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Bear Creek Bronze produces solid cast metal tile, cabinet hardware, switch/outlet covers, address items and even customs.

Proudly made in America their decorative tile collection is available in 5 distinctive metals; Bronze, Copper, White Bronze, Yellow Brass, and Aluminum. They also offer 4 different hand worked finishes; Burnished, Polished, Brushed, and Oil Rubbed Bronze. With currently 39 unique tile designs they offer well over 600 different styles to choose from. They also specialize in having the custom capability of reproducing virtually anything from corporate logos to original designs in all of their metals and finishes.

Their foundry has been in business since 1921, producing the finest sand castings in the industry. At the turn of the century, a desire within the company emerged to shift the focus from manufacturing components solely for industrial markets, to designing and casting decorative embellishments for residential and commercial applications. Thus the Bear Creek Bronze product line was created.

Bear Creek Bronze is a family business located in historic Independence, Missouri. They are very proud of our family oriented environment. Being a family business, they see to it that every customer has a pleasant experience in dealing with them no matter what it takes.

It’s a little-known secret that all of their products are handmade using only the finest alloys that contain no less than 95% recycled material. Since all of their products are fully renewable and recyclable, they can be reclaimed and re-melted into other castings at anytime.

Reader question:

I have laminate floors in my home, but have a problem cleaning them. I have used many products and now have a film all over them. I need to remove the film and clean the floors. What can I do?

Answer:

The first thing I would do is call the flooring store where you purchased your laminate flooring or the manufacturer and let them know what your problem is and see what their recommended solution is. This will help in the case that you end up having a warranty issue or causing any further problem.

There are many variables that could cause a film on your laminate floor. Using multiple cleaners and too much cleaner are certainly two of them. However, I have heard that Swiffer products leave a film on laminate floors. I have also heard of vinegar reacting with urethane where it was able to penetrate via surface scratches in the finish. Some people have been able to remove the film by cleaning with water only and no cleaner. This removes excess cleaner. Others have tried a very small amount of dishwashing detergent, being sure to rinse thoroughly without saturating the floors with water. This may take some scrubbing and elbow grease to remove. It is always best to test cleaners in an inconspicuous area first.

If you are able to get the film removed, the best thing to do moving forward is to use the manufacturers recommended cleaning products and follow the instructions directly.

For more information on how to maintain laminate floors, click here.

Q&A regarding stone and sustainability

by John Mattke, Chairman,

Natural Stone Council (NSC) Sustainability Committee

What are some questions I might expect from architects and designers about natural stone’s sustainability?

This is an important question and underscores the importance of substantiated sustainability. The design community is highly informed and can discern fact from fiction. Some of the questions you might expect include:

• Where is the source of the material?
• Where is the stone processed or fabricated?
• What is the Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the product (in comparison with other competing products like concrete, brick, etc.) based on application/usage e.g., cladding, flooring?
• What is the life-cycle cost?
• Are there any chemicals or components on the final product?
• What is the VOC content?
• What process does the manufacturer have in place for waste reduction and recycling?
• How is the waste that is not re-used handled?
• What is the post-consumer recycled content? Post-industrial recycled content?
• What is the total energy consumed from cradle-to-gate (from extraction through processing)?
• What company programs are in place to reduce energy consumption and/or greenhouse gas emissions?
• Does any program exist to reuse or reclaim stone at the end of its lifetime?
• Are there any other initiatives to minimize the environmental impacts associated with natural stone from its extraction to its disposal?
• What steps has your company taken towards becoming socially (planned leadership, employee, community programs) and environmentally sustainable?

A good reference for where we believe the green movement is headed is Cascadia’s Living Building Challenge — www.cascadiagbc.org/lbc/resources1/materialsqnaire/building%20materials%20questionnaire. This not only asks questions about the material, but it also gets into your company’s social and environmental initiatives. Ultimately, that is how we believe companies will be evaluated in the future — the triple bottom line.

What are some ways you’ve implemented sustainable practices at Cold Spring Granite Co.?

We have done our best to be ahead of the curve. We began implementing lean practices in the late 1990s. Recently, we completed consolidation of several of our operations, which has reduced transportation costs, eliminated waste, updated/modernized stone processing, optimized energy efficiency and reduced water usage. We’ve seen an increase in energy efficiency by modernizing our equipment, and we’re proud that our water reclamation facility processes and re-uses over 95% of industrial water. Even our new headquarters building is LEED registered, pending certification. And it has all paid dividends. When visiting our facilities, architects and designers have frequently made comments about the approach we are taking. The truth of the matter is that we have been environmentally focused for a long time. My involvement in the NSC, and specifically as the chair of the sustainability committee, inspired me to form a sustainability committee within Cold Spring Granite Co. and take that commitment to another level.

