Stone World articles from May 2006

Stone World archives from May 2006

Silicosis: dangerous from many angles.(STONE COLUMN)
May 1, 2006... Last year, Judge Janis Graham Jack of the Federal District Court in Corpus Christi, TX, questioned the validity of several thousand silica claims that were before her. And in the wake of this questioning, it was found that about 65% of the...

Veronafiere's AIA-approved course on stone materials goes online.(American Institute of Architects)
May 1, 2006... Building on its successful continuing education course on stone materials for architects--the eighth edition of which will be held in Verona, Italy, in early October during the Marmomacc stone exhibition--Veronafiere is launching an online...

Vitoria Stone Fair in Brazil draws a record 26,500 visitors.(foreign visitors)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The Vitoria Stone Fair, which took place in Vitoria, Brazil from February 14 to 17, had its strongest edition yet, exceeding the expectations of its organizers. A record 26,500 visitors attended the event, including more than 2,000 foreign...

"Granite Certified by DuPont" is added to DuPont Surfaces portfolio.(demand for granite)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... DuPont Surfaces has introduced "Granite Certified by DuPont," the company's first all-natural stone surface. The company's addition of granite to its portfolio responds to the demand for premium grade material and provides homebuilders with a...

Expansion at Stone Interiors' South Carolina location.(Stone Interiors customer service team)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Stone Interiors of Gaston, SC, has added five new employees to its corporate team in the past two months in order to handle the company's explosive growth. The first to arrive was Jennifer Davidson, a Public Relations/Visual Communications...

One liners.(Rock-Finder.com)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Rock-Finder.com has been developed as an online resource for connecting buyers and sellers of natural stone. It is designed for wholesale distributors and fabricators, and the goal is to create profits from remnant inventory while also clearing...

Statistics.(Imports to united states)(Table)
May 1, 2006... January 2006 | Imports to the U.S. Customers value in dollars does not include insurance or freight GRANITE MARBLE* COUNTRY U.S. $ TONS U.S. $ TONS ALBANIA ...

Regent starts new branch.(Regent Machine Corp)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... VIRGINIA BEACH, VA -- The growth of Regent Stone Products has manifested itself in many different ways. The most recent is the introduction of Regent Machine Corp. (RMC), which is directed by John Colton. The branch is designed to handle the...

Dry-Treat enhances image.(new company logo )(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... ST. LEONARD'S, AUSTRALIA -- Dry-Treat, maker of impregnating sealers and cleaners, began 2006 sporting a fresh look, including a new company logo and branding featured on all product labels, a Web site and Point of Sale material. The new...

New appointments.(appointment of two new senior management positions)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... LUMBERTON, NJ -- Charles L. Burhans, president of Blanco America, has announced the appointment of two new senior management positions. Don Farquhar has been appointed Logistics and Supply Chain Distributor Manager. He began his career with...

Laticrete sponsors Spec Miata car.(NEWS)
May 1, 2006... HAMLET, NC -- For the past five decades, Laticrete International's generous donations to social causes, often done in the name of an employee, are a reflection of the principles that Henry M. Rothberg founded the company on in 1956. Social...

Expanding upon Old World craftsmanship: with the knowledge and experience they gained growing up in a stone-working region of Italy, the owners of Mosaico Italiano in Pompano Beach, FL, have developed a state-of-the-art operation for the mass production of mosaic tile.(RE-EMERGING U.S. STONE INDUSTRY)
May 1, 2006... Italy has always been at the forefront of new technology--particularly when it comes to developing new machinery and methods for producing high-quality stone products. For decades, Italians have been considered pioneers who have set the bar for...

Serving the High Desert area of Southern California: New West Tile of Hesperia, CA, is now entering its 13th year in production, and it is continually expanding to cover larger territories in Southern California.(Ruben Arreola)
May 1, 2006... Since Ruben Arreola launched New West Tile in 1994, the company has rapidly grown and expanded from its location in the High Desert of Southern California to cover an area from the Los Angeles county line to the Cajon Pass and Barstow. New West...

Virginia fabricator continues to thrive: with a facility comprising 26,000 square feet, Superior Marble & Stone Inc. of Portsmouth, VA, is capable of producing about 20 kitchens a week.(Stone Installation Contactor)
May 1, 2006... Superior Marble & Stone Inc. of Portsmouth, VA, is one of the oldest established stone and marble companies in its region. The company's 26,000-square-foot facility and 11 acres of land enables it to handle an average of 20 kitchens per week,...

