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K. SCHIPPER: Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest in hard surfaces industry news from Radio Stone Update.
00:32
According to the new Kitchen Countertops study from the Freedonia Group, demand for kitchen countertops in the U.S. is forecast to rise five percent per year to 662 million ft2 by 2026. The study anticipates the value of all those countertops will rise to $37.3 billion.
To support those numbers, the study cites consumer willingness to trade up to more expensive materials such as granite and engineered stone to improve home values. It also observes that trends are favoring larger kitchens with more counter space, including kitchen islands and bar-seating areas. Two other trends it sees are rising commercial building construction and the popularity of extended backsplashes in kitchen design.
Want more good news? The Freedonia Group says new housing construction and home remodeling began to normalize in 2022 following exceedingly high levels in 2021 – a trend it expects to also continue.
The study notes that last year engineered stone surpassed laminate to become the most-used kitchen countertop in the U.S., marking the first time in decades that laminate was not the most popular countertop material. That trend is also expected to continue with engineered stone accounting for 44 percent of kitchen countertop demand by 2026.
Driving that increase in engineered stone’s popularity is the rapid increase in low-cost slabs from foreign markets, particular India, Turkey, and Vietnam. While low-cost slabs have made engineered stone countertops more affordable for middle-class homeowners, consumers also continue to prefer their aesthetics and quality compared to laminates.
The study also sees the demand for porcelain slab kitchen countertops growing robustly. In fact, as it rises in popularity as an alternative to engineered stone and granite, porcelain slab is expected to become the fastest growing kitchen countertop material.
Copies of the Kitchen Countertops study from the Freedonia Group are available under individual license for $2,900, with a corporate license offered for $5,500. For more information, contact the Freedonia Group at www.freedoniagroup.com.
02:57
The end of the year always brings a flurry of activities, and while it isn’t as fun as the shop Christmas party, it is time to again open the awards and honors competitions for Coverings 2023. However, with a deadline of Dec. 16, don’t put it on the back burner.
Coverings is again seeking nominations for its Coverings Installation & Design Awards, also known as the CID Awards, as well as its Rock Stars, which recognize young leaders in the industry.
The CID Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in the design and installation of ceramic tile and stone in residential, institutional, and commercial projects. Submissions are judged on their levels of creativity, craftsmanship and outstanding use of materials in the project categories.
The competition is open to architects, designers, builders, contractors, distributors, retailers, installers and other professionals who demonstrate design and/or installation excellence in residential and commercial projects.
Projects must have been completed within the 2021 and 2022 calendar years, and they don’t have to be located inside North America. There’s no cost to enter, and electronic entries may be submitted at www.coverings.com/cid-awards/ by Dec. 16.
04:25
The Natural Stone Institute recently published industry wide documentation used for environmental and health overviews. The institute now offers ISO Type III environmental declarations, also called environmental product declarations or EPDs, in three types of stone applications: cladding, flooring/paving and countertops.
Also published are 13 Health Product Declarations or HPDs for natural stone found in 15 MasterFormat® classifications.
An EPD is an independently verified and registered document that outlines environmental information on product lifecycles to enable comparisons between similar materials and defines the environmental impacts throughout the entire life cycle.
HPDs provide design teams and owners detailed information on material ingredients and potential health impacts.
Natural Stone Institute Marketing Director Sarah B. Gregg says, “The EPDs and life cycle analysis reports will help natural stone be recognized as a lower-carbon building material.”
Polycor was one of 18 NSI members who participated by contributing product lifecycle data, and its director of environment and sustainability, Ralph Morgan, says, “We now have independent data to show how using natural stone in projects can provide lower embodied carbon options, providing the building community with the information they want and need.”
All 18 companies who participated in contributing product lifecycle data can now use the EPDs to represent their products for green building projects.
NSI selected Sustainable Minds® LLC of Cambridge, Mass., as the EPD program operator because of the company’s innovative services. All life cycle data included in the reports is third-party verified by Ecoform LLC of Knoxville, Tenn. All NSI members can use the HPDs to represent their products.
06:28
A word from Quantra.
07:41
EMERSON SCHWARTZKOPF: This is Emerson Schwartzkopf. Sustainability and carbon-footprint reduction are nice buzzwords to toss around today, but it’s serious business for several hard-surface producers.
