Welcome to Part I of a three-part seriesof articles which will methodically dive deeply into “porcelain,” now known as mineral surfacing -- the latest premium decorative surfacing boom. This first segment will address key and lingering questions regarding the category, move into some examples of direct responses by manufacturers to some of these “headwinds” and Part I will conclude with thoughts on how and why this is such a sustainable category and how substantial growth will continue to steadily unfold. Parts II & III, released in consecutive months from here, will address fabricator strategies, strategic planning, definitions and debunking, and much more that will help frame out how and why being proactive is wise. Let’s begin the deep dive…

There are those who pine for innovation and seek to be early adopters; and then, there are those who look to wait, let Gen 1+ launch and have the market “debug” the major glitches and then see where, how and IF this innovation should be adopted in their business. Today, fabricators remain faced with this conundrum when evaluating mineral surfacing (formerly and generically called, “porcelain”) countertops; a category that is now experiencing some significant, and what I forecast as, sustainable growth.