What are the NSC’s plans for 2009?

We will continue to build our library of research-based documents and share them with the industry, including a comparative evaluation (Life-Cycle Assessment) of stone products versus other products in selected product classes to substantiate the benefits of stone in the marketplace. The NSC will be working to educate the industry and design community about the sustainability of Genuine Stone. The University of Tennessee will be presenting at the National AIA Convention in San Francisco this spring — using our industry as their case study for sustainability. We will also begin a road mapping process to chart key opportunities and challenges facing the natural stone industry in the immediate future with respect to sustainability. We want to stress that the success of the road map process relies on the active involvement of professionals and companies throughout our industry. If you would like to participate, or would simply like more details about the process as they become available, please contact us by phone, through the Genuine Stone Web site at www.GenuineStone.com, or notify Amanda McKenna at the University of Tennessee via e-mail at AMcKenna@utk.edu.

I’m on board in theory, but what can I personally do to help move the sustainability agenda forward?

Get in the game. Get involved. Take advantage of educational opportunities. Visit the Genuine Stone Web site and read the research documents housed there. Share them with your colleagues and customers. Join us in the road mapping process. Take a hard look at your company’s sustainability practices, and make improvements wherever you can. Engage in conversation with others in the industry — at industry meetings or conferences, by phone or even E-mail. We are all in this together. Keep in mind the environmental slogan, “Think globally. Act locally.” It certainly fits.

If you’d like to learn more about the NSC and their sustainability efforts, please visit www.GenuineStone.com, or contact John Mattke at 320-685-3621 or jmattke@coldspringgranite.com.

Source: Stone World Fabricator E News by Stone World Magazine

 Q&A regarding stone and sustainability

by John Mattke, Chairman, Natural Stone Council (NSC) Sustainability Committee

What exactly is LEED?

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) — the nation’s leading coalition on sustainable building — established the LEED® Green Building Rating System^TM. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) is a third-party certification program and a benchmark for the design, construction and operation of green buildings.  

LEED is the most widely used rating system for green building. This system defines standards for environmentally responsible, healthier and more profitable structures, and it awards points to new construction and major renovation projects in five categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality.

Is LEED certification more trouble than it’s worth?

Some believe the costs to file and become certified is cumbersome; however, the LEED guidelines have become the norm for green design standards or architects even for projects that do not seek certification. The actual LEED certification process helps gauge the level of authenticity. It’s a broadly accepted standard, and there is substance behind the claims. There are over 14,400 registered projects, and the number of certified projects is almost 2,000. LEED certification continues to grow exponentially since its inception. Many projects report cost savings (within three to five years) that offset the additional cost to become certified.

Do you think green building will become standard practice?

It really already has become the norm. With such an increased interest in protecting the environment, we rarely hear of design and construction projects that don’t have sustainable elements incorporated in them. Honestly, it isn’t an option to discard the green movement. Green building is in everyone’s best interests, including Genuine Stone. In fact, there are talks underway to globalize green building practices. LEED has been implemented in India and the United Arab Emirates. The United Kingdom has its own version — BREEAM — which is gaining acceptance across Europe. Green building is here to stay, and the stone industry should serve as part of the foundation.

Source: Stone World Fabricator E News by Stone World Magazine

Q&A regarding stone and sustainability

by John Mattke, Chairman, Natural Stone Council (NSC) Sustainability Committee

What do the NSC’s sustainability efforts mean to individual businesses?

As you are probably aware, we undertook a very large survey initiative in partnership with the University of Tennessee’s Center for Clean Products. The data we collected from individual businesses forms the foundation for establishing the baseline environmental footprint of the stone industry. By offering the facts about natural stone and environmental considerations, we hope to increase market demand, improve the perceptions about our companies and our industry and challenge our competitors with solid information.

Right now, as you read this, the design community is making product selection decisions and comparisons based on environmental and life-cycle impacts. There are many other industries such as carpet, concrete and wood that are already prepared to respond to the market with this information. We need to make sure that genuine stone is adequately represented.

Finally, the NSC’s sustainability efforts should help to educate the industry about the growing trend toward social responsibility and the importance of what we call the “triple bottom line,” which refers to key selection criteria — including financial, social and environmental measures.

What is the NSC doing with all of the surveys they collected earlier this year?

Since the University of Tennessee has received and analyzed all of the data collected earlier this year, they have started to produce several sets of information — life-cycle datasets, best practices, case studies and material fact sheets. If you haven’t been to www.GenuineStone.com lately to see all of the documents there, you should do that today. Anyone can access this information and each new piece as it is published.

