Barry discussed the significance of quartz in modern kitchens, noting its appeal due to low maintenance and durability. According to Barry, the younger homeowners are really looking towards that ease of maintenance and quartz being nonporous by nature, scratch resistant, stain resistant, impact resistant. It's the easiest thing to clean and maintain and keep up with in a busy and active house.

Regarding trends, Barry touched on the saturation of white and gray quartz.

"Oh, man, I'm so tired of the white and gray," said Barry. "And it's been that trend for the last five years or so, and it is starting to move away from that because people are starting to look at it the same way."

He predicted a shift towards more varied and natural-looking colors, "So now it's starting to move away from that a little bit. There's still going to be people that want the white and gray, but now people are looking more... for quartz that really looks like, and mimics a natural stone."

Handling and Cutting Jumbo Slabs:

The discussion also covered the practical aspects of working with larger, jumbo-sized slabs of quartz. Barry explained the benefits not only for homeowners but also for fabricators, "It's both, because when you look at like a remodel nowadays, a lot of it involves knocking down a wall, making a big island... So having that 65 allows you to get that double depth plus get that 12 inch overhang."said Barry. "If they're cutting it correctly. Now their remnant is 26. You can do another run for somebody's perimeter in the next job that you don't have to buy another slab for it."

Porcelain's Place in the Market:

Porcelain, often seen as challenging due to its brittleness, was another topic Barry addressed. He dispelled myths about its difficulty, "It's not anything to be scared about... The biggest thing with ours is that we're a press and roll porcelain. So infinity's press and roll versus being vibro compacted." He shared tips on cutting porcelain successfully, "The 1st one is obviously having a flat and level table bed, right? So you got to have it so that there's no movement in the slabs when you're cutting it."

Looking Ahead to 2025:

Barry was optimistic about the future, particularly with Umi Stone's rebranding and new partnerships. "Going into 2025, I expect the business to shoot up exponentially, because now there's a little bit of an ease of mind from the homeowners... I think there's a real sense of optimism going into 2025," he said, anticipating a return to more vibrant and diverse color choices in surfacing materials.

For those interested in learning more or getting in touch with Umi Stone, Barry directed listeners to their website, "We have a really great website, umistone.com. You could actually see our live inventory of natural stone there as well."