

http://interiordec.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=interiordec&cdn=homegarden&tm=31&gps=83_465_1020_563&f=00&su=p284.8.150.ip_&tt=14&bt=0&bts=1&zu=http%3A//tomcordova.com/

http://minneapolisluxuryrealestate.blogspot.com/2007/03/popular-kitchen-trends-in-minneapolis.html

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Posted in Granite, Learning Links on May 25th, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments

Learning Links 05/17/07

Today’s consumers want more information than ever before and are doing their homework. Many consumers use the internet to research information about a product before they buy. At PGC, we offer a lot of information about granite countertops, edges, maintenance and care, etc. on our website, but consumers often want to visit several sites to gather their information and educate themselves.

Below are some blog sites I found with useful consumer information on granite and natural stone:

Surfacepros.com

Kitchen Product Review: Granite Countertops

Go Articles

Make yourself at home

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Posted in Granite, Learning Links on May 17th, 2007 by Barb | | 2 Comments