New Products – January 2015

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MATERIALS

NEW SINTERED-SURFACE COLOR
Cosentino North America, Sugar Land, Texas, introduces Aura, an interpretation of Calacatta marble, in its line of Dekton® surfaces. With large-scale veining on a pale white background, Aura’s slab design offers an endless symmetrical pattern, with veining continuing from one slab to the next. The material is available in slabs of 56” X 126” and thicknesses of .8cm, 1.2cm and 2cm.
CONTACT: Cosentino North America<, 281-494-7277

STONE-LOOK SINTERED SURFACES
TheSize Surfaces SL, Castellón, Spain. expands its Neolith Classtone product line with marble-, onyx- and travertine-inspired models with its sintered compact surface.  Estatuario (which will have two additional patterns this year) and Calacatta will be available in book-matched pieces; Calacatta slabs are also available with an “end-match effect,” matching the veins of one slab exactly to that of the next for the illusion that multiple slabs are all one consistent piece.  Made with translucent clays, the Onyx color uses proprietary technology to create surface that can be backlit. The 126” X 59” sheets are available in nominal ¼” (6mm) and ½” (12mm) thicknesses all are 100% natural, composed of raw materials—clays, feldspar, silica and natural mineral oxides—and are recyclable.
CONTACT: TheSize Surfaces SL, +34-964-652-233

NEW QUARTZ-SURFACES LOOKS
Caesarstone US, Van Nuys, Calif., adds ten selections to its popular Classico collection of quartz surfaces, including unique colors with striking veins and colors resembling marble, granite and concrete. Three colors – Vanilla Noir, Calacatta Nuvu and Alpine Mist – offer designs of delicate, wide veins; Bianco Drift, Coastal Grey and Woodlands offer the company’s own interpretation of granite textures, refined with a clean, glossy feel. Additionally, there’s the new Fresh Concrete, Sleek Concrete and Raw Concrete colors, emulating the raw-look and coarse texture of concrete, fused together durability, and ease of the company’s quartz surfaces; plus, there’s the new Clamshell. All slabs are non-porous, and resistant to heat, stains and scratching.
CONTACT: Caesarstone US,  818-779-0999

NEW QUARTZ COLLECTION
Wilsonart, Temple, Texas, introduces the Wilsonart® Quartz Collection, including 50 designs inspired by locations and cultures from as far away as the Gobi desert to the U.S. Midwest skies of the USA and native peoples of the Americas, Australia and Southeast Asia. The company notes the new colors can be sorted into four structures: Fine and Small Scale; Medium Scale; Large Scale; and Veining and Movement. Wilsonart Quartz meets all industry standards including UL GREENGUARD Gold for Indoor Air Quality and NSF International Seal for Safe Surfaces for Food Preparation.  
CONTACT: Wilsonart,800-433-3222.

EASTERN-ART-INSPIRED STONE
Crossville Inc., Crossville, Tenn., introduces Yin + Yang, a collection of natural-stone tile inspired by the allure and balance of Eastern art. The collection is offered in natural or polished finishes in eight stone shades: Snow Flower, Moon Gate, Black Dragon, Tea Garden, Silk Fan, Bonsai, Lotus Blossom, and Koi Pond, with sizes  including .5” x .5” mosaic, .5” x 1.5” stacked mosaic, herringbone, elongated hex, 1.5” x 7.75” brick, 3” x 12” plank, and linear mosaic. Yin + Yang is recommended for interior and exterior walls and interior floors in commercial or residential settings.
CONTACT: Crossville Inc., 931-484-2110

EQUIPMENT

HAND-HELD STONE CUTTER
Alpha Professional Tools®, Oakland, N.J., introduces the Alpha® PSC-150, a hand-held pneumatic stone cutter with a 2 hp motor, with an air-consumption speed governor to produce enough torque to cut 1-1/4” (3cm) stone slabs in one pass, and is also capable of miter cutting without time-consuming setup.  The pneumatic-powered motor saves on repair and maintenance costs of electric stone cutters when sink-hole cutting and groove-cutting for rodding; the company also offers a retrofit carriage for the Alpha® Guide Rail System for making precise miter cuts for the perfect lamination. The unit comes with an Eclipse II 6” blade for granite and engineered stone; it can also utilize a variety of consumables including the Katana 6” for porcelain panels and slabs,  and the Hot-Rod 4” for 1/4” steel rods and 1/8” fiber glass rods.
CONTACT: Alpha Professional Tools®,, 800-648-7229

LONGER HEAVY-DUTY BUNDLE RACK
Groves Inc., Woodstock, Ill., introduces the BR2.5-90 extra-long heavy duty bundle rack for jumbo-sized stone bundles.  Designed to hold up to 9,000 lbs between two posts (4,500 lbs per post), the unit features heavy-gauge and welded steel construction, including 2.5” square tubular steel posts with 3/16” wall thicknesses, with all surfaces finished with a durable industrial powder-coat finish for years of service.  The 90”-inch length can connect to additional units with a supplied 11” connector tube for longer storage runs. (For safety, the BR2.5-90 must be bolted to the floor.)  
CONTACT: Groves Inc., 815-337-9780

