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Monday, November 24, 2008
Retail Training For Solid Surface Fabricators.
By Andy @ 9:13 PM :: 115 Views :: 1 Comments :: :: All

Headline: “Solid Surface sales slipping slowly, steadily!” Sound familiar? Why is solid surface losing steam? Now, let me ask this: How often do you retail fabricators listen to customers tell you they don’t want...

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Monday, November 24, 2008
OSHA Fines - What You Need to Know
By Andy @ 8:58 PM :: 32 Views :: 1 Comments :: :: All

There may only be a few words that strike fear in the heart of business owners more than that dreaded Federal agency called OSHA.  If you run a business in the United States with one or more employees then you are covered...

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Monday, November 10, 2008
How-To: Acrylic Sink Installation on Laminate
By Andy @ 7:44 PM :: 164 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: All, How-To

Karran Sinks not just for solid surface countertops anymore.  Now you can undermount a solid surface Karran sink to a laminate counter.  Best of all, it comes with a ten year warranty.

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Thursday, November 06, 2008
Press Release - Moraware Basic Edition
By Andy @ 12:14 AM :: 63 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: All

Moraware announces the release of JobTracker Basic Edition, its most affordable...

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Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Surface Fabrication and Design Expo
By Andy @ 1:37 AM :: 98 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: All

Surface Fabrication magazine and Surface Fabrication & Design Expo have teamed up once again for the Surface Fabrication Achievement in Design Contest. This design contest has been created to provide...

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Thursday, October 30, 2008
Weekly Or Bi-Monthly Pay?
By Andy @ 1:36 AM :: 209 Views :: 1 Comments :: :: All, Jon Olson

I never thought much about this subject until my company recently changed from weekly to bimonthly paychecks. I found through research that about 50 percent of companies pay their employees bimonthly while most others pay their employees weekly and some even...

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Monday, October 20, 2008
Great Countertops: How to Choose the Best Material
By Andy @ 3:11 AM :: 210 Views :: 3 Comments :: :: All, GREEN Zone

Get beyond the brand names and your countertop options really just come down to a handful of materials. The choices can seem overwhelming, but the truth is that...

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Friday, October 17, 2008
White Paper: Natural Stone Countertops and Radon
By Andy @ 12:12 AM :: 148 Views :: 3 Comments :: :: All

Granite and other stones are a popular choice for countertops and other decorative features in homes.  Radon gas occurs naturally in the environment, and is a natural and minor constituent of many...

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Sunday, October 12, 2008
First Look: IceStone
By Andy @ 1:55 PM :: 314 Views :: 2 Comments :: :: All, Product Review, GREEN Zone

IceStone is made from 100% recycled glass and cement to make a highly durable, highly beautiful concrete surface. For countertops, floors, or wall coverings, IceStone's versatility of color, tint and finish offers exceptional design options, unparalled durability and sustainability.

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Sunday, October 05, 2008
First Look: EcoTop
By Andy @ 11:52 AM :: 360 Views :: 1 Comments :: :: All, Product Review, GREEN Zone

EcoTop is composed of a Forest Stewardship Council-certified 50/50 blend of bamboo fiber, a rapidly renewable resource, and recycled wood fiber salvaged from demolition sites.

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Friday, October 03, 2008
Cambria Radon Report
By Andy @ 1:41 AM :: 221 Views :: 1 Comments :: :: All, GREEN Zone

Cambria recently subjected their quartz material to test for radon gas emmission.

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Sunday, September 28, 2008
Concrete Counters...You May Be Surprised
By Andy @ 4:41 PM :: 400 Views :: 1 Comments :: :: All, Product Review, GREEN Zone

Concrete countertops are manufactured in two very different ways: cast in place and precast. Cast in place is similar to the types of concrete most of us are familiar with, such as...

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Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Buzzword: Radon
By Andy @ 12:30 AM :: 211 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: All

What it is. Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that results from the natural decay of uranium in soil and rock. The gas moves up from the ground and can diffuse into the air or enter a home, typically through cracks and...

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Wednesday, September 17, 2008
In Praise Of Higher Prices
By Andy @ 11:20 PM :: 268 Views :: 5 Comments :: :: All

The earlier years of my being a solid surface warranty agent closely led the years that the large home center stores were reinventing ways to work the kitchen market. They had advantages that other outlets couldn’t...

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Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Surface Fabrication& Design Expo - February 2009
By Andy @ 11:19 PM :: 141 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: All

Surface Fabrication & Design Expo 2009 to Host Concrete Countertop Industry Conference at the Orange County Convention Center,  February 19-21 , 2009

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Saturday, September 13, 2008
How-To: Rabbeting Solid Surface Edge
By Andy @ 7:56 PM :: 633 Views :: 2 Comments :: :: All, How-To

Solid surface edges are typically double stacked face to back to create the 1 1/2" edge height.  But there are times when you need a taller edge when the stack method is not the bet choice.

