Natural Stone has been around us much before even the inception of mankind. Just like the elements of nature; water, air, fire and wood, natural stone has always been a part of our lives. Historically from pyramids made of limestone to the monuments of the Roman Empire made of marble & granite to a monument like Taj Mahal made of marble to our modern capital Washington DC made of domestic granite, limestone and marble. Some of them last for millenniums.

Thankfully, in the recent years as technology advanced and shipping containers were invented, granite and marble become affordable, available, and accessible. This meant that for many of us, apart from having wood floors and furniture, carpets made from cotton or wool, we can now have yet another natural surface in our homes, natural stone. This beats having to use synthetic surfaces such as engineered stone and quartz which may have excessive amounts of resins and chemicals, often very harmful substances when exposed to direct heat or flame and may release harmful gases.

Mother earth is suffering from global warming. Our excessive use of oil and petroleum products. Our rivers and lakes are polluted by the excessive amounts of chemicals humans produce and use in their daily lives. By choosing natural stone and saying NO to any man made products, you have just started your journey towards a clean and sustainable material and lifestyle. As we eat more natural and organic foods, wear natural fibers, want to breathe cleaner air, our journey for building materials should only include natural stone. Why go for manmade, chemical embedded products when we can enjoy the aesthetics and the beauty of Mother Nature right in our homes?

• Natural Stone is 100% recyclable. Once not needed in a building, it can be sent back to Mother Nature in many forms.

• Natural Stone is sustainable. This means it is forever and it takes nothing more from the earth. It stays and maintains. There is virtually no carbon footprint, none whatsoever!

• Over a lifetime of a building, stone buildings last a lifetime. They need no replacement and require little maintenance compared to man made products that are not natural stone.

•Natural Stone is 100% natural and unaltered and unadulterated. Engineered stone or Quartz is made with quartz, resin and other materials. Some manufacturers are known to be using chemicals which are harmful to humans and may be banned in one country and prevalent in another. This is just the beginning. Most man made countertop makers claim they are 93% natural stone. Ask them what is the other 7% made of. Consumers are made to believe that they are 93% natural stone. Truth is the 93% is by weight and not by composition. So in reality they are composed of bits of crushed quartz held together by resins, chemicals and artificial coloring. And we are supposed to handle food on this stuff?

• Natural Stone doesn’t fade in color under the sun like man made products

• Natural Stone can be used from floors, to walls, to building blocks, to cladding walls to cobble stones.

• Natural stone can be installed inside or outside. Engineering stone or Quartz products are only for countertops. They can never last in any other application. If they went outside they fade or bend.

• Natural Stone is heat resistant or heat proof. “Why can quartz countertops catch on fire?” Unlike engineered stone or quartz surfaces, which literally melt if a hot pan is placed on them.

• Natural stone is forever. It needs no warranty. It’s a lifetime of beauty that never fades, bends, or burns. It only enhances with time.

Something you should leave today with and always remember

Man’s greatest architectural achievements have been forged from natural stone. Its not bonded together by petroleum based resins, nor ‘created’ in a factory. Natural stone flooring and countertops are durable, nearly 100% recyclable; do not emit volatile organic compounds in your home and for every day use can be cleaned with environmentally friendly cleaners. Natural Stone is nature’s original, sustainable building material.

Kitchen Remodel 5

AUTHOR // SDR
POSTED IN // Kitchens

A Dramatic Kitchen Remodel

A dramatic before and after kitchen remodel, with minimal disruption to the floor plan and exterior.  The former lower plan was divided into separate rooms based on the activity: a Living Room off of the entry, a Dining Room between the Kitchen and Living Room, the Kitchen, and a stepped down Family Room with direct access to the Garage.  The Dining Room was rarely used, in fact it had been temporarily converted into the child’s playroom, and the dining function was located into the rarely used front Living Room.  We decided to utilize the former Dining Room as part of the new Kitchen remodel by reducing it’s size and converting a portion of the space into a large walk-in Pantry.  A little confusing…hopefully the pictures will best explain the story:

Cooktop detail. The clients drove the interior design on this project, with some professional help, but it was the clients' vision brought to life - for example, note the mix of cabinetry and counter top material. Beautiful.

We gained space by removing a room (unused Dining Room) at the far end of the Kitchen. That space was replaced with a large walk in pantry. We shifted the Kitchen over providing adequate seating at the table, and at the new raised bar. The former dining area was cramped and traffic flow to the exterior was obstructed.

The completed Kitchen remodel looking towards the sink, which shifted just a couple of feet from the former sink location. The former window was replaced, enlarged in width and height, to center on the new sink location. This picture shows the former Dining Room (aka the toy/play room) just beyond the edge of the hardwood. The existing hardwood remained, new installed, and all stained.

During - the framing of the new pantry beyond, and the new bar in the foreground. During - drywall always completes the space. The newly installed hardwood is protected. During - cabinet install.

After detail. After - we saved the fridge to reinstall in the new cabinet - new stainless panel was locally fabricated to replace the white panel. Before - view looking into the new Dining Room (the former Living Room). Behind the cooktop on the right is the large walk in Pantry.

After - note the former arch in the background has been removed. Note the former arch in the background has been removed. Before - the Kitchen looking towards the Family Room. Note the arch - which has been removed (next photo). The exterior slider door was widened from a 6' door to an 8' door.During - showing the recently demolished Kitchen/Dining space.

After - the clients opted for a backsplash material that would be a focal point of the project - it was a bold decision that paid off handsomely. During - cabinet installation. Note the tile on the cabinet in the foreground. Next to it are the two counter top materials to test how they will look in the new space.

Similar material can also be found at Amsum & Ash. Backsplash material: Vardo, Glassix Series. Countertop material: Premium Black Granite

Thankfully, in the recent years granite and marble have become affordable, available and accessible. This means that many of us can now have another ‘natural’ surface in our home just like wood, wool or cotton and not have to buy artificial and engineered products. As we all try to get closer to nature and away from synthetic goods which are warming up our planet, we continue to enjoy natural beauty through our natural stone tiles and countertops.

This was alarming for producers of aritifical surfaces and engineered stones who were seeing their market share dwindle as natural stone became a natural favorite. A massive marketing campaign was launched to mislead consumers into believing that natural stone is actually harmful. Great money was spent to persuade media to create a false perception to consumers that natural stone is an inferior surface and unsafe, compared to what they manufacture. This is not a new marketing technique, using money and media, formula milk manufacturers once tried to persuade the public that their milk was much superior to natural mother’s milk. For a manufacturer of artifical countertops to claim that it's naturally occurring competitor is harmful is a laughable allegation.

The campaign against natural stone uses the naturally occurring element ‘radon’ as the base of its scare tactic. The fact is radon is in soil, it's in water, it's in air and it's in the things we eat. 69% of radon found in homes comes from the soil around and under the house, 19% from water, 9% from outdoor air and only 3% from bulding materials. [1] The U.S. EPA confirms: “Based on existing studies, most types of granite used in countertops and other aspects of home construction are not typically known to be major contributors of radiation and radon in the average home.”[2]

So while some manufacturers of artificial goods (made of chemicals) try to resort to unscrupulous and unethical business practices, natural stone lives on and will forever. Modern metroplices are built with natural stone and so was Rome and the Taj Mahal. And as they get increasingly nervous about consumers using granite and marble for their homes because today they can, they will continually try to deceive and mislead the general public. Fact is that there are hundreds of thousands of people employed in the United States and the rest of the world in quarries, factories, showrooms engaged in this trade and have been for centuries. It’s a long journey from the quarries to your countertop and this supply chain has fed many families and often generations.