Countertops Magazine Archive

Decked Out with Dekton: The ins and outs of a compact sintered surfacing project

HGTV personality and star of “Kitchen Cousins,” “Cousins on Call” and “Cousins Undercover,” Anthony Carrino poses in front of his newly remodeled kitchen, which features Dekton surfacing.  Photo courtesy of Cosentino

The Script:

1 TV personality who serves as a designer/contractor on multiple remodeling shows

14 slabs of one of the newest surfacing materials on the market

1 seasoned fabricator who is just getting over the learning curve to fabricating this new material

1 3rd floor loft apartment in an old telephone company building

2 kitchens – one indoor and one outdoor

1 access point to a huge rooftop patio that needed a makeover

Does this sound like a B-movie plot that doesn’t end well? One might think so, but in all reality it was a total success where every actor came together to form an amazing project that not only showcases the talent of the designer and the fabricator, but also the material used..

The Plot

Anthony Carrino, HGTV design/construction personality (who works on three series with his cousin John Colaneri – “Kitchen Cousins,” “Cousins on Call” and “Cousins Undercover”- was up for a remodel of the kitchen of his own third-story loft at a historic former telephone building in Jersey City, N.J. that had been converted into living spaces. He wanted a space that showed off his personality while also featuring materials that were versatile and durable enough to allow for entertaining without worry. However, his loft also had access to a rooftop area so why not extend the makeover and use that outdoor space as a place to relax, entertain or even work, as the situation called for.

“I was drawn to the unique historical elements of the building, and in designing the kitchen, I had a unique opportunity to incorporate modern and innovative design elements into the space without losing the feel of its roots,” explained Carrino. “As I was creating the designs for both of these projects, Cosentino had just introduced Dekton. As a fan of Cosentino and the Silestone brand, I knew that Dekton was going to be a game changer. From the moment I saw the Dekton product line, I knew right away that it had to be the surfacing used throughout the spaces thanks to its performance and the unique industrial aesthetic that its colors offered.”

Another selling point to the material was that he could use it as decking for the roof because it is UV-stable and is able to stand up to the extreme temperature changes in the NorthEast. Plus, the size of the slabs (56 in. by 126 in.) seemed like a good option when compared to the typical 2 ft. by 2 ft. wooden or concrete options.

Additionally, Carrino wanted to create a climate controlled outbuilding on his rooftop deck and decided a shipping container could be converted into a place to work and relax outdoors, even in inclement weather.

So, for the sake of manageability, the kitchen/deck was broken into 2 projects – the indoors and the outdoors.

Scene 1 – Indoors

Carrino felt Dekton was perfect for his kitchen because it was up for everything from quiet nights to drinks with friends to dinner parties and everything in between. “Dekton is a great surfacing option for a kitchen that belongs to someone who loves to entertain and really live in and use the space,” said Carrino.” It's great to know that it can withstand heat from a hot pan or won't scratch when you're working on it with knives.”

For the indoor space, Carrino designed the kitchen as the focal point to the open-layout loft. He wanted a large island with a sink and built-in, pop-up power outlets, which is also embellished with a one-of-a-kind table extension made from the cross section of a tree trunk, cut to fit the corner of the island. Modern-looking transparent chairs sit around the table and a variety of antique brass collectables create a unique fusion of historic articles to futuristic materials.

The kitchen also has a straight run of countertop with a built-in cooktop and a separate wet bar along another wall. For the wet bar, as with all of the 2cm Dekton surfaces used in the kitchen,  Carrino chose the “Sirius” color, which is a near black tone, with a  matte finish. The look has been likened to a sort of slate-like appearance. The wet bar it is set against a backsplash of light blue subway tile. A reclaimed, almost octopus-shaped 1940s operating room light hangs above the bar setting a tone of eclectic fusion that sort of pulls together an “industrial chic” vibe.

After coming up with his design, Carrino then brought in a fabricator (Peter Brooks Stone Works out of Wood-Ridge, N.J.)  to tackle the project.

Peter Brooks Stone works was one of the first Certified Dekton fabricators in the Tri-State area and had done some work with Carrino’s family construction business in the past, so the company was the go-to place to for this project.

Dekton, which is made in a process developed by Cosentino that mimics the process that creates metamorphic rock over aeons, is one of the newest materials on the market. So unlike its granite or quartz cousins, it has its own ins and outs to fabrication.

“Working with Dekton is like working with any new material, it takes time to understand its nuances and get the fabrication down perfectly,” explained Peter Brooks, owner and president of Peter Brooks Stone Works. “Because we adopted it early on, we are kind of a head of the curve with Dekton and we have a strong handle on it now.”

Brooks explained that the material is denser and so it requires special tooling specified by Cosentino and fabricates a little slower than other hard surfaces. However, he said tooling upgrades are being introduced regularly that improve level of ease for the fabrication process.

“Some fabricators are a little afraid to work with it, especially those shops that operate on high volumes used to cranking out material,” said Brooks. “This needs a little more finesse. Because we first started working with the product fall of 2014 when it was first introduced Cosentino brings us in to do some consulting with other shops and getting them up to speed.”

He also said he thinks more and more fabricators will add it to their repertoires because of its properties for the end-users that will increase its popularity over time.

As for the kitchen job, there was really little in the way of troubles or challenges other than having to bring the finished materials (which utilized two full slabs) up three flights of stairs. Another minor issue had to to with the built-in pop-up kitchen outlets.

“One interesting feature of the kitchen was that Anthony wanted pop-up outlets designed into the island,” he said. “However, he wasn’t exactly sure of the placement and asked if we could do the drilling on site. With Dekton you really can’t do any of the work on site, and so we  had to get all of the exact specs done in advance and it worked out great.”

