When times get tough, turn to your kitchen.

It’s no secret that the real estate market has made life difficult for many of us in recent years. It can be frustrating when you’d really to be able to move but can’t, for whatever reason. Instead of living miserably until the market improves, many homeowners are instead choosing to invest their time and money in their current home to bring it closer to their ideal vision.

This can be a minor change, like perhaps painting your living space that sunny yellow you’ve always dreamed of, or as significant as adding an entirely new level. For something in between, Stone Holding suggests looking at the heart of the family home: the kitchen. You can make a very dramatic improvement in this part of your home that will impact how you feel about the entire space. Cabinetry, splashbacks, appliances and of course, countertops are each elements that can be remodeled with incredible effect.

Color is always the obvious place to start, and using a color wheel can help you frame your vision and make it harmonious with the rest of your decor. There’s a fabulous selection of resources on color and interior design here. It’s a great place to start.

Natural stone still the best.

If there was ever any doubt that natural stone is the preferred countertop material for kitchens and baths, a list of finalists in a nationwide competition for kitchen and bath designers and their choice of stone should put that to rest. Among the 30 projects selected as finalists for the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s “Art of the Industry” annual design competition, 80 percent, or 24 installations, included natural stone for countertops. The finalists were selected from more than 550 entries from across the United States.

Half of the 24 entries that used natural stone included granite countertops, while five used marble, three limestone and one each soapstone and onyx. Among the six non-natural stone projects, two picked wood and one each utilized engineered stone, solid surface and glass.

“These results again reinforce the inherent beauty, durability, functionality and safety of all types of natural stone in kitchen and bath environments. The fact that a majority of designers continue to make granite and other natural stones their first choice for kitchen and bath applications is extremely noteworthy,” said Gary Distelhorst, executive vice president of the Marble Institute of America. “We obviously commend the finalists for their selection of natural stone over other surface materials.”

Finalists in the NKBA competition were selected in 10 categories, including small, medium, large and open plan kitchens, small, medium and large bathrooms, powder rooms, showrooms and specialty rooms.

The NKBA praised the designers for their “inherent talent and practiced skill and with an appreciation reserved for fine art.” The winning designs will be announced at NKBA’s national kitchen and bath show in Chicago, April 16, 2010.

Story from the Marble Institute of America.

Let’s talk the truth about granite and radon.

Sometimes the truth just doesn’t make the headlines. The last couple of years have seen some pretty severe scaremongering in the media around the relationship between granite and radon. Along with the Marble Institute of America, Stone Holding sees it as our responsibility to inform consumers about the truth.

Studies repeatedly show granite countertops pose NO health risk: Repeated studies from respected scientists have come to the same conclusion: Radon emissions from granite countertops aren’t even close to posing a health risk. While it’s true that samples can vary and some samples can be more of a source of radiation than others – the highest emission rates ever reported in scientific literature result in concentrations that are hundreds of even thousands of times lower than the EPA’s guidelines.

All kitchen countertops create emissions. Virtually all countertop surfaces emit something, including chemicals, particles, radon and radiation. If the concentrations were high, they each could pose a health risk. But the fact is that all these emissions are tiny and all are diluted into household air. Think of it like painting a room. Paint emits chemicals that we can smell, and if we were to put our faces right up to the wall and breathe in a concentrated dose, it could be harmful. But those chemicals dilute in the air of a room. And the air in the room exchanges with air from other rooms, further diluting the emissions to where they pose no health risk to you or your family.

Radiation and radon are all around us. That’s a fact of life. Yes, it’s scary to watch someone on TV waving a Geiger counter over a granite countertop and hearing it click loudly. It’s scary, but it’s also meaningless.

-    First, you cannot measure radon with a Geiger counter. And, the EPA says radon measurements should be performed to test the overall air quality of an entire home or structure – not just one emission source.

-    Second, you may not realize that the same clicking happens if you point a Geiger counter at your smoke detectors, your television, your computer, a bowl of Brazil nuts or potatoes on your kitchen table, cinder block walls in your garage, or even a lot of the glazed pottery you may have in your living room.

The thing to keep in mind is that radon, like radiation, is all around us. Half the background radiation an average American gets every year comes from radon, which comes from the earth. The rest comes from the sun, food, medicine and other products. But this only becomes a health risk if our exposure is concentrated and prolonged – and that’s the part of the story that’s been missing.

