Radio Stone Update is presented on the first and third Wednesdays every month at 9 a.m. everywhere on Earth with the latest news and insights in hard surfaces. Check our archives at www.radiostoneupdate.com.
Radio Stone Update is presented on the first and third Wednesdays every month at 9 a.m. everywhere on Earth with the latest news and insights in hard surfaces. Check our archives at www.radiostoneupdate.com.
K. SCHIPPER: Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest from Radio Stone Update.
00:35
A new Freedonia Group analysis finds the U.S. landscaping products market saw strong growth in 2020, including an acceleration of outdoor-living projects.
Following rapid growth during the pandemic period, demand for landscaping products is expected to continue to rise at a 2.6% annual rate through 2025. That should take the market to $10.7 billion, according to the Cleveland-based research group’s new “Landscaping Products” study. The study also expects that as the effects of the pandemic slacken, professionally installed work will outpace the DIY market.
Hardscaping will maintain its market lead, and lighting products, and pots, planters and raised beds will also see healthy growth, all stemming from the pandemic-driven acceleration of outdoor living and gardening trends. Outdoor spaces are still seen as providing a safe alternative to crowded public spaces and indoor gatherings, as well as space for socializing and entertaining.
Homeowners invested in improving both the aesthetics and functionality of their outdoor spaces, adding hardscape to expand the amount of usable space, as well as adding decorative products like water features.
Through the remainder of this year, demand for landscaping products is expected to remain elevated and continue to grow as consumers continue to spend more time and money on their households. In some cases, renovations made last year will spur larger projects.
Looking ahead to 2022 to 2025, professional installations will continue to grow at above-average rates. The pandemic gave consumers time to analyze ways they could improve their homes while record-low interest rates and cash from stimulus checks will help fund further investments in homes.
The trend also expands beyond the residential backyard. More commercial property owners are placing emphasis on creating outdoor spaces that can serve their needs, with business owners and property management companies seeking to provide customers with space to dine or socialize outdoors or improve aesthetics.
Copies of the study are available at http://freedoniagroup.com/industry-study/landscaping-products-4151.htm
02:58
Besides being a leading supplier of countertops, wall tile, flooring and hardscape products, MS International – MSI -- remains committed to its philanthropic activities during the COVID-19 pandemic by staying focused on others and giving back globally.
In the United States alone, the Orange, Calif.-based company distributed more than 6,000 Chromebooks and iPads to public school students in 18 school districts, senior citizens, and others to help them stay digitally connected. The company also distributed more than 300,000 face masks and 50,000 face shields to hospitals, schools, and shelters. And,MSI gave 400 manhours to vaccination logistics and administration and was a catalyst for vaccinating more than 15,000 people.
In India, through MSI’s global resources, the company sourced and distributed 13,000 oxygen concentrators, as well as donated funding to companies manufacturing oxygen. And, the company funded vaccines for more than 50,000 people. In total more than 18 million lives were positively impacted through relief efforts in that country.
According to MSI President Raj Shah, the company and the MSI Sarva Mangal Family Trust donated and matched funds, raising more than $2.75 million towards COVID-19 relief efforts in the two countries while working on both short-term and long-term strategies to reduce the oxygen crisis and step up India’s health awareness and vaccination efforts. Says Shah, “We are humbled to be part of such a crucial effort of bringing people together and helping front-line workers save lives,”
04:43
Ed Metcalf is the 2021 recipient of the National Tile Contractors Association – or NTCA – Joe A. Tarver Service to the Industry Award. Metcalf received the honor during a special awards presentation at Coverings last month.
Until recently, Metcalf served as the North American president of LATICRETE, where he supported the NTCA in numerous ways during the course of his 35-year career. Among other highlights, he served two terms as a manufacturer representative on the NTCA Board of Directors, while LATiCRETE played a leading role in supporting NTCA training and education initiatives. Metcalf became a special advisor for LATICRETE North America in June.
In receiving the award, Metcalf said, “It is an honor to receive this recognition, as Joe Tarver was one of my idols in this industry when I began my career.” Tarver served as NTCA Executive Director from 1972-2002, helping the association become known for its role in promoting the proper installation of ceramic tile.
NTCA’s current executive director, Bart Bettiga, says that he can’t think of a time when LATICRETE did not support a major initiative when for help, and adds Metcalf is primarily responsible for much of that support.”
06:04
A recent analysis of England’s Stonehenge monument is helping experts understand why the structure is so durable. A core sample taken years ago from one of its slabs suggests just why it’s withstood the test of time so well.
The analysis shows the material to be 99.7 percent quartz crystals, making them practically indestructible, according to a new study made possible by the efforts of the late diamond cutter Robert Phillips. Back in 1958, as part of repair work at Stonehenge, he drilled into what’s known as Stone 58 as part of the work to re-erect a fallen trilithon of three stones.
When the work was done, Phillips was allowed to keep one of the three-and-a-half foot cylindrical cores as a souvenir. He returned it 60 years later, allowing experts to conduct destructive testing on half of the sample. Taking new samples from the protected monument is prohibited.
David Nash, a professor of physical geography at the University of Brighton and co-author of the study, called getting the core sample very much the Holy Grail for the researchers. Working with experts from the British Geological Survey, English Heritage and the Natural History Museum in London, the core and a second sample from the Salisbury Museum in England, were subjected to X-ray and CT scans.
Examining the scans under a microscope, the researchers found tiny grains of quartz arranged in an incredibly strong interlocking matrix of crystals, providing an ideal building material. Dating of the stones shows they are largely composed of eroded sediments from the period between 23-66 million years ago. However, they also incorporate material from two previous periods, one dating back to possibly 1.6 billion years ago.
The core has already allowed Nash and his team to solve the origin of its monolithic stones. Testing of the core allowed researchers to identify the stone’s geochemical fingerprint and match it to stone slabs from a specific location from the chalk hills of Marlborough Downs known as the West Woods. It’s believed Stonehenge was erected in two phases between 4,500 and 5,000 years ago.
In other news from around the industry…
08:21
American Standards organization ASTM International’s Dimension Stone Committee – C18 – is holding a symposium Oct. 6, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel. The symposium will focus on Dimension Stone Use in the Built Environment and is being held in conjunction with the October standards development meetings of the committee. Online preregistration is open through Sept. 29 by going to www.astm.org/C18SympReg. Additional information is available through the symposium co-chair, Charles Muehlbauer, at charles@naturalstoneinstitute.org.
09:07
Natural Stone Institute Board President Michael Picco and CEO Jim Hieb will participate in a virtual session prior to the Big 5 International Building & Construction Show scheduled for Sept. 12-15 in Dubai. The session, entitled Advocating for Natural Stone and Global Initiatives in North America: A Perspective from the Natural Stone Institute, will discuss the North American marketplace and several key initiatives important to the global stone community. Middle East Stone is the region’s only dedicated event for the natural stone industry. For information on the Big 5 Show, go to www.middleeaststone.com
Remember, you can keep up with what’s going on globally in the hard surface marketplace with our monthly magazine Hard Surfaces Report. And, for notes and a complete transcript of this episode, go to radiostoneupdate.com
I’m K. Schipper for Radio Stone Update and we’ll see you here again soon.