Parade of Homes

Visit our Display Homes: 121 Rose Lake Court in Bridgwater Trails Liam Milne 204.802.3400 33 East Plains Drive in Sage Creek Linda Frenz-Cove 204.228.0447 3 Water Lily Lane in Sage Creek Linda Frenz-Cove 204.228.0447 www.hearth-homes.com "Certainly any waterfall application within the marble or the Oceanic line works very well, again due to the linear movement within the piece," he says. "We've been doing the waterfall effect through our mitred edge for a little while now, so you'll continue to see that in certain applications." The two newer Cambria designs, Ella and Bri- tannica, are white and replicate the look of a Carrera marble. "Both are stunning and both are very, very popular amongst our customer base." Macdonald says their designers across West- ern Canada and in Washington and Oregon eagerly await Cambria's new designs every year. "One of the reasons why we endorse quartz so wholly is because quartz as a mineral is naturally non-porous, so countertops don't require chemicals to seal them and they only need soap and water to clean them," he says. "They arrive polished when they are installed and they stay that way with no staining or discolouration. Quartz is by far the easiest of the premium surfaces to maintain." COUNTER CUlTURE Cont'd from page 121 Michelle Cockerill, sales manager at Western Marble Granite & Tile, says she feels that gran- ite is always going to be a classic because the sealing procedures are less arduous than they once were, and because many people prefer its unique, natural good looks. "It's classic and timeless," she says. However, Cockerill says there's a new product coming this way. It's called Dekton, and she predicts it's going to be popular in Winnipeg. Dekton is an ultra-compact product made with a mix of raw materials found in glass, porcelain and quartz products. "It's an interesting process with interesting fin- ishes," she says. "Some of it looks like marble. It's just beautiful. It can be used indoors, outdoors, on flooring, in showers, and even steam showers because the steam isn't going to penetrate." Dekton comes in a variety of colours. It doesn't require sealing and Cockerill says it's low-main- tenance and durable. "I have actually hit this product with the tip of a screwdriver to test its durability and although it made sparks it did not chip the surface. It did leave metal marks but it was easily removed," she says. "We've even started little fires on it just to see what would happen, if anything, and it did not penetrate nor did it leave a mark. We wrote on it with Sharpies! That's what you want to see — you can't tell someone it's extremely durable unless you've tried it yourself." Because Dekton is a premium product, it does come with a premium price tag. "It's going to be for a more high-end appli- cation for sure," Cockerill says. "But you still have granites and quartzes which continue to be popular so there is something for every budget." 'Quartz as a mineral is naturally non-porous, so countertops don't require chemicals to seal them' 122 Parade of Homes Spring 2016

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