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The Countertop Industry Insider
Best of 2013 Special Edition
  
Your source for the best information for the countertop industry | www.CountertopResource.com
Special Edition - Best of 2013
Chosen By You  
The dust has settled and the clicks have been tallied, and what you will find here are the top items of 2013, based on what you, the countertop industry, showed interest in.

Because CountertopResource.com is a Web-based informational outlet, we are able to keep a pretty good handle on what the industry is looking at on our website and in each issue of The Countertop Industry Insider. So, we thought it would be interesting to go back and take a look at what you clicked on most in 2013. 

You may be saying, "Why rehash what you've already given us," and for those that are, we just thought it might be nice to revisit the big news of the year. Also, if you missed any of these great articles or new products, here is your second chance to check them out.

However, if you are still saying to yourself "I've already seen all of this..." don't fear. We will still be putting out our regular issue of The Countertop Industry Insider later in the month, so you can get your dose of the latest and greatest.

But, please feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think. I can always be reached directly at 
info@countertopresource.com.
 
Sincerely,
 
Brian Jones, Editor
Soapstone: 'Original' Stone Countertops Get Hotter With Designers

This article gives an overall look at soapstone, examining the history, properties, uses, care and fabrication of it in the countertop industry and was the most read article of the year... Read the full story here 

  

Traditional Job Descriptions Don't Attract Top Talent: Define Success for Qualified Candidates

This article, which ranked at No. 2, explains how a big mistake in hiring is using traditional job descriptions and how to overcome the problem... Read the full story here 

 

Fabricator Profile: Oldcastle Surfaces - One of the Largest Fabricators in North America Explains its Growth Strategy

Among all of the Fabricator Profiles we ran in 2013, this one was the most popular. It featured Oldcastle Surfaces, which is based in Atlanta but has six regional locations, and the vice president of the company's insight on its success... Read the full story here 

Biggest News of 2013
Masco New Jersey Countertop Facility Closes

Although announced in October of 2012 and actually closed in November of last year, this bit of downturn news continued to draw attention all through 2013. ..Read  more  here 

This more recent news about the awaited debut of Cosentino's new Dekton product hit a home run with readers, making it the second biggest news item of the year. It explains the development of this new surfacing product category and the work that went behind it...Read More Here 

Duties Levied Against Chinese Drawn Stainless Steel Sinks

This bit of news about two anti-dumping decisions by the U.S. Commerce Department was actually released in 2012. However, we didn't really start to see the effects until this early year when the inventory of Chinese-manufactured stainless steel sinks started to deplete and prices rose. It continued to draw interest all throughough 2013... Read more here 

Another bit of recent news, was Caesarstone's announcement it had selected Richmond Hill, Ga., (outside Savannah) as the location for its first quartz surfacing plant in the United States. This is the first plant the company has built outside of its home country of Israel, and it is said to be an investment of $100 million...Read More Here 

Formica celebrated 100 years in the countertop and surfacing industry this year, and added a dozen anniversary colors in honor of the occasion. The industry seemed to celebrate right along with the company, showing high interest in this bit of news, making it the fifth most popular news item...Read More Here 

Most Popular Products of 2013
The product that peaked the most interest in 2013 was Park Industries' introduction of its new FOCUS CNC Saw. The saw is fully digital and is designed for easy programming via the company's exclusive Quick Cut programming system...Read more here
DuPont introduced nine new colors of solid surface and three new colors of quartz surfacing as 2013 additions to the product lines that raised a few eyebrows...Read more here
Heated Stone Products offers the FeelsWarm Technology, a natural stone countertop heating system that uses ultra�-thin heating elements that take the chill out of natural stone. Designed specifically for countertops, the system gently raises the temperature of the stone 20 to 25 degrees F, and this item drew enough attention to put it in the No. 3 slot on our Top 5 Products list...Read more here
EcoTec Solid Surfaces are a unique new surfacing option we posted about in 2013. The material combines color with the durability of urethane to make a decorative and durable surface material. The material is made of a soy-based urethane and developed with a United Soy Board grant...Read more here
Suited for use in tight applications with less than one inch of installation depth, Outwater's 1/16-in.-thick Tri-Mod LED Backlighting Panels are made to uniformly backlight surfaces such as onyx or translucent solid surfaces. They got enough attention to make them the No. 5 product on the list for 2013 ...Read more here
Sponsored By

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In This Issue
Website Quick Links
Top 5 Videos of 2013
Countertop-Related Videos
We are always on the lookout for good videos posted to the Web that might interest you. Here are the Top 5 most popular videos from 2013:
  1. Large Granite Repair Demonstration 
  2. How Quartz Surfacing is Made Using the Breton Process 
  3. Tips for Bending Laminate Around Radius Edges
  4. How Laminate is Made - Wilsonart Process
  5. Granite Countertops Gone Bad
Most Popular Blog Entries of 2013

A Matter of Opinion

A variety of opinions were shared this year, some better received than others. Here are the Top 3 Blog Entries in 2013: 


1. Nano-Crystallized Glass: What Are Your Thoughts?
This look at a relatively new surfacing product drew a lot of attention, perhaps because there isn't a lot of information available on the subject. Here is our research....Read the blog entry here 

 

2. Does 'Natural' Really Matter?
This short opinion piece delves into the old discussion of "natural" and changes the debate from "what is natural" to "does natural really matter"....Read the blog entry here 

 

3. Great Informational Outlet for Concrete Countertops
This blog entry simply examines a good source for information on concrete countertops, with detailed breakdowns of what is available....Read the blog entry here 

 

The industry isn't short on opinions, and the Countertop Blog offers some of its own, along with insights into interesting articles, videos, surveys, guest blogs and more. Check out the blog here 

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Have a Cool Project, Tip or Other Information to Share? 
Drop us a line with photos and information on a project you've done, a repair you've made, a tip on a particular problem you've faced or other useful information and we will publish it! Plus we will include a link back to your website so you get the full credit, positive exposure and additional traffic to your website, which is invaluable in the digital age. 
Advertisement
Stone & Tile Pros issued a new reference manual - the Dimension Stone and Tile Field Guide: Failures Troubleshooting, Investigation and Analysis, recommended for anyone that works with stone or tile. The guide arms the reader with the tools and information to diagnose failures, including essential forensic testing procedures, charts and illustrations and an exhaustive glossary of terms...Read more here
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