b'STONE TRENDS (continued) Engineered StoneQuartzstonehasconti nuedtogrow in popularity. Also known as engineered stone, its not a natural stone, but con-tainsabout90%quartziteboundwith a resin. It gives a more consistent look thanmostnaturalstones.Sinceitisnt natural, it doesnt have all the benefi ts of a natural stone that is millions of years old, like beauti ful variati on of colors and veining,althoughforcountertopsthe pricing tends to be bett er and it seems to be kind of trendish like the way the Coriancountertopswerepopularyears ago. Quartz stone is coming out in larger color and veining selecti on opti ons, andTaj Mahal quarti ze on the exterior walls and limestone fl ooring again star in this posh home.has taken some market share from the naturalstonecountertopmarket,but hasnt had much of an impact for fl oor andwallapplicati ons.Naturalgranite stoneissti llthepreferredchoicefor kitchen countertops, and I expect a lot of it to be sold in 2020.GPTPAnotherproductthatisnewand threateningtotakemarketsharefrom natural stone countertops is gauged por-celainti panelsthatnowcomein2le cm(3/4)thickpanels.Theyarebeing promotedthroughstonefabricators becausetheycanusethesameequip- This high-end home interior features Taj Mahal quarti ze countertops and limestone fl ooring.mentusedtofabricatenaturalstone countertops. Fabricators can polishthe edgesorbullnoseormiterthemlike you do with a natural stone. With digital inkjet technology, ti le manufacturers can producepanelsthatlooklikenatural stone and have the durability of a por-celainti le.OfcourseGPTPwonthave the intrinsic value of a natural stone that is millions of years old and that can be refi nished to look like new aft er years of wear and tear. And all of these products need to be installed properly in order to getthemtoperformwellandprovide years of service and beauty. LimestoneisstillverypopularThis high-end residence has Taj Mahal quarti ze on the exterior walls and limestone fl ooring particularly with the high-end residences.on the pool deck. 662020|TRENDS'