For the past few years, Cosentino Group outlined company plans in annual sustainability reports. I recently talked with Valentin Tijeras, global director of product and R&D for Cosentino, about the company’s 2021 report to get more details on environmental efforts – such as the conservation of excess heat from the ovens used to produce its Dekton® product:
VALENTIN TIJARES: The price of natural gas here in Europe, it’s been crazy. We used to pay like $30 a megawatt hour last year, and this number is now around $250. So imagine it’s eight times more expensive than it used to be. For us, it’s critical that we reduce the consuming of gas. We are using co-generation techniques to take the excess heat that we have in the ovens conducted to our atomizers and our line machines. So we don’t need to use new energy, but keep what’s produced there.
And also we are investing a lot in making our ovens more-efficient. So in 2021, we reduced the energy consumed in our ovens by 6.1%. And in 2022, we have reduced by 8.5%.
SCHWARTZKOPF: You can hear the full conversation by going to www.stoneupdate.com. Look for the news article: A Conversation on Sustainability with Valentin Tijares.
09:20
SCHIPPER: It’s moving week for the National Kitchen & Bath Association – the NKBA – which opened its new national headquarters in Bethlehem, Pa., on Nov. 8.
The owners of the National Kitchen and Bath Industry Show – KBIS – made the move from Hackettstown, N.J., mainly to provide what NKBA CEO Bill Darcy calls, “An exceptional work environment for our employees.”
Darcy adds that, “We needed to change how and where we operate to fix the work and technology paradigm.”
The NKBA considered a number of wellness components in the design of its new headquarters, and sealed the deal with a “Carry the Keys” cycling initiative that saw an industry group making a bicycle trek from Hackettstown to Bethlehem to ceremoniously transfer the headquarters, which is located at 1 West Broad Street in Bethlehem.
In other news around the industry…
10:22
The Natural Stone Institute has provided natural stone and fabrication services for its 45th home with the Gary Sinise Foundation through its Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment – or RISE – program. The program builds 100 percent mortgage-free specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans and first responders.
While serving with the U. S. Army outside Kandahar, Afghanistan, in January 2010, Captain Derick Carver and his unit were caught in an ambush, and Carver suffered multiple injuries, including the loss of most of his right thigh, damage to multiple fingers, and the amputation of his left leg. The attack resulted in PTSD and reoccurring complications.
During 13 months of recovery, Carver underwent almost 50 surgeries. However, he chose to remain with the army, and assumed a role with the 4th Ranger Training Battalion where he became known as the One-legged Ranger Instructor. Since retiring from the Army in 2012, Carver has stayed active competing in Cross Fit competitions, winning the U.S. and World’s Strongest Disabled Man in 2017.
Natural stone and fabrication for Carver’s RISE home were provided by Arizona Tile, Alpha Granite, and Salado. Companies interested in getting involved with future projects are asked to email rise@naturalstoneinstitute.org.
11:51
Three companies have joined the Leadership Society of the Natural Stone Foundation at the Gold level, an honor given to companies and individuals who have donated between $20,000 and $49,999 to the foundation, which is the philanthropic arm of the Natural Stone Institute.
Alpha Professional Tools has been a member of the NSI since 1988, and that company’s Mindy Wessel says the two organizations share a similar philosophy of supporting and preserving the stone industry.
Precision Stone’s Jonathan Tibett says his company is proud to support an organization that brings a level of professionalism and leadership to the industry that is critical for its sustainability and continued growth.
And, TAB’s Amit Gupta says, “An organization that works tirelessly on behalf of the natural stone industry worldwide must be supported.”
To learn more about the Foundation, view a full list of donors and learn how you can make a donation, go to www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/foundation.
13:00
And, MAPEI Corporation announces its sustainability manager, Brittany Storm, has been selected to the 2023 class of LEED Fellows by the U.S. Green Building Council and Green Business Certification Inc. The GBCI is the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green business-industry performance and practice globally.
Twenty professionals from around the world are being recognized for their mastery of LEED and advancing green building practices. To be eligible, a nominee must have held a LEED AP with a specialty credential for a minimum of eight years and must also demonstrate at least 10 years of exceptional impact with LEED.
Remember, to keep track of what’s going on with material imports, look for our monthly online publication Hard Surface Report. For notes and a transcript of this podcast, go to www.radiostoneupdate.com.
For Radio Stone Update, I’m K. Schipper and we’ll see you here again soon.