Online Forum: the challenge of countertop "blanks"; In this Online Stone Fabricators Forum--conducted at www.stoneadvice.com--stoneworking professionals from around the country discussed how countertop "blanks" are affecting their business.
May 1, 2006... Q: How are you dealing with the issue of countertop "blanks" being imported from China (and other countries selling cheaper materials)? Are you simply ignoring this issue, and hoping it goes away? Are you trying to sell against these companies,...

Exhibition space grows at Carrara Fair: at this year's edition of CarraraMarmotec, visitors will see more than 100,000 square feet of indoor exhibition space, and they will also have the opportunity to visit the multitude of international stone-producing firms in the region.(Internazionale Marmi e Macchine)
May 1, 2006... Pointing to the economic upswing in the marketplace, organizers of the 27th edition of CarraraMarmotec in Carrara, Italy, are optimistic about this year's event, which will take place from May 31 to June 3. This year's fair will include a...

The Latium region: a showcase of Italian stoneworking; The surrounding region of Rome has a vast history of quarrying and processing travertine and other stone varieties, and it continues this tradition today--exporting its products to foreign markets worldwide.
May 1, 2006... Italy is a country rich in culture and magnificent stone architecture. And where better to observe both ancient and modern buildings than in Rome--the nation's capital. From the ruins of the "ancient city" to more recent contemporary designs,...

Targeting the U.S. market with Italian travertine: with the desire to continue to expand its role in the international market, Fratelli Poggi of Tivoli, Italy, recently opened an operation in Tampa, FL, to supply Roman travertine to the U.S.(Poggi Brothers Inc.)
May 1, 2006... As a leading supplier of Italian travertine, Fratelli Poggi runs an impressive operation at its base in Tivoli, Italy. The company, which has been in business since 1923 and is now under a third-generation ownership, owns and operates three...

Evolving into a well-established travertine operation: for almost a century, Societa del Travertino Romano has been developing its quarrying and stone processing facilities, which has led to an increased role on the global market.
May 1, 2006... The beginning of Societa del Travertino Romano (STR) dates back to 1916, when the company started extracting travertine from its own 60-acre quarry in the area of Le Fosse, Italy. For years, the company concentrated on expanding its site so...

Operating on an international level: Estraba S.p.A.--a company specializing in the production of travertine tile and cut-to-size pieces--exports about 60% of its material to foreign markets.
May 1, 2006... As part of Industrie Caucci--a group that has been quarrying Roman travertine since 1939--Estraba S.p.A. is a leading supplier of travertine. Its material has been used for projects around the world, including the Bank of China in Shanghai....

Historic stone continues to thrive in the building industry: once used to build important edifices, palaces, strongholds and city walls in the Middle Ages, Peperino--a volcanic stone quarried by Santafiora Pietre srl--maintains its high status in projects worldwide.
May 1, 2006... Since 1964, Santafiora Pietre srl has been producing stone for both domestic and international markets. In particular, the company is well known for supplying high-quality durable stone for the building industry. With five quarries located in...

Working together for a common goal: in the Perlato region of Italy, local stone companies have joined forces and created a Consortium to promote their area's unique Perlato Stone--a material characterized by distinctive fossils and veining.
May 1, 2006... Among the many stoneworking areas in Italy is the Perlato Coreno Royal[R] marble basin, which is rich in Perlato Stone--a material noted for its distinctive characteristics, including fossils of fish, shells, algae and sea plants on its...

A pioneer of Perlato Stone: with factories in Italy and the U.S., ES.LA.MA has been a leading supplier of Perlato Stone since 1965.(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Located in the historic Perlato region of Italy, ES.LA.MA has been a primary source of Perlato Stone--a fossilized material formed millions of years ago by sea sediment--since 1965. In addition to running its own stone-processing plant in...

A source of stone from around the world: not only is Marmi Zola srl a supplier of Perlato Royal Coreno, which it quarries from its own local site, but the company has also established itself as an importer and supplier of exotic material.(Pietro Zola)
May 1, 2006... Relying on more than 30 years of experience in the stone industry, Pietro Zola decided to launch Marmi Zola srl in 2001--a company specializing in the production of slabs. And in addition to being a leading supplier of Perlato Royal Coreno,...

