New Products – August 2015
(Click photos to enlarge)
SURFACES
THIN-VENEER GRANITE
STONEYARD ®, Littleton, Mass., offers Portsmouth Granite ™ as a new thin stone veneer color and is available in four shapes: Mosaic, Square & Rectangular, Ledgestone, and Ashlar. This New England stone was selected due to its desirable range of colors, fine grain, and harsh climate durability. Portsmouth Granite is a fine grain granite stone with slight veining, showing a salt-and-pepper mix with light gray and subtle specks of black and brown. Accents of white and beige complete the color profile. The material is available now through Stoneyard’s network of building and masonry supply yards.
CONTACT: STONEYARD, 800-231-2200
NEW MARBLE-LOOK QUARTZ
Hanwha Surfaces, Atlanta, adds two new colors to its HanStone Quartz surfaces that mirror the look of Carrara marble. Italian Waves is Tuscan and classic, infused with rich grey veining to display movement with a glossy sheen. Classic Statue uses subtle veining complemented by distinct contrasting darker-veined undertones within a stone white background and high-gloss sheen. Both are non-porous, resistant to heat, stains, and scratches, and intriguing solutions for both residential and commercial applications.
CONTACT: Hanwha Surfaces, 770-431-6100
SUPERSHEET ULTRATHIN TILE
Florida Tile, Lexington, Ky., introduces Thinner, a true-porcelain tile in sizes up to 39” X 118” supersheets. Surfaces are compressed during manufacturing to >15,000 tons psi to produce increased flexibility and breaking strength; a 0.5mm fiberglass mesh backing is adhered to each panel for additional strength and for ease of drilling, cutting and handling. Available collections in the large-panel size include Time/2.0 with an extensive color palette of Snow, Black, Beige, Carbon, Cream and Silver with a solid body pigment decorated with slightly contrasting shades created by individual granules of color; and Aventis, with monochromatic olive and gray tones represented by include Nut, Titanium, Velvet, Ask (a dark gray), Cotton and Eclipse.
CONTACT: Florida Tile, 800-352-8483
NEW BRANDED QUARTZ LINE
Pacific Shore Stones, Austin, Texas, launches Pacshore Quartz, the company’s own brand of quartz surfaces featuring a dozen colors inspired by the Pacific Islands. The material is low-maintenance, easy-to -lean, scratch-resistant, affordable, non-porous and offers color consistency. In addition, Pacshore Quartz comes with a 15-year warranty. Pacshore Quartz meets all industry standards including UL Greenguard Gold for indoor air quality and NSF International Seal for safe surfaces for food preparation. Pacshore Quartz will initially be available across all central Pacific Shore Stones locations, with future plans to expand the distribution area.
CONTACT: Pacific Shore Stones, 512-339-8100
ADDITIONAL QUARTZ COLORS
M S International (MSI), Orange, Calif., introduces nine new colors in its Q Premium Natural Quartz line with hues that lean toward popular monochromatic tones, and timeless whites and grays. Carrara Grigio Montclair White and Romano White are all reminiscent of natural marble or granite with white backgrounds and varying degrees of veining; Perla White includes subtle tonal veining. For a limestone look, the company offers the darker Babylon Gray and lighter Fossil Grey, along with the subtle veins and specs of the brown Fossil Taupe and Fossil Brown. There’s also Pearl Gray added to the natural look collection, highlighting light to dark gray tones, with just a touch of pearl. The Q Premium Natural Quartz line now includes of 37 colors and looks, with more on the way.
CONTACT: M S International, 714-685-7500
MACHINERY
DIAMOND DRILL
CS Unitec, Norwalk, Conn., offers the END 712 P high-speed, wet core drill for cutting holes in natural stone, tile and concrete without shock or hammering. Ideal for countertops, plumbing and other masonry applications, the unit drills precise holes up to 3/4” diameter, even in granite and hard ceramic tiles and granite, at variable speeds through 8,000rpm. Special water-cooled diamond bits are available from 5/32” to 3/4”; there’s also a built-in water swivel with water flow valve. Options include a water recycling vacuum; a portable water tank; and, a starter kit with drill, centering device with template for precise drilling. water suction hose, Gardena-Connector, diamond wet drill bits and a sharpening block.