Life-cycle datasets: To accurately assess the environmental profile of natural stone products, impacts over the entire life cycle of these products must be identified. Information characterizing stone fabrication was amassed through a rigorous survey of the industry, and life-cycle datasets have been established for granite, limestone and sandstone quarrying and processing operations. The datasets can be accessed through www.GenuineStone.com and downloaded from the University of Tennessee Center for Clean Products’ Web site.

Version two, which is projected to include additional sandstone data, a marble dataset, and begin to add specific transportation data, is currently in development.

Best practices: The NSC is committed to supporting sustainable initiatives and innovations at all levels of the production of Genuine Stone® products. As such, best practices of the industry have been identified, and these guidance documents were created to provide assistance in implementing environmentally-preferable operations.

• Best Practice: Water Consumption, Treatment, and Reuse”
• Best Practice: Site Maintenance and Quarry Closure (published November 2008)

Case Studies — Genuine Stone products inherently have some environmentally preferable characteristics. The case studies highlight these positive attributes of stone and its application as a green building product.

• Case Study: Application of Green Building Certification Programs to Natural Stone
• Case Study: Longevity of Stone Flooring and Associated Human Health and Environmental Impacts (published October 2008)

Material Fact Sheets — Designers are more frequently being asked to identify green building materials, but they do not always have the needed information. Using the life-cycle data, material fact sheets describing several stone types are being generated to provide useful information in this selection process, among other information. The one-page (double-sided) documents will summarize the current market for stone, regions of deposits worldwide, physical properties and  applicable ASTM standards, as well as environmental data and human health considerations. Currently, we have fact sheets for granite, limestone, marble and sandstone.

Again, all of these documents and an overview of our current and future activity can be accessed right now at www.GenuineStone.com.

In these tough economic times, how will sustainability impact my bottom line?

With regard to sustainability, you are either in the game or you’re sitting on the sidelines. If you’re not on board with sustainable practices, you will surely see a negative impact on your bottom line because your competitors get it. I firmly believe that to be in the game going forward, we will all need to be involved, well-versed in the sustainability performance of our companies and working to improve the overall environmental footprint of our industry. If people believe that sustainability is a fad, they are mistaken.

Source: Stone World Fabricator E News by Stone World Magazine

Q&A regarding stone and sustainability

by John Mattke, Chairman,

Natural Stone Council (NSC) Sustainability Committee

I’m hearing a lot about “green.” What does it mean in terms of natural stone?

“Green” is a buzzword associated with everything and anything that’s supposedly better for our environment. There is little disagreement that stone, in and of itself, is a natural material. It is, after all a natural element of the Earth, even in its final form. However, green refers to more than the natural stone material and its many characteristics that enhance its environmental profile (natural material, durable, recyclable, reusable, etc.). Green also encompasses the environmental performance of the companies that produce it — in our case, the stone industry itself. We are viewed by buyers (businesses, consumers) based on the choices we make to lessen the impact on the environment. Current perceptions of the stone industry include a dirty, unsophisticated operating environment, high energy consumption, high water consumption and high waste factors. It is our challenge to help our industry address these perceptions with hard data in a proactive way.

Isn’t “green” just marketing lingo?

Absolutely not. Green has become a concern of customers in all sectors, particularly in light of growing global concern about climate change. Unfortunately, as green marketing has grown, so has the confusion as to which products are really the best choices when it comes to sustainability and the environment. Statements or claims need to be genuine and substantiated by true science versus “green washing,” a term that refers to claims or statements made by companies and industries that are not supported by facts. The NSC is committed to providing the research and promotional support necessary to help those of us in the natural stone industry substantiate our claims about natural stone as a green product.

More Q&A tomorrow on stone and sustainability!

Source: Stone World Fabricator E News by Stone World Magazine

PORTLAND, Ore. (April 11, 2008) – ANN SACKS, premier manufacturer and distributor of luxury tile, stone and plumbing products, introduced Gallery, an extraordinary handcrafted ceramic art tile, at the 2008 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in Chicago. Employing relief techniques and multi-colored glazes to achieve expressive works of art, Gallery is a modern representation based in age-old craftsmanship.

Each of the stunning, graphic patterns that comprise the Gallery collection is rendered from pressing tiles into hand-carved original molds or from lengths of clay rolled flat and then cut into shapes. After drying, the tiles are fired and then individually hand-painted in a wealth of colors before being fired again to bring the soft hues and brilliant shades to life.

Gallery can transform any space – from backsplashes and shower accents to walls, fireplace surrounds, and decorative stair raisers – with artful relief. Offered in a variety of sizes and decorative patterns, Gallery is ideal for indoor applications, but can also be used in outdoor designs where moderate climates are enjoyed and freeze-thaw factors are not an issue.