Another interesting feature was the mitered edges, which is something Brooks said he is seeing more requests for.

Scene 2 –Outdoors

“Dekton has a number of unique characteristics that make it an appealing and versatile surfacing option for outdoor spaces, as well,” said Carrino. “Its UV-resistance was an important quality for an outdoor space, plus its stability in drastic temperature changes, from freeze to thaw, ensured that it would be able to withstand the Northeast’s seasonal climate changes without damage.” And so for those reasons he chose to use it as flooring to create a rooftop “outdoor urban oasis.” 

However, Peter Brooks Stone Works does not typically handle flooring projects so a second company had to be brought in. “When they began the deck, we were brought in to assist in cutting the slabs, but another company with specialized tubular decking system did actual installation,” said Brooks. “Each of the 12 deck slabs is almost a full slab (56- by 126-in.) trimmed, so they had to use a boom crane to bring them up to the roof.”

Carrino also wanted to use a shipping container to build a climate-controlled workspace and relaxation area, which was also brought up to the roof using a boom crane on that same day.

The grayish “Strato” color of Dekton was used for the flooring, and Brunelleschi Construction managed the install of the deck slabs, which were set up on adjustable floating “Bison” pedestals.

Then over time the shipping container was enclosed and an outdoor kitchen (also utilizing “Keranium” colored Dekton was added for a peaceful outdoor place Carrino could entertain or just call his own.

Taking inspiration from the city around, Carrino combined the industrial feel of the Dekton colors with unexpected details like Japanese Shou-sugi-ban finished cedar wood that matched that same unique personality displayed in his kitchen makeover.

Behind the Scenes

Having worked with Carrino in the past, and perhaps not coincidentally handling a Dekton product at his cousin and co-star’s home in the recent past, Peter Brooks Stone Works, based in Wood-Ridge, N.J., landed the role for scene 1 – the indoor kitchen.

The namesake of the business, Peter Brooks, and how he got into the fabrication business is an interesting story of its own that started at a Wall Street firm and ended up with him spending 6 years learning the stone business before founding his own company in 2006, covering the New York Tri-State market. As owner and president, Brooks focused the business primarily on catering to the high-end market and concentrating on high-quality, strong customer service and great follow-up to stay in that niche.

In 2013 his wife Jessica joined him to assist in the running the business, which currently has 16 full-time employees, which Peter calls his “…the secret to our success,” explaining that “Every member of our team understands and embodies our mission of being one of the best stone fabricators in the region.”

The company operates out of an approximately 10,000-sq.-ft. building fabricating mostly natural stone (about 50 percent of the business), followed closely by quartz surfacing (about 45 percent of the business), with the remainder being various other hard surface materials including such products as Dekton, Crystal Glass and Nano Glass.

The company goes through at least 40 slabs of natural stone and another 40 of engineered stone each month and has a variety of equipment including 2 Terzago Bridge Saws, which are used to fabricate many specialty miter projects; a radial arm polisher capable of polishing, honing and brushing; and a Fab-King fabrication center.

“The benefits of [working with] multiple products is that it allows us to be a more full service fabricator for our clients,” explained Peter. However he did admit there were also some drawbacks. “[We have to deal with] slower set-up times for changing from one product to another and we have to keep up with training and proper fabrication techniques for the newer products.”

While 95 percent of the company’s business is residential work, the company does handle some commercial project, such as a hotel conversion in Rockland County, N.Y. that it is currently working on.

Peter said he has seen a trend toward white marble (or white marble-like quartz) for kitchens and a move to mitered edges (miter cuts at an angle on a bridge saw and then glue-ups so as to make it appear thicker on the edges). He also believes Dekton is increasing in popularity because of its high-end qualities, however he said for now it is a creature of more elaborate projects. “Dekton is a product that will go into a higher-end projects and rightly so,” Peter explained. “It warrants a higher price because of the precision that is required to fabricate it.”

When asked what his philosophy for success has been, he did not hesitate to give much of the credit to his staff. “[We have worked to] hire an outstanding team and train them to properly service the high-end market,” he explained. “I ask my team to focus on being remarkable and to listen to our clients.  They are trained to manage the expectations of all of our clients and to educate them on the limitations of certain products.  We have put a twist on how we approach the stone fabrication business and it is more than just cutting and installing slabs.  It is a hands-on experience, and most clients play an active role with us in creating their dream home.

Rave Reviews

Now one might think working with/for a TV personality in the renovation world could be a bit messy and suffer from “who’s in charge” syndrome, but Brooks pointed out it was exactly the opposite. “Anthony knew what he wanted and had the info we needed,” said Brooks. “It was great working with him and there were definitely no pitfalls or ego to overcome when working with a celebrity or TV personality.”

For the kitchen project, it took Peter Brooks Stone Works about a week from measure to install and another two days to cut all of the slabs for the flooring project. And, there’s no doubt the job turned out beautifully.

“Ultimately, it all went according to plan; it went off without a hitch,” said Brooks. “The client was happy and that’s what’s important.”

And as a testament to the solid work performed, Brooks company continues to get additional business from Carrino’s family construction company.

And that’s a wrap….

For more information on Dekton, visit www.dekton.com/usa/.

For more information on Peter Brooks Stone Works (185 Berger Street Wood-Ridge, NJ 07075), visitwww.pbstoneworks.com or call (201) 460-7505.

For more information on Anthony Carrino, visit http://people.hgtv.com/talent/anthony-carrino .

To contact Editor Kevin Cole, email [email protected].