Countertop Innovation Takes Firm to New Level

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REDDING, CA—
When you talk to Hal Davis, you get the idea that his company’s motto is ingrained in his personality. That motto, “Completely out of the box,” is heralded not just by his design philosophy, but in the myriad innovative ways the team dreams up to make one-of-a-kind countertops.

Davis knows that in an industry full of beautiful things, to stand out from the competition, one has to have something truly unique
to offer.

However, while others are content to offer the same products as their competitors, Davis has devised a totally new application for onyx that allows him to provide his clients with a product that no one else has – and it’s won his firm tremendous word-of-mouth business, he notes.

Estate Granite & Marble is a full-service stone and tile design and installation company that works primarily with granite, marble, travertine and onyx. The firm handles a variety of jobs including kitchen countertops, waterfalls, full slab showers, outdoor furniture, barbecues, tables, fireplaces, etc.

Outside the Box

In December 2005, the company began experimenting with a 6-cm, dual-lamination application that utilized the “translucent beauty of onyx,” Davis recalls.

“By placing the onyx as the center lamination, and then backlighting it with commercial grade LEDs, all controlled by a remote dimmer system, we created what appears to be the first of its kind,” he explains.

“In this natural stone countertop application, we create a 6-cm edge, utilizing various edge details, and a 2-cm onyx strip is placed as the center lamination.” When lit by a commercial-grade LED system, the “effect is nothing short of jaw dropping exuberance and wow!” believes Davis.

In fact, the response has been so positive, it is garnering him both media and client attention as word of the new application spreads throughout the region.

The company currently fabricates and installs an average of six to nine kitchens per week out of its 9,500-sq.-ft. production facility in Redding, CA. The business, Davis notes, is based on the principle of “Old World craftsmanship meeting New World technologies,” and its motto – “Completely... out of the box” – is reflected through unique applications of multiple-lamination edge details, as well as the use of light, water and fire to create visual masterpieces that can be used to personalize spaces while adding visual drama.

It’s a big order to fill.

Prior to launching Estate Granite & Marble, founded by Davis, Michael Huber and Keith Hickman, Davis and Huber co-owned a corporation that purchased land and developed and remodeled high-end properties.

Then, Davis saw a new way to serve clients in his area: “As a statistician, I followed the fact that more than 85% of buyers for high-end homes were couples, and of these, 99% of the decision-makers were the wives,” he explains, adding that consumers’ (especially the wives’) favorite rooms were always the kitchen and master bath. “And the real ‘sizzle’ in these rooms, of course, is the countertops...”

So, it’s no surprise, then, that high-end countertops have become his passion.

Now in their fourth year together, he and his partners equipped their facility with a series of high-tech, state-of-the-art tools capable of doing the latest high-tech work – equipment that can transform the ordinary into something ground-breaking, Davis asserts.

The company is currently in the process of acquiring a “cutting-edge” CNC machine. This will enable the firm to produce more repetitious work for projects such as hotels and banks, as well as increase efficiency on custom applications, reports Davis.

These and other investments in new tool technology allow for increased production and increased quality for his clients, Davis believes.