Frequently asked Questions
General Questions
