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Countertops: stylish & strong choices.(HOME: Dream kitchens for less)(Buyers guide)
Countertops are one product where beauty and practicality can coexist. Granite and quartz made it through a gantlet of spills, hot pots, knives, and more with top scores. But quartz needs less care to keep its good looks.
Quartz, also called engineered stone, is a composite of stone, pigment, and resin. Manufacturers are expanding beyond uniform patterns, creating looks closer to natural stone.
But granite continues to sell well because of its many colors, variations, and lower prices. It's also heat and impact resistant, but must be periodically resealed.
Granite "brands" are born. With such strong sales it's no surprise that companies are trying to get a piece of the rock. DuPont and Home Depot now offer branded granite with limited warranties. But DuPont's warranty doesn't cover damage caused by normal wear and tear. Home Depot's Stonemark granite, by Innovative Stone, offers a 15-year stain warranty. Though this granite performed slightly better than regular granite in our tests, we don't know if its sealer will hold up any better over time. The warranty says only that the company will help you repair stains, not replace the counter.
Finish doesn't matter. Sealed stone counters are sold with glossy and honed (matte) finishes. Contrary to popular belief, our tests found that honed finishes resisted stains no better than glossy ones if stains dried and set overnight.
Concrete: Still niche, still fragile. Concrete countertops are generally made and installed by local fabricators, so quality can vary. They chip and scratch easily, and can develop hairline cracks. Topical sealers withstand stains but not heat; penetrating sealers handle heat, not stains.
HOW TO CHOOSE
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...profit is directly tied to sales per square foot, and owners need to maximize the use...need to generate as much income per square foot as possible," he says. And, each...makes a difference in the sales per square foot, and the rent, too. When Connor first...
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- Press release article from: Business Wire January 12, 2000 700+ words
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...objective is: profit! The price-per-square-foot method of calculation is easy, that...multiply that number with the price-per-square-foot multiplier (Note: The numbers used...intended to represent actual price per square foot or wage rates.): 2,500 Square Feet...
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- Magazine article from: South Florida CEO April 1, 2003 700+ words
...Investing paid $2.95 million ($1,210 per square foot) for a 2,438-square-foot home overlooking Biscayne Bay on Key Biscayne...paid just under $4 million for a 7,000-square-foot condominium on Miami Beach's Fisher Island...
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- Magazine article from: South Florida CEO February 1, 2003 700+ words
...Normandy Isle on the Bay: A 3,178-square-foot Biscayne Bay-front home at 1310 Bay...sold for $1.35 million ($425 per square foot) to Yolande Citro. The home, owned...II paid $3.25 million ($645 per square foot) for a 3,848-squarefoot home on...
- THE DNR LIST; MASTER MERCHANTS.(retail productivity performance in sales per...
- Magazine article from: Daily News Record August 18, 2003 700+ words
...national retailers in terms of sales per square foot (SPF) . Here, the men's retailers...SPACE BASIS 1) Aeropostale Sales per square foot: $471 This young men's retailer...Abercrombie & Fitch Sales per square foot: $379 This trendy purveyor of cargo...
- CRI, Major Mills Endorse Square-Foot Pricing
- Magazine article from: Flooring January 1, 1996 700+ words
...Valero Should carpet be sold by the square foot? The answer is yes, according to the...institute representation of carpet by the square foot at the manufacturing level. The target...The idea of selling carpet by the square foot is a topic that has been debated in...