QUOTE SOFTWARE
Quote Granite, Phoenix, launches its Quote Granite quoting tool for stone fabricators. Developed in the past three years with some of the nation’s largest distributors and fabricators, the software offers the ability to monitor and edit quotes in real-time, show fabrication-detail pricing, track orders, store documents and much more.
CONTACT: Quote Granite, 480-650-6463

MIXING STATION
CS Unitec Inc., Norwalk, Conn., introduces the MEGA HIPPO® PMH 80F-RL mixing station with an integrated dust extraction port to reduce airborne dust while mixing when connected to an industrial vacuum. Multiple batches of compounds can be mixed easier and faster using its removable liner and rimless bucket system. Consecutive batches can be mixed without downtime for cleaning the bucket; alternating liners allows mixing without cross contamination. The Easy-roll Trolley and balanced Easy-tilt Cradle allow one person to mix, transport and accurately place up to 23 gallons, (or six-bag batches/350 lbs) of material at the same time, boosting productivity. The HIPPO is supplied with two 8-1/2” dia. mixing paddles designed with a special helix ribbon and side bars. Equipped with heavy-duty casters, the PMH 80F-RL moves freely on level floors. Optional air-filled tires are available.
CONTACT: CS Unitec Inc., 800-700-5919

INSTALLATION, REPAIR, RENEWAL

PIGMENT GROUT SOLUTION
LATICRETE International Inc., Bethany, Conn., introduces PERMACOLOR® Select, the first dispersible pigment grout solution with the largest, most-consistent color range on the market in a cementious system. The two-part solution mix of color packets and a neurtral base allows distributors to offer all existing LATICRETE colors and top-selling competitor hues efficiently. It’s fast-setting and is suitable for joints 1/16” to 1/2” wide on floors or walls; equipped with STONETECH® Sealer Technology, PERMACOLOR Select offers enhanced stain resistance with no sealing required. PERMACOLOR Select is also reinforced with Kevlar® to resist cracks and shrinkage.
CONTACT: LATICRETE International Inc., 203-393-0010

REFLECTIVE, ACCENT GROUT
Custom® Building Products, Seal Beach, Calif, extends its line of stain-proof Fusion Pro® Single Component Grout® to encompass a new collection of eight designer-inspired specialty colors that deliver light-reflecting effects.  The colors, including Starlight, Moonshadow, Ice Crystal, Glitter, Raw Sugar, Starry Night, Gold and Smoked Quartz, incorporate nature-inspired metallic and mineral colorations.  They are ideal for backsplashes, bathrooms or themed architecture in commercial or residential settings, as well as any place that can benefit from an added sparkle and color effect. The new color schemes are part of a larger grout color palette refresh across CUSTOM’s entire grout line,
CONTACT: Custom Building Products, 800-272-8786

HIGH-PERFORMANCE GROUT
LATICRETE International Inc., Bethany, Conn., adds PLASMA™ to its extensive family of award-winning grout products. Built on a new technology platform, PLASMA is crack- and stain-resistant, and doesn’t require sealing. PLASMA provides unmatched early strength development, easy workability and superior stain resistance that inhibits the growth of stain-causing mold and mildew in grout joints. PLASMA also provides a uniform color with no blotchiness or shading, and contains a non-yellowing UV-stable formula allowing for easy maintenance. PLASMA is cleanable to the original color; it’s designed for use most grout joint applications between 1/16-inch to 1/2-inch (1.6 – 13 mm) wide including: ceramic tile, glass tile and stone applications; residential and commercial floors and walls; and, interior and exterior installations. The solution is available in convenient one-gallon pails and in 20 popular LATICRETE grout colors, as well as a translucent formulation.
CONTACT: LATICRETE International Inc., 203-393-0010

MULTI-SURFACE BONDING PRIMER
Custom® Building Products, Seal Beach, Calif., introduces Multi-Surface Bonding Primer, a ready-to-use, single component, water-based primer engineered to adhere on a variety of substrates where proper bonding can be difficult.   Formulated with aggregates and polymers that promote mechanical bonds over both porous and non-porous substrates, CUSTOM’s Multi-Surface Bonding Primer also requires no shot blasting or grinding in most cases. It works on surfaces such as tile over tile, vinyl substrates, epoxy-based substrates, metal, and other difficult-to-bond surfaces.
CONTACT: Custom Building Products, 800-272-8786

PUBLICATIONS/ONLINE

HPS SCHÖNOX APP
HPS North America Inc., Florence, Ala., introduces the Schönox App, available in both the Google Play Store and the Apple iTunes Store. The app provides information for each of the company’s products, a product usage calculator, video-based installer tips, and a GPS-enabled tool to find a company sales representative. It’s integrated with the company’s relaunched website, optimized for all platforms, with expanded technical product information, real-world case studies, distribution pathways, and product support.
CONTACT: HPS North America Inc., 855-391-2649

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