CONTACT: CS Unitec Inc., 800-700-5919
AIR-COMPRESSOR CONTROL
Kaesar Compressors Inc., Fredericksburg, Va., introduces the Sigma Air Manager 2 (SAM 2) air-control system to bring the Internet of Things to industrial plants with its adaptive control, data storage, analysis, and predictive maintenance capabilities. SAM 2 optimizes pressure values, automatically adjusts system air delivery to accommodate fluctuating demand, and optimizes system efficiency; it also helps fix itself with its built-in maintenance reminders and messaging capabilities. Advanced networking capabilities mean data can be accessed anytime, anywhere.
CONTACT: Kaeser Compressors Inc., 877-586-2691
LONG-REACH SCRAPER
CS Unitec Inc., Norwalk, Conn., introduces the air-powered Trelawny™ Long-Reach Scrapers featuring one tool with multiple applications – chipper, scraper and descaler. Standard scrapers are available in 2′, 4′ and 5’ lengths to efficiently remove residue, corrosion, adhesives, floor tiles, plaster, mortar and more. CS Unitec’s offers a series of “LITE” models up to 6’ long that weigh less than 8.5 lbs., making them ideal for overhead use. All long reach scrapers can be converted to needle scalers by changing the scraper/chisel with a needle attachment; accessories include chisel blades in 1”, 2” and 4” widths.
CONTACT: CS Unitec Inc., 800-700-5919
HAMMER DRILL
Robert Bosch Tool Corp., Mt. Prospect, Ill., introduces the HD18-2 Two-Speed Hammer Drill for use with concrete, masonry and other hard surfaces. First gear with the 8.5-amp motor is for high-torque applications, including maximum diameter drilling; second speed is for high-speed drilling. The dual-mode selector easily converts from hammer drill to rotation-only mode for the 5.8 lbs. unit. A metal gear housing provides rugged jobsite durability and an auxiliary handle offers better torque control and can be securely locked into place.
CONTACT: Robert Bosch Tool, 877-BOSCH-99
GRANITE TURBO BLADE
Lackmond Stone, Marietta, Ga., introduces the PRM Series Granite Turbo Blade designed for cutting granite, marble, engineered stone and other hard natural stone. It is engineered with premium diamonds and a specially designed diamond matrix with narrow cutting flutes, and can be used dry or wet. The narrow flutes allow for an aggressive clean, chip-free cut. The blades are available in 4 ½”, 5”, 6” and 7”.
CONTACT: Lackmond Stone, 800-850-2044
INSTALLATION, REPAIR, RENEWAL
UNDERMOUNT SINK CLIPS
Z Keepers LLC, Bradenton, Fla., introduces GoClips, a slot-based anchoring clip for undermount sinks that combines the ease of use and versatility of other similar products. Installation of clips can be done with a a grinder and a 4″-6″ turbo blade to make a ½” deep cut wide enough for the clip’s down tab, and needs no hole or t-31 slot drilling, butterfly cuts or epoxy. GoClips are designed to engage even before tightening the screws. The attached (and removable) spring clip is super strong and will lock GoClips in place even upside down for true hands-free installation. GoClips are available in three different sizes – 1/8”, ¾” and 1 ¼” – depending on the thickness of the sink rim.
CONTACT: GoClips, 844-4GO-CLIPS
RENAMED MORTAR
Custom Building Products, Huntington Beach, Calif., renames its stone-mortar product as Natural Stone and Large Title Mortar. Previously known as Marble, Granite and Travertine mortar, the modified dry-set product is engineered to support the weight of large and heavy ceramic or porcelain tile measuring 15” or greater on one or more sides, as well as all natural stone tiles that are inherently heavier. It can also be used with clay pavers and other thin- or medium-bed applications. The product is available in white or gray and is eligible for up to a lifetime warranty when used with a qualifying CUSTOM system of surface preparation and grout products. It exceeds ANSI A118.4 and A118.11 standards without the need for additives.
CONTACT: Custom Building Products, 800-272-8786
PUBLICATIONS/ONLINE
CATHEDRALS BOOK
Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Atglen, Pa., releases Cathedrals Built by the Masons by Russell Herner, capturing the magnificence of European cathedrals and the brilliance of the Master Builders and craftsmen who designed and built them. Through well-researched text, as well as more than 250 photos and drawing, the 224-page book captures the quality and craftsmanship built into these stunning structures created to replicate God’s house or heaven on Earth. Color photos illustrate the gorgeous naves, detailed fan vaulted ceilings, beautiful stained-glass windows, flying buttresses, and 650-year-old parchment drawings of the cathedrals. Enjoy 30 cathedral tours and acquire a few Masonic secrets of the stonemasons.
CONTACT: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 610-593-1777
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