Paramount Granite Blog » Learning Links

Learning Links: 01/28/10 Best Books To Read in 2010

Barb — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:32:12 +0000

Today as I was paging through my January/February 2010 issue of Selling Power magazine, I came across a section titled, The Best Books to Read in 2010, that I thought might be of interest to some of you out there. Although I haven’t read any of them personally yet, it looked like a good list to share and might be of value for business owners, sales people, etc.

Following is the list:

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Learning Links 10/06/09—Green Your Home

Barb — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:11:04 +0000

The Green movement has become popular among many, over the last several years. Now more than ever, many people are looking for ways to help and make a difference. I recently read, “Green Your Home,” an article found in the September 2009 issue of Body + Soul magazine that offered 40 tips to help create a healthier home, as well as a variety of online green sources that I found interesting.

Following are a few green sources I thought were noteworthy:

Elights.com—Offers motion-sensor lights that turn off when you leave the room and only use 20 watts.
Greendepot.com—Offers low-flow showerheads
Amenityhome.com—Offers nontoxic, ecofriendly bedding including organic cotton sheets, etc.
Energystar.gov—Find energy-efficient appliance information.
Bigdipperwaxworks.com—Find scented candles made from 100% beeswax & essential oils.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Learning Links—05/27/09

Barb — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:39:30 +0000

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy reading and am always looking for a good book, magazine, etc. With literally thousands and thousands of publications available, it is always great to have a source for a good read.

Here’s a couple of sources I came across that I wanted to pass along:

The 100 Best Business Books of All Time (by Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten)
http://philosophersnotes.com/
This is a great website by Brian Johnson, who provides information on 100 of the greatest self-develoment books. I subscribe and get daily inspirational tidbits and info. via e-mail. (A great way to start the day!)

Happy reading!

Barb

Learning Links 12/11/08

Barb — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:09:15 +0000

It is that time of year again, the holidays. I always enjoy the holidays, as it is an opportunity to spend more time with family and friends, give thanks, and of course celebrate the birth of Christ. There are however, some people who have a hard time during the holidays and may feel lonely, sad, or depressed. This year especially, with a slow economy, it is important to stay positive and be thankful for what you have.

I wanted to pass along a few links I found and enjoy that are inspirational and motivational:

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Learning Links 01/16/08

Barb — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:10:35 +0000

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

Learning Links 12/11/07

Barb — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:46:08 +0000

“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

Learning Links 09/19/07

Barb — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:11:13 +0000

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

Learning Links 08/22/07

Barb — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 19:40:55 +0000

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

Learning Links 07/23/07

Barb — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 19:01:06 +0000

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

Learning Links—07/09/07

Barb — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 19:04:16 +0000

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