For the uninitiated a 5 axis cnc bridge saw is a tool for cutting and shaping slabs or larger stock pieces of stone. This take us on a road of new possibilities. Not only will the stone shop be able to produce finished pieces faster we will be able to do work that we haven’t been able to do in the past. I be posting pics and video of the machine and what it can do in the near future so until then stay tuned.

Centis is known throughout the our industry as an ICI Company. ICI stands for Industrial, Commercial and Institutional. While our stone division sales are 95% residential, the overwhelming perception of our company is that of an ICI sector flooring company. So while we are well know by architects, engineers and larger general contractors, we are not so well known by home builders, residential interior designers and “Joe Public”.

That’s too bad because we are really good at what we do but how do we break that mold. How do we “sell” our abilities?

This isn’t just our problem. Most companies in the ICI sector have the same problem. Electrical, mechanical or even general contractors in the ICI sector are’t well known in the residential market. While that was fine a few years ago, I don’t think that is a good marketing strategy, especially right now.

Well, that’s a simple question with a complicated answer.

Whenever I’m asked that question I ‘m not really sure how to reply. Both products are good, solid material for counter-tops and I must say that we’ve made counters for customers from both product lines that I would be happy to put in my home. I think it’s hard to lose with either man-made quartz or granite but that would be side stepping the question.

I would have to say that from most angles the man-made quartz has more reasons to make it the better choice. The only thing going against quartz is the fact that it is “man-made” and since I like the variation that you find in natrual stone I would have to say I personally prefer the natural stone over man-made quartz. There, I said it. I would pick natural stone over a man-made product in most situations.

Ah ha you say! I’ve qualified my statement again.

You’re right. I did and that’s because in a few situations the man-made is a superior product to natural stone.

 I think we have it mixed-up. Customers shouldn’t pay for quality, quality drives sales. Customer Service? Please, without good customer service you lose customers. Environmental – We are all responsible for our environment so there might be a cost for this but we all have to really think about this one. Safety, ethical treatment of workers, community conscious companies…?

Yes, I think we all need to consider these items. There is a cost for this and although it’s not a lot, it is real and we as consumers need to think of this and act upon it.

Believe me I’ve lived the experience all over again.

Retailers, fabricators, contractors or service providers of any stripe, we have to get this customer service thing right. It is the only real thing that the customer remembers.

In my world, I ask all our employees if they treat our clients like customers. Now that may sound simple but how many times have you had an experience with a company that leaves you wondering who the customer was? Lets remember that not all employees in a company are accustomed to dealing with the customer and if part of your “customer experience” means that you have to deal with people who are not trained to interact with the customer the experience may fall short of your expectations. When this happens all the smiling and happy people we met at the beginning of our experience will have been overshadowed by this one person.

Defining great customer service may be difficult but knowing when you have experienced poor customer service seems pretty simple.

So as a customer if you are experiencing less than exemplary service, let us know. Give us a call, fill out the customer survye on our website, send us a letter or an email. We will do our best to make things right and learn from our mistakes.

If you don’t already know, ask if the stone is classified as a granite, marble or limestone. Ask the fabricator how much experience they’ve had with the stone and why the’d recommend using it. If it’s new to the fabricator I’d ask to see any test information that is available for the stone, ie compressive strengths, flexural strength, abrasion resistance ect. If test results aren’t available then I’d probably not look at them for use in your home.

I’m really partial to using stones that the fabricator has had experience with.

That my friends is definitely passe. Now it’s 12×24, 24×24 or 18×36 . I just looked at a new metallic finished tile that was 36×36 or 900×900 for us metric freaks and there getting bigger.

Yes tile sizes are on the increase again. I think the last big push for large tile was about 15 years ago when the 16×16 inch format was launched and believe me that was a “big”deal. At the tme most tile was 8×8 and like I said earlier 12×12 was considered a large tile. The jump to the larger format brought about new thinsets and adhesives to handle the larger tile. Most trade associations that dealt with ceramics and stone even developed new installation proceedures to address the larger format tiles.

So what’s happening now? Not much really. I think everyone in the design world has voted that bigger is better it’s just up to us contractors to figure out how to install these bemoths.

Don’t get me wrong. I like big tile. Big tile means less joints and an easier floor to maintain. However, every ying has a yang. These new extremely large format tile are much more challenging to install properly.

First be extra sure you’ve choosen the right installer. The only thing worse than looking at a bad installation is removing one.

Secondly you need a very flat floor with very little deflection. These tiles are very flat and not very forgiving. If your floor isn’t flat then your installer has to know how to level the floor before installing the tile.

So big can be beautiful, just know what you’re getting into.

I for one, don’t believe that concrete is a great floor finish in the kitchen or the bathroom in a residence. Keep in mind that mild acids can stain and damage concrete finishes. Although the densifier used in polished concrete offers good protection for most situations your kitchen and bathroom environments present some special challenges. Lemon juice, vinegar are simple examples in the kitchen and if you have young children, especially young boys…., well you can see what might happen in the bathroom.

I think concrete floors in a home are great for your entrance, games room and so forth, but I would really reccomend that if you are considering using concrete throughout your home take a good long look at the pros and cons. Don’t take a good thing too far.

There are a number of very good reasons to look at 3cm stone as superior to 2cm. For one thing it’s more stable to work with. Ask most fabricators and they’ll agree. Working on the thicker 3cm stone is easier and safer. The slabs are less prone to cracking and edge curling. Also when you are using the thin 2cm stone plywood is requried as a sub-base to the counter. It is a rare occurence that you would use plywood with a 3cm installation. No plywood means no need to double up the nosing to hide the plywood edge. This means no seam on a visible edge. Finally and maybe just as importantly I just like the look of the thicker stone, especially if you are using an under-mount sink. To me the beefier look of 3cm stone adds something to the over-all look of the counter.

Now you can do very nice work with 2cm stone, in fact most vanities are done with this format. However, if you going to use 2cm stone with a 4cm edge ask to look at samples of finished edges. You want the seem to be as invisible as possible or pick an edge that uses the seem in the design of the edge, for example a stepped nosing. If possible choose a stone that is solid with no or very few fissures. Nero Assolutto, Uba Tuba or Tropic Brown are good examples.

So if you can think about 3cm. I like it and I think you’ll like it too.