Founded in 1981, ANN SACKS has built its reputation with inspiring designs in tile, stone, plumbing, lighting and accessories. Based in Portland, Ore., the company is a division of the Kohler Co. Interiors Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kohler Co., that includes Baker Knapp & Tubbs, Inc., Baker furniture, Baker Knapp & Tubbs Showrooms and Baker Stores, Kallista plumbing and McGuire Furniture Company.

Founded in 1873 and headquartered in Kohler, Wis., Kohler Co. is one of America’s oldest and largest privately held companies. Kohler is a global leader in the manufacture of kitchen and bath products, engines and power generation systems, cabinetry, tile and home interiors, and international host to award-winning hospitality and world-class golf destinations.

Before you can appreciate the beauty of natural stone it is important to know where it comes from and how its made. Natural stone began forming millions of years ago, deep beneath the surface of the earth. Huge blocks of stone are created from millions of years of heat and pressure. As the earth’s crust began to grow and erode, it pushed minerals up from its core, forming massive rock deposits, which we refer to as “quarries”.  At the quarry, these large blocks are cut out of the earth and taken to a separate place where they are turned into slabs.

Different natural stones are formed by different methods. These different methods cause the many different looks of natural stone like granite, marble, travertine and slate. Below are some important terms that help understand how each rock is formed:

Natural stone can be grouped into three classes.

Igneous rock is formed when molten rock (called lava or magma) cools and hardens. Granite is an example of an igneous rock.

Sedimentary rock is formed from deposits that have undergone consolidation and crystallization. Limestone and sandstone fall into this category.

Metamorphic rock is created when other kinds of rocks are changed by great heat and pressure inside the earth. Marble, slate and quartzite are examples of metamorphic rocks.

Here are the names and definitions of some of the more popular natural stones:

Granite is an igneous stone that is extremely hard, dense and resistant to scratches and acid etching. It is an ideal stone for use in flooring and in food preparation areas. Hundreds of varieties of granite exist.

Sandstone is a sedimentary stone that is primarily composed of loose grains of quartz sand that are rough in texture. A number of varieties are available.

Limestone is another sedimentary stone, it’s formed from calcite and sediment and comes in many earthen colors.

Marble is a derivative of limestone. It is a metamorphic stone that can be polished. Marble is characteristically soft and easily scratched or etched by acids. There are countless types of marble from around the world.

Travertine is a crystallized, partially metamorphosed limestone, which because of its structure, can be filled and honed and is dense enough to be a type of marble.

Slate is a metamorphic stone that has a sheet-like structure. It is composed of clay, quartz and shale, and comes in a multitude of colors including reds and greens.

All of these formative processes give natural stone the characteristic that we call range. Range is the spectrum of color and variation of color in each piece of natural stone. This is what gives natural stone its artistic qualities and value. The value lies in each piece due to the fact that no two pieces of natural stone will ever look the same. The millions of years that it took to form each piece ensure this.

When shopping for natural stone, some people ask for each piece to look uniform. This is impossible. If you want a natural stone that does not have a lot of range you do have options, but each piece, if examined closely, will have its own unique stamp from mother nature.

Embrace the beauty of natural stone and don’t be afraid of range! The more range a stone has the more unique it is to you and your home. Why not have the most unique piece of stone you can find to set yourself apart?

Many people wonder if laminate flooring is right for their lifestyle and if it is a quality product. Laminate flooring has gotten a bad reputation from products in the past, but it has come a long way since introduced to the US around a decade ago to be a durable, beautiful, quality product.

Laminate floors used to have a plastic look that made them easy to identify. Now, the technology of laminate flooring has come so far that it can be difficult to tell laminate flooring from the real thing.

Laminate flooring has the look and (now) the feel of real hardwood, tile or natural stone. Often laminate flooring provides advantages that “the real thing” cannot offer. For example, laminate can withstand water and moisture better than hardwood. It can also withstand pets and  scratches better than some species of hardwood. Laminate is not as hard as tile or natural stone and items that are dropped have a better chance of survival when dropped on a laminate floor rather than a tile or natural stone floor. The same goes for households with children. If a child falls on a laminate floor, they are less likely to get hurt on a laminate floor than a tile or natural stone floor. Laminate flooring also is resistant to sunlight fading and staining unlike hardwood flooring.

Another advantage to laminate flooring is the cost. Laminate flooring can be significantly less expensive than real hardwood, tile or natural stone.

There are many different styles of laminate for any design scheme or lifestlye.  Wood looks such as beech, oak, cherry, walnut, maple and others are available in laminate. Natural stone such as slate, travertine and marble looks are available in laminate flooring. Colors from the entire spectrum are represented so you should have no trouble finding a laminate floor that’s right for you.

If you are installing a laminate floor yourself, you will find that it is one of the most simple floors to install and maintain. For laminate maintenance tips, click here.

For more information on laminate and why it may be right for you, click here.