Maintaining the craftsmanship of cut-to-size work: as a large producer of stone fireplaces and architectural work, Le Marble Caminetti still keeps the tradition and skills of an Old World shop.(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Le Marble Caminetti runs a full production operation for the manufacturing of fireplaces as well as other cut-to-size jobs at its plant in Ausonia, Italy. The company has invested in state-of-the-art machinery to ensure that it produces...

Quarrying basalt from generation to generation: since 1925, Basaltina Srl has operated as a leading producer of lava stone--supplying its material for numerous projects in Italy and abroad.
May 1, 2006... Located just outside the village of Bagnoregio in the Lazio region of Italy, the basalt quarries owned by Basaltina Srl cover 600,000 square meters. The company has been in business since 1925, when Giuseppe Tecchi Cristofori Celiani purchased...

Continuing a family tradition: following in his grandfather's footsteps, the current owner of G.B. Basaltite srl reopened his family's basalt quarry, and he is dedicated to producing a top-grade material.(Company overview)
May 1, 2006... Sitting on approximately 1,500 acres in the heart of central Italy, G.B. Basaltite srl is a relatively young company. While the property is rich in stoneworking history, G.B. Basaltite was only formed in 2000. Since opening, the company has...

Maintaining a high level of stone craftsmanship: Tufitalia--located in Civita Castellana, just outside of Viterbo, Italy--has been quarrying and sculpting historic Tufa Stone for more than 50 years.
May 1, 2006... Used for centuries to build dwellings and villages along the Apennines--a mountain range stretching a little more than 600 miles from the north to the south of Italy along its east coast--Tufa is a volcanic stone resembling the appearance of...

Marketing a specialty product from Sardinia: LMPA di Ratti of Tivoli, Italy, is known for its supply of Daino Reale limestone, which is quarried by the firm's parent company in Orosei (NU), Sardinia.
May 1, 2006... As a family business with Sardinian roots, Ratti Gruppo has been quarrying stone since 1969. The enterprise is comprised of four companies that are all family owned and work together as a group to maintain a successful operation. While three of...

Architects study at the source: as part of the Veronafiere-AIA Continuing Education Seminar at Marmomacc 2005 in Verona, Italy, architects were shown all of the steps taken to create the stonework for the new Banco Popolare project in Verona.(American Institute of Architects)
May 1, 2006... At the seventh edition of the Veronafiere-American Institute of Architects (AIA) Continuing Education Seminar on stone, which is sponsored by Stone World Magazine, architects from the U.S. and abroad underwent an intensive four-day learning...

Granite upholds standards for justice: Sunset Red granite--in three varying finishes--was combined with brick to form a prominent exterior for the new Tarrant County Family Law Center in Fort Worth, TX.(Cover story)
May 1, 2006... Several considerations were taken into account when planning the design of the new Tarrant County Family Law Center in Fort Worth, TX. Set in close proximity to the historic Tarrant County Courthouse, the design team wanted the new building to...

Stone forms an image for medical center: granite and limestone provide an elegant touch for the new entrance at Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, PA.
May 1, 2006... With the desire to maximize the care given to its orthopedic patients, Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, PA, recently opened a separate facility specializing in this treatment. This renovation also presented the hospital with an...

Cascading waterfall enhances residential development: a cascading waterfall feature comprised of stone from Pennsylvania highlights the entrance of a high-end residential development of Edinburgh in Chesapeake, VA.(Three-Dimensional Stonework)
May 1, 2006... At the front of a high-end residential development of Edinburgh in Chesapeake, VA, lies a $2 million cascading waterfall feature comprised of a variety of natural stones in random-sized, three-dimensional pieces. Tri-State Stone and Building...

A blending of mediums: to complement the new bronze Torosaurus statue at Yale University's Peabody Museum of Natural History, sculptor Darrell Petit provided a base in Stony Creek granite, which was carefully conceived to showcase the stone's natural qualities.(Three-Dimensional Stonework)
May 1, 2006... Visitors approaching Yale University's Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven, CT, are now greeted by a striking figure on the building's east side--a life-sized bronze Torosaurus statue, created by Peabody Museum Preparator Michael...