If you’re concerned about radon in your home, the solution to radon is as simple as 1-2-3: It is very easy to get your home tested for radon concentrations. Several national companies, including AirChek, Inc. (www.radon.com), offer reliable test kits at low cost. Also, several specialists operate in cities across the country, who are able to check your home. Just make sure they follow EPA guidelines for testing, which require monitors to take readings over several days – even weeks, depending on the type of monitor. Do not allow anyone to tell you that a Geiger counter reading is a reliable measure of radon. If you opt to buy your own electronic monitor, the EPA says:

-    Install a radon detector in your home, following the manufacturer’s instructions

-    Make sure to regularly change the battery and

-    Ventilate your home if the detector finds radon at levels over 4 picocuries per liter.

The information in this post was compiled with the assistance of the Marble Institute of America.

You just spilled coffee on that new granite counter top. Now what?

After cursing and slapping yourself, what’s the next best course of action?

Well, for an organic substance like coffee or tea, Stone Holding recommends one of the MiraSeal products such as Mira Clean #1, Tile & Grout Cleaner, Liquid Poultice or alternatively try 35% Hydrogen Peroxide. Pour directly on the stain and then add a few drops of ammonia. Leave on until the bubbling stops.

For oil-based stains, we like MiraSeal Mira Clean # 1, Tile & Grout Cleaner, Liquid Poultice, Mira Strip, Bleach, Household Detergent, Ammonia or Mineral Spirits. Follow with a poultice of one of the following: Mineral Spirits, MiraSeal Mira Strip or Methyl Chloride.

Note that some chemicals necessary for stain removal will remove the finish on polished marble, limestone, terrazzo and travertine. As a result, repolishing with abrasives or polishing compounds may be necessary.

In general, granite needs minimal care. Clean it with a soft white cloth and a neutral cleaner or household detergent such as Dove. Household cleaning products including Windex, Lysol Disinfectant and 409 can be used, but may leave a film. A solution of vinegar and water (1:10 vinegar to water) works great to remove streaking, smudges, and body oil on granite.

Spills should be wiped up immediately. Blot the spill with a clean paper towel. If the countertop stains, a poultice may need to be applied. See the Stain Removal guidelines that follow. Use the flat side of a razor blade for removing stuck on tape residue, dried paint, glue, dried food, etc.

Use #0000 or finer steel wool to remove dried water spots, smudges, hazy areas, and for general cleaning to bring out the shine. Do not use the steel wool wet. Use a pencil eraser to remove aluminum trails.

Of course if you’ve really made a mess of things and want our expert opinion, feel free to call Stone Holding Company at 800-341-1540. We’re happy to help.

Arandis dark, one of our many exotic granites at Stone Holding Company.

Natural stone is never out of fashion.

Just ask Apartment Therapy, one of the web’s most popular sources for the latest trends in interior design. A post at the AT blog today extols the special beauty of pale marble, declaring it the natural choice for many diverse decor schemes in kitchens and bathrooms.

The man-made counter tops may have been getting some buzz lately as their manufacturers are trying to position them as the eco-friendly choice, however they are no more sustainable than natural stone because of the production process. In its natural form, stone is free of chemicals and comes from the most natural source there is – the earth. At the end of the day, there’s just no substitute for the real thing.

Silver Fantasy, available now at Stone Holding Company

Stone Holding’s slab of the day: Mascarello Granite.

Mascarello, one of our many exotic granites.

Stone Holding Company is known for providing fabricators, architects and designers with a selection of stunning natural stones that cannot be found elsewhere. We’re proud to source these truly unique pieces so that the homeowner can make their own vision come true.

This bold beauty hails from Brazil. With its dramatic streaks of gold, it would be an eye-catching countertop that would work with a variety of decor styles.

Granite has been used for centuries… just ask King Tut’s grandfather

An incredible 3000-year-old red granite head of Amenhotep III, the grandfather of Tutankhamun, was discovered in Luxor, according to Egypt’s Culture Minister.

Even after all these years, the piece is still smoothly polished and has been sculpted to show youthful features. The 2.5 meter high head was part of a statue of Amenhotep III in a standing position wearing the Upper Egyptian white crown.

Scientists conducting DNA tests and CT scans on a number of mummies have identified Amenhotep III as the grandfather of Tutakhamun, the teenage-king who was born of an incestuous marriage between Akhenaten and his sister, both the offspring of Amenhotep III.

Hello world!

At Stone Holding Company, we know that our customers expect to see natural stone that can’t be found anywhere else. We’ve built our name on our selection of exotic slabs, in unusual and hard to find colors and textures.

We’ve decided to join the world of blogging to help our customers even more, by providing up-to-date coverage on the latest trends we’re seeing in architecture and design and information on other issues as they arise.

Watch this space!