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Innovation is often defined as the creation of new or better products, services, processes, ect. How have we innovated in the world of ceramic and stone and even more importantly has it been innovation for innovation’s sake or has it been effective?

At first glance I think most people would look at the definition of innovation, then at our industry and ask how do you innovate with some of the world’s oldest building products and why would you. I would argue that if my trade or industry wasn’t so innovative we’d have done a grand injustice to our clients and ourselves.

Just last week a number of us who belong to the TTMAC started discussing how much our industry has changed over the past 30 years. Change is code for innovation when the “old guard” talk about how we used to do things. There has been a great deal of change and innovation in our industry over the past few years and that innovation has meant that a lot of installers and fabricators have not kept pace. i could list hundreds of examples but to me they distill down to the fact that some of the older ways installing ceramic tile or working with stone still work but a large number of them don’t. And understanding which of the old methods still apply and which don’t is hugely important in today’s construction industry.

High rise construction, in-floor heating and fast-track construction schedules are just a few of the challenges that rule our world. These and numerous other siesmic changes in the overall construction industry behoove us all to move forward and embrace innovation. We nned to keep pace with the needs of our clients and we can only do this if we look to improve how we apply our trade. Both in the technical aspects as well as the service aspects of what we do.

In the very near future Centis Stone is going to host a Facebook page. This page will be used to show pictures of the stone we have in stock as well as a place where we will post promotions and Facebook only deals. The site will also be a place where people who want to learn more about stone can go to, post questions and hopefully dialogue with other people and get answers.  We want this Facebook page to be a place for lateral discussion with respect to natural stone as well as a place where people can see what Centis Stone has to offer.

This is new for me and for all of us at Centis. So keep and eye out for Centis Stone on Facebook. I hope it becomes a place of interest, a place that you will visit often.

Wow. I can’t believe I just asked myselef that question. How can we innovate when it comes to customer service?

We can always be better at customer service but that isn’t being innovative. Innnovation means we are bringing something new and hopefully better into the mix. What do our customers need that is different from what we are already trying to give them? How can we deliver our customer service in a manner that is better and more directed to what our customer wants?

I just read Seth Godin’s blog, “Sold or Bought” and I asked myself that same question about our stone counters, are they bought from us or do we sell them.

A few customers come to see us because they want a certain type of stone counter in their home but most of our customers come to our showroom to see if they might want them. So do we sell them a product or do they buy it? I believe that our products are sold more than they are bought and I say that because I know that our sales staff spend time with their customers to both learn what would best suit their needs as well as educating the customer on the products that are available. 

Stone counter-tops are not a simple, homogeneous commodity. Unless you really know a lot about stone seek out a sales person that can help sell you a counter and don’t just buy one.

Good question. What is new in the world of ceramic and stone?

Well very large format porcelain sheets are new. These are 1 metre x 3 metre sheets of thin (3-4mm) porcelain that can be used for walls (both interior and exterior), floors (interior only) and counters. I think this is a new exciting development in the hard surface world. I went to a seminar on these types of products just a several of months ago and I was totally  impressed with how versatile this material was. At that time I was only aware of one supllier, now there are at least 3 suppliers of this material. Presently the colours are pretty simple but I’ll bet that in 2012 we will see an explosion in the variations that will be available in this format.

Another really interesting product line are engineered glass chip and resin slabs for counter-tops. This is a product that is similar to engineered quartz slabs but in this product coloured glass chips take the place of the quartz. The samples I have seen are extraordinary. The colours are vibrant and because glass is the primary material the slab are translucent. I think when the interior designers see this material their heads will spin with the different design possibilities. There will be a learning curve for the fabricators but I don’t believe that will be a problem for very long.

Finally I think the huge advancements in stone working equipment that we have seen so far will continue. This is huge. With better equipment that is easire to use, we as fabricators will be able to offer our customers more intricate designs and better workmanship without a large increase in cost. We will also be able to provide more product in a shorter timeline. Again this is a win win for us andour customers.

All in all, I am excited about this coming new year.

Happy New Year Everyone!

On Nov of 2009 I posted a blog called “To DYI or Not To DYI”. The discussion in the post was mainly around ceramic and stone tile installations for those that may have wanted to try stepping into the realm of “Do It Yourself”. I have always thought that attempting to install your own ceramic or stone tile was a good idea. Especially if you started small and then worked your way up to a larger project. I think the same should be said for stone or quartz counters. If you are a deeply entrenched DYier or if you want to try dipping your toes into the waters of the DYI ocean counters are not an unachievable option. I would start with the same premise of my blog on DYI ceramic and stone tile, start small, but I would also add that you need to a line yourself with a good fabricator that is is wiling to help you out with some information and tips.

