Brian Gambrell
Tenax USA

As mentioned in previous articles in the Slippery Rock Gazette, fabricators are seeing more and more slabs treated with resin. The typical effect of epoxy resin coating on a slab of granite is a normal color enhancement. Recently though, fabricators are seeing a greater number of slabs being “colored” as well. The manufacturers are mixing special chemical dies into the resin to enhance the natural color of slabs, and sometimes they even radically change the color of the stone altogether.

Why are they doing this? The resin treatment can actually increase the number of “A-Quality” slabs coming out of a quarry. But the resin only brings out more of the brilliance naturally present in the stone, as the resin is completely water clear. That is why Tenax Ager and Tiger work so well with resin-treated slabs. They enrich the stone the same way the resin does, chemically bonding to the stone

There are several reasons quarries enhance the color or die the stone a completely different color. Sometimes the stone is inconsistent in color, or the color of the stone is not very appealing, or it may not be a “popular” or frequently requested color. Or perhaps the quarry simply wants to add more SKUs to its product line. With resin color-enhancing, they can take one type of stone and have 2, 3, or even 5 different colors of stone coming out of the same quarry. Although the majority of manufacturers explicitly declare when they use resin, some slabs might come from overseas and find their way to your closest slab yard, without the distributor even knowing about the slab’s complete history.

How do they change the color? They simply take a special, UV stable die, which chemically bonds with the resin, and follow the usual resining process. It’s not a big deal or complicated, top-secret process for the quarry. The color penetrates deep into the stone and after being polished and sealed, the color should stay in the stone for years to come.

What is the life expectancy of the color? No one knows as of yet, as this is a relatively new process. There isn’t any long-term data to show how the dye will react over a period of time. The idea and principle is that it should last as long as the resin does in the stone. The only exception to this is outdoor use. The sun (or UV radiation) has a very powerful fading effect on dyes and pigments. UV radiation can bleach out, fade or alter the color of practically anything. Therefore, it’s recommended that color-enhanced, resin-treated slabs be used in indoor applications only, as outdoor use will give unpredictable results. Also, Tenax recommends that Tepox V only be used for interior applications.

What does this mean for you as a fabricator, working with these materials? In isolated cases, working with a resin-treated slab, first thing a fabricator would notice is how little effect a regular color enhancer (like Ager or Tiger) seems to have on their slab. The fix is easy.  For example, lets say you get a slab that has been  color enhanced (and you’ll find out for sure after you’ve cut it, profiled it, finished the sink cut-out and started polishing it). Simply mix the colors of Tenax Tepox V that you need with Ager (at about a 30% ratio) and follow the normal Ager application. The Tepox V chemically bonds with the Ager or Ager Tiger for a permanent color match solution. Tepox V is not a topical coat. It penetrates into the stone with the Ager. And, as all who have used Ager know, once Ager goes on, it doesn’t come off!

But how can fabricators use Tepox V as a money-maker? What if a diehard Green Bay Packers fan wants a Green and Yellow bar top in his man cave? Tepox V with Ager is your answer. Or, perhaps a designer is looking for a red, blue, or purple stone to fit a client’s décor? Properly applied Tepox can achieve some stunning and brilliant colors. Or, perhaps you’ve had a slab sitting in the back “forever” and you just can’t get anyone to buy it because of the color or a color inconsistency from one side of the slab to the other? Or perhaps you have fabricated a kitchen from two different slabs and the color isn’t matching exactly? A treatment with Tepox can even out the color. Or, in a real-life situation facing many fabricators, it’s hard to compete with shops offering quartz surfaces because they come in color that are not available in natural stones. In all these cases, Tepox V could very well be your answer–and it’s the only product of its kind on the market.

Tepox V allows you to change the color of the edge as well as the surface of the stone. To achieve a permanent color change on the surface, you would need to follow the same process the manufacturers do: hone the slab, let it dry, mix the Tepox V with a resin (Tenax also carries a full line of resins), let it cure and then repolish it. Ager could also work in some of the above examples, but it will not last as long a fully resined, processed slab.

Now the big question... Is coloring slabs ethical? Everyone will have their own opinion about this. But we do believe that honesty is the key. If the hypothetical Packers fan knows that there is no such thing as a green and yellow slab, but that you can chemically die it especially for him and make him the envy of all of his “cheese head” friends, and he agrees to it, why not fill his need? As long as the designer truly knows what they’re getting, and signs off on it, then you can have a clear conscience knowing that you were able meet their needs, and satisfy their client’s color choice. And in the current–or any market– customer satisfaction should be your guide to color, or not to color.

For more information on the Tenax products mentioned in this article, visit www.braxton-bragg.com or www.tenaxusa.com for product specs and application demo videos.