Recognizing the problem of frigid stone countertops, a new company, Heated Stone Products,has introduced a patent-pending product called FeelsWarm, which is available from Granite City Tool. Thin flexible heaters like what is utilized in FeelsWarm heated countertops are an established technology in other industries. Etched foil heaters are present in aerospace, automotive, medical, industrial, outdoor electronics and many others. They traditionally are fairly expensive but they offer some very unique and valuable benefits which justifies the cost for the applications.

One of the key features of etched foil heaters is that they provide very uniform heating across a surface. Essentially, these types of heaters provide almost an entire flat surface that is heated. This is very important due to the thermal characteristics of stone. Granite and other stone products are not good thermal conductors, and therefore heat does not dissipate well within the stone. To heat the stone surface evenly, the heating element needs to be almost 100% under the entire surface of the stone. FeelsWarm Technology provides a thin profile that enables a heater to be embedded in the stone without impacting the structural integrity of the stone. For a stick-on model, it can be added onto the bottom of a countertop and it won’t protrude down into the open space, particularly with overhangs and unsupported areas. The heater is only .025 inch thick. FeelsWarm Technology operates on low voltage so it is safe and easy to manage.

Additionally, the low voltage also ensures that there are not stray EMI emissions that can occur with 110/120 Volt systems, causing potential cell phone and wireless transmission interference. Each heater is engineered on a one-off basis to the exact size, shape and thermal requirements of each countertop design. A custom-designed heater is designed, tooled and fabricated within a week after receiving the layout from the fabricator — an essential ingredient to be successful in the custom countertop business. In addition, the heaters are usually extremely large — 8 to 12 square feet is common. Yet the heater must be affordable. This combination of business requirements is what Heated Stone Products has solved. The company is currently seeking to establish a limited network of authorized dealers in North America — providing exclusive rights to geographic zones.