Tip Number 1: Start small. A smaller bathroom vanity is a good place to start. Something in the 36″-42″ range with a single sink is easier to handle than a 72″ double bowl vanity.

Tip Number 2: Pick a stable stone or an engineered quartz product. This is important. You don’t want to make your first foray into hard-surface counters with a product like “Delicatus”. Yes, the name does imply a level of delicateness to the product and not just because of it’s colour.

Tip Number 3: Make a “hard” template of the vanity. In this way you can make sure your finished product will fit and you can “test” how you plan to put the real vanity in place.

Tip Number 4: Plan for a back-splash of some type, stone or ceramic. In this way you can allow for some leeway at the walls when you are measuring and installing the stone. A tight fit may look nice but for your first try take up the slack with a back-splash.

Tip Number 5: Before you start your project invest some time finding a right fabricator. One who will help you in the process and not just hand off a finished product with no back-up.

“Do It Yourself” counters are not a big deal. If you think you’d like to take a shot just do your homework first and have some fun with the whole process.

Ceramic and stone floor tiles are getting bigger. A lot bigger.

The move to larger and larger format floor tiles has been an ongoing pattern for years but now some manufacturers have brought this evolution to new dimensions, literally. This past week I was at a provincial meeting of hard surface flooring contractors and one of the points of discussion was concerning the inherent challenges involved with the installation of these extremely large format floor tiles. A few years ago 16″x16″ tile was considered large format, now we’re talking about tiles that are 24″x24″, 18″x36″ and 24″x 48″. These are big tiles that cover a lot of floor area in one shot.

The challenges are as follows:

1. You need an extremely flat floor surface. The old spec of plus or minus 1/4″ over 10 feet just does not work. Let’s face it, if the floor can vary up to a 1/4″ (6mm) per foot that would mean if you wanted to install a 24″x24″ tile the flooring contractor would be responsible to lay tiles on a floor that may have 1/2″ (12mm) of deflection over the span of the tile they were trying to install. Let’s also remember that the person installing the tile must supply a finished floor with less than a 1/16″ (1 mm) of lippage from tile to tile. The possible amount of deflection would double if the tile was 24″x48″.

2. The tiles themselves would have to be almost perfectly flat to achieve the same outcome. The problem is that ceramic or porcelain tiles always have some camber in the material itself so the tiles would have to be installed in a stack bond layout if you wanted to minimize lippage.

3. Finally the installers have to be trained in the proper installation techniques for these large format tiles as well as how to check and level the sub-floors.

What should you, as the consumer or specifier expect? Higher installation costs are a certainty and I don’t just mean the tile installer. If the sub-floor is concrete then the concrete finishing contractor will have to be more careful. If the sub-floors are wood we will need lower deflection rates and therefore more joists or more plywood. Both options mean higher costs. Also you, the end client will need to look even more closely at the competency of the flooring contractor that you are hiring to install your floor. Do they have the expertise to level your sub-floor should that need arise and can they install such large format tiles correctly?

Personally I love the look of large format tiles. I think they offer great advantages in terms of ease of maintenance and I think they make a great visual statement. However, I hope that the specifiers and the owners that are asking for these products realize what is required to install these tiles properly.

Whenever I think of ceramic tile, stone tile and plywood sub-floors I always remember that segment on “Sesame Street” where they sang “…one of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn’t belong…” and so on. It never fails to amaze me when I read about or get asked to comment on a hard surface flooring failure over plywood sub-floors. Remember the song “… one of these things is not like the others…” . Ceramic – Stone – Wood, hmmm, let’s think.

Why do some people continue to think you that can install ceramic or stone tile directly onto a wood floor or over a thin metal mesh and cement paste which has been nailed or stapled to the wood? We live in a construction culture surrounded with wood. We live next to or in some of the world’s greatest boreal forests. I would hope most of us realize that wood is not a hard flooring product. Wood expands and contracts. Wood floors flex. Ceramic and stone do not do those things. Ceramic and stone are great flooring products but they are not great at flexing, nor do they expand or contract in the same way wood does when exposed to wet or dry conditions.

If you are going to use ceramic tile or stone tile on your floors you will most likely be installing them over a wood sub-floor. Educate yourself on how to isolate your sub-floor’s natural tendency to flex, expand or contract from your ceramic or stone tile. Make sure your contractor (if you are using one) is going to use an installation system that will take these problems into account. Remember Sesame Street.