Marble Works

Scott Dean's "Feeling Home"

2011-12-21T07:40:00.003-06:00

Scott Dean is a designer from the Des Moines area. Today I want to share his recent blog post. You can go to the web address at the end to see the entire post.

It’s not your grandmothers bathroom sink. Cultured marble has come a long way from the plastic look with a shell shaped sink and sparkly gold flexes. While we think of it as a ‘fake’ product it really has come along way with actual granite aggregate, shells, and recycled glass. If you have not seen some of the new things that are now being produced in Cultured marble, you need to take a look at what Toby Tyler from Marble Works in Carlisle is cooking up...

http://scottscreativehome.com/?page_id=14

Cultured Marble Showers

2011-11-25T16:23:00.000-06:00

Alternatives to Granite Countertops

2011-11-17T06:34:00.002-06:00

Dr. Oz's take on granite countertops

2011-09-19T16:25:00.003-05:00

Marble Works creates several granite alternatives that are heat resistant, stain resistant, repairable, and don't require ongoing maintenance. Granite is often times the default thinking for your countertop surface but the more you know the less you'll like about granite in your home. Besides the fact that granite is porous and requires ongoing maintenance to prevent stains and mildew growth, Dr. Oz tells us another unadvertised reason to not use granite in your home. You can see his whole article at http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/your-home-toxic-waste-dump. Here is an excerpt...

Toxic Trouble Spot: Granite Countertops
Granite, a popular rock used to fabricate kitchen countertops, emits radon, a naturally occurring gas that has radioactive properties. Radon is the second most common cause of lung cancer after smoking. Experts recommend you test your granite countertops and at your home's foundation level to see how much radon is being emitted. Testing only on the countertop could provide a false sense of security since radon gas tends to accumulate at floor level.

New TV Commercial

2011-05-16T16:34:00.001-05:00

Check out our new Travina Glass commercial:

Travina and Genesis Engineered Composties

2010-08-10T14:31:00.005-05:00

The following is an excerpt from Incurably Creative's blog post on August 1, 2010. His blogs are posted at wordpress.com.

There are two reasons these products will attract attention; the first is that they hit hard on that recycling idea, something that all of us should be thinking about everyday. The second is that they are both state of the art beautiful products. One of them is created from pulverized oyster shells and beach sand, oyster shells that would normally be tossed into landfills after they have been harvested for food. They are crushed into a small aggregate and are mixed with polymers/binding agents and poured into molds of different sizes virtually eliminating waste. The recycled content makes up 70 – 80% of the finished product. They can be used in bathrooms of any size as well as kitchens. This product is called Travina. Every time the mix is poured into a mold it is slightly different from the last one making them as unique as fingerprints. The second product is created from 100% recycled glass. There are several recycled glass counter top products already on the market. These other recycled glass products are made into slabs the way you would see natural granite. Depending on the configuration of your kitchen there can be significant waste involved driving the installed price per foot up significantly. This recycled glass product that I refer to is also pulverized so it can be poured into a mold again virtually eliminating waste. The pulverized glass itself can be custom dyed to create a truly one of a kind look. Oh yeah the price. Lets just say it will be priced at a point that will allow it to fit into large number of budgets.

Anytime we can create finished products from recycled material all of us win. With these products we get three “unadvertised specials”; products that generate negligible waste and products that are one of a kind in color and unlimited use capabilities.

It makes my tail wag a thousand miles an hour when I hear about entrepreneurs thinking outside the box, taking materials destined for landfills and creating truly beautiful unique products that are very competitively priced.

Why choose cultured marble?

2010-01-21T07:28:00.003-06:00

Cultured marble is a great choice for your new bathroom countertop, walk-in shower, tub surround or even a bathtub. Cultured marble is made with natural marble that has been ground up into a dust. This dust is then mixed with a resin and cast into a mold. The mold has a clear gel coat sprayed onto it that attaches itself to the marble matrix. All of this to say that the marble comes out of the mold with a very durable coating on it that is impervious to water, mildew, or staining. This manufacturing process gives it a much more consistent strength when compared to a natural stone and also eliminates the need for any sealing.

Cultured marble is also less expensive than natural stone, tile or solid surface products such as Corian. Shower walls can be cast in large sizes eliminating the problematic grout lines of a tile shower. Pigments can be added to create virtually any color. Veining is a common part of the manufacturing process that can be a soft, subtle look or a loud, bold accent.

In short, cultured marble is a very low maintenece product that is strong, durable, beautiful and affordable!

Walk in Tubs

2010-01-06T17:38:00.001-06:00

We will be displaying our new line of walk in bath tubs at the Home and Garden Show this February at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines.

New countertop colors

2010-01-06T17:00:00.000-06:00

We're pretty excited about our new colors coming in the next few weeks. The fillers are made with 90% post-consumer waste! Some of the other colors are made with walnut shells and corn cobs!