Peter J. Marcucci

Special Correspondent

ON a trajectory of growth since 1963, CCS Stone Inc., of Moonachie, New Jersey continues to strengthen its market share with innovative ideas and cutting edge products.

After seeing photos of a commercial installation of Glassos®, a trademarked product sold exclusively by CCS Stone Inc., my curiosity was piqued and I didn’t hesitate to call Bryan Mitnick, one of three brothers who owns and operates CCS Stone to find out more about the product. Bryan could tell by my voice that I was just as excited about Glassos® as he was, and he immediately invited me in for a visit the following day. 

Upon entering the well lit showroom filled with eye candy of all types, it was clear that these guys know how to do fabrication, and why shouldn’t they? Donald Mitnick, Bryan’s Dad and founder of CCS, as well as siblings Jonathan and Corey have been doing business in the stone industry for the last fifty years with impeccable results. 

Within minutes, Bryan warmly welcomed me with a strong hand shake, some one-on-one shop talk, and then escorted me to the warehouse for some show and tell. As we walked by the hundreds of 2cm and 3cm Glassos® slabs waiting to go to fabrication and distribution, Bryan began to explain how Glassos® Crystallized and Glassos® Nanostone White has helped to keep the company in the black since 2007.

“Glassos is a non-porous and UV resistant engineered material that comes in two basic types,” he said. “The first is crystal white, a Thassos-lookalike product at a fraction of the cost. It’s made from pure glass crystals that are baked and fused together by heat, and then cooled and polished. The other is Nanostone White, a product made from fine quartz powder. This powder is mixed with other natural minerals, baked, and then extruded into slab or tile form and then polished and cut to size. Both products are extremely hard and our Nanostone white is probably the whitest product you will find on the market. We’ve also introduced a Satin finish and a brushed finish to our clients as an option.” 

He continued by explaining that CCS brought Glassos® into the market place six years ago to offer more options to their clients, adding that they had such a good response in the market, they immediately trademarked the name. 

“Many of our designers will only specify Glassos brand and being the exclusive distributor in the U.S. has made a big change in our company,” he said. “People came to us looking for alternate types of products for their projects and Glassos made good sense to them and we picked up on that. We also have a Crystal Beige and a Crystal Blue that is popular for kids baths and fun rooms, but 99 percent of the time our clients want white. Some clients have asked for Glassos in black, but with so many sumptuous black granites on the market at a great price point, we just steer them in that direction. Glassos can also be made into curved panels and we won’t hesitate to bring in special order components like these for large scale or custom projects. Orders like this can usually be at the clients doorstep within 60-70 days of ordering.” 

Bryan went on to explain that even though a thin layer of glass dust is used to close any pores that may exist before the material is polished, Glassos® Crystallized slabs will occasionally have pin holes due to the manufacturing process.

“Two to three pin holes per square meter is the acceptable standard and we let our clients know this and explain to them that we drill out these holes with a dentist drill and fill them in to perfection. Any good fabricator addresses and corrects problems like these, and, more every day.” 

As far as durability, Bryan stated with conviction that all Glassos® products are extremely hard and take a lot of effort to scratch, and excel in outdoor residential use as well as commercial indoor and outdoor applications. Shops have also found good success with waterjetting techniques as well, he said.

“I always tell people, even the ones with the toughest granites in their kitchens, use a cutting board and whenever you can protect it. I just put a Glassos kitchen in my home and I said to my wife, ‘be careful with that pan – it could chip the corner of the sink cutout, if you’re not careful.’ Like a new car or boat, if you own a quality product, you have to respect it if you want to keep it looking nice.” 

As far as understanding the properties and acquiring the techniques for fabricating Glassos®, Bryan said that it does take some rethinking and un-learning of stone fabrication techniques to work with this product.  

“You have to understand the nature of the material and there is definitely a learning curve associated with this product. CCS has always been generous about passing on fabrication tips to the shops that have committed to working with Glassos, and we have absolute allegiance to these shops that have made the investment and put in an inventory. We want them to succeed and we will spend the time to train them.” 

He went on to explain that he will also guarantee to any shop that takes a container of Glassos® that if they don’t sell them, CCS will. 

“Glassos is the most recognized name in the industry, and we know the product is going to sell, and that’s a good thing,” he explained. “Glassos products have been accepted into the market place faster than I can promote it, and it is clearly the better choice than glass. We know it as well as our clients know it, and we will continue looking for shops willing to make the investment to use this product as well as to distribute it in their area. We will ship anywhere and are open to the idea of a shop that uses our inventory, as well as us using theirs.” 

So, is Glassos® the next Big Thing? Possibly. So ask yourself this. Can I afford to invest in this product – or better yet – can I afford not to invest in a product that offers my clients a contemporary cutting-edge look in this current business environment? If your answer is a resounding yes, contact Bryan for available dimensions and pricing on these must-see products at www.ccsstone.com.   

Your Braxton-Bragg representatives are the most trusted “solution professionals” in the stone industry, and can confidently specify products such as Tenax Domo 10 or Tenax Crystaliquid as well as the tools and blades needed for the successful fabrication of any new or exotic materials. Give them a call at 800-575-4401.