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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Tip of the Trade: Personal Vehicle Usage
By Andy @ 11:53 PM :: 177 Views :: 1 Comments :: :: All, Tips of the Trade

Do you have any employees that drive their own car while doing business for your company, even if it’s just an errand? If they’re involved in an accident in that situation...

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Monday, September 01, 2008
True Granite
By Andy @ 4:51 PM :: 501 Views :: 2 Comments :: :: All

As with so much in the natural stone industry, there is a fairly large amount of confusion regarding the actual geologic classification of most commercially available slab materials. The amount of misinformation is astounding and often quite discouraging for the average Sally and Joe Consumer trying to decide...

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Saturday, August 30, 2008
Product Review: Betterly Cove Router
By Andy @ 2:21 PM :: 519 Views :: 1 Comments :: :: All, Product Review, How-To

Betterly coving routers are an indespesible tool for the solid surface shop.  The cove router has been overhauled from its original design to be a powerful, well designed tool for any coving application.

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Friday, August 29, 2008
Tip of the Trade: Festool Hose Repair
By Andy @ 1:10 AM :: 281 Views :: 1 Comments :: :: All, Tips of the Trade

Do you have a problem keeping the cuff attached to the end of your Festool Vacuum hose? Although you can't merely screw it back on, there is a way to fix it.

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Saturday, August 23, 2008
Product Review: Betterly Stacc-Vac
By Andy @ 9:11 PM :: 404 Views :: 8 Comments :: :: All, Product Review

Back in April, Mr. Tom Stoffel, President of Betterly Tools, offered to send a Betterly Stacc-Vac Router Base to a fabricator for review. I took him up on his offer.

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Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Get Rid Of ‘Train Tracks’
By Andy @ 12:33 AM :: 210 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: All, Tips of the Trade

There are a number of challenges you may run into as a fabricator involving adhesives and seams. Many of them can be easily solved through double-checking manufacturer instructions and checking the adhesive for correct...

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Manage Your Sanding Process
By Andy @ 11:23 PM :: 232 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: All, Jon Olson

How to sand a solid surface top and what type of paper to use are probably the most controversial subjects in this industry. Every one seems to have an approach that works for...

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Sunday, August 17, 2008
Tip of the Trade - Stick It or Forget It
By Andy @ 1:38 AM :: 192 Views :: 1 Comments :: :: All, Tips of the Trade

Stickers are probably the last thing on your mind as a countertop fabricator.   Placed on the "Save Material" and the Trivet set, you can keep your customer prepared and your company name in front of satisfied customers.

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Wednesday, August 06, 2008
"Chips of the Trade"
By Andy @ 7:51 PM :: 332 Views :: 4 Comments :: :: All, Tips of the Trade

Using modern seaming clamps requires a certain amount of space to attach the device . But, when space is limited, such as when seaming a 3-in. piece of solid surface to an edge or economics do not afford the use of such a device, using “seam chips” is a good alternative that our shop continues to use.

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Wednesday, July 23, 2008
HOW-TO: Custom Inlay with Grout
By Andy @ 11:04 PM :: 379 Views :: 6 Comments :: :: All, How-To

Refresh Gene has created the ultimate, custom grout inlay in a solid surface countertop.  Not only is it unique, but this idea might just spark your interest to give something like this a try.

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Monday, July 14, 2008
Tip of the Trade - Plumbing Pan
By Andy @ 11:29 PM :: 233 Views :: 1 Comments :: :: All, Tips of the Trade

What to do with all the plumbing parts during the countertop removal?  A local fabricator clued me in a few years ago and this 25 cent item come in real handy.

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Friday, July 04, 2008
Can't Clamp It...Tape It
By Andy @ 1:23 AM :: 357 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: All, Tips of the Trade

Many times during the fabrication process, you will run into situations in which you can’t use a clamp to glue a piece of solid surface. Sometimes the clamps that you have are either too big, or...

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Friday, July 04, 2008
Press Release - Moraware Announces Version 2.4
By Andy @ 12:13 AM :: 208 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: All

Moraware announces availability of JobTracker v2.4 .  Scheduling and job management software Moraware JobTracker version 2.4 is available with new features that enable communication between more people...

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Thursday, July 03, 2008
Press Release - Used Stone Machinery.com
By Andy @ 11:37 PM :: 253 Views :: 1 Comments :: :: All

Park Industries, the largest manufacturer of stone working equipment in North America, recently launched a new website...

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Thursday, July 03, 2008
2008 Radon Study Released
By Andy @ 7:32 PM :: 247 Views :: 2 Comments :: :: All

The Marble Institute of America has announced the conclusion of a four-month study of thirteen of the most popular granites used for...

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Tuesday, July 0