The challenging task of teaching green.(Stone and the Green Building Movement)
May 1, 2006... A growing and significant force in the construction industry is going to impact product manufacturers, including stone quarriers and suppliers, and compel them to learn, adapt and teach in order to survive and thrive. That force--referred to in...

Stone education continues at 2006 AIA Expo: the 2006 American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Convention and Design Expo is set to take place in Los Angeles, CA, from June 8 to 10, offering abundant educational opportunities at the Stone and Tile Pavilion, which is sponsored by Stone World and Contemporary Stone & Tile Design magazines.
May 1, 2006... The AIA 2006 National Convention and Design Expo, which will take place in Los Angeles, CA, from June 8 to 10, will bring together more than 24,000 architects and building industry professionals. Once again, the exposition will include the...

Adhered stone installation is a success in New York: for the Wall of Memory and Hope in Albany, NY, marble slabs were adhered to the wall surface, reducing costs and labor.
May 1, 2006... There is a key difference between cost cutting and value engineering. Cutting costs involves a decision as easy as choosing one brand over another to save a few dollars, without necessarily considering the long-term performance and outcome of...

Facing the issues of resin-treated slabs.(FORUM)
May 1, 2006... Resin treatment of slabs is not a new process. It has been part of global processing lines for many years. Reputable stone adhesive manufacturers have studied the importance of strengthening various types of stones, some in heavy demand, before...

Weiman Home Care Products.(NEW PRODUCTS)
May 1, 2006... Weiman Home Care Products has recently launched Weiman Granite Wipes, which are specially formulated to keep granite glossy and stain-free, reports the manufacturer. "Homeowners have trusted Weiman's Marble, Granite and Countertop Polish for...

Marmi Bruno Zanet.(NEW PRODUCTS)
May 1, 2006... Unique materials such as Delirium feldspar and Nautilus granite are available in a slab format from Marmi Bruno Zanet, a company that has been in business for almost half a century, and offers more than 100 Brazilian granites characterized by...

Flow International Corp.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
May 1, 2006... Flow International Corp. has announced the launch of its new StoneCrafter waterjet system, with a variety of powerful pump options, larger envelope size for greater productivity and other features specific to the stone and tile market. ...

Park Industries.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
May 1, 2006... The new Yukon[R] II stone dimensioning saw from Park Industries features enhanced machine controls, a bi-lingual language option, improved saw cutting speed and accuracy, and diagnostic screen capabilities. The Yukon II can be controlled...

Farr Air Pollution Control.(NEW LITERATURE)
May 1, 2006... Farr Air Pollution Control (APC) has produced a new CD that provides a comprehensive electronic catalog of the company's dust, mist and fume collection equipment. The CD contains in-depth information on dust collectors for all types of...

Thibaut.(NEW LITERATURE)
May 1, 2006... Thibaut is now distributing a tri-fold brochure highlighting its T818 Access CNC stoneworking machine, which is available in North America from EuroStone Machine of Atlanta, GA. The machine features three or four axes, an integrated handling...

Cold Spring Granite Co.(NEW LITERATURE)
May 1, 2006... Cold Spring Granite Co. has recently introduced its latest piece of literature introducing Kasota Valley Limestone[TM] to the marketplace. Architects and owners seeking strength, beauty and permanence in their structures are choosing...

Regent Stone Products.(Machine of the month)
May 1, 2006... The Master 3500 portable electric contouring machine from Marmoelettromeccanica, available in the U.S. from Regent Stone Products, is equipped with a "Water System" gliding plate. This is the newest and most up-to-date machine in the Master...

Piano onyx/travertine.(Stone of the month)
May 1, 2006... This Stone of the Month supplied by Marmoleria Gallos S.A. of Lima, Peru. Technical details provide a frame of reference only. Because stone is a product of nature, testing to determine specific physical qualities should be repeated for each...

Calendar.(Calendar)
May 1, 2006... May 31 to June 3, 2006 CarraraMarmotec, The 26th International Fair for Marble, Machinery and Services, Carrara, Italy. Contact: Lorenzo Marchini, Internazionale Marmi e Macchine Carrara S.p.A.; +39 585 787963; Fax: +39 585 787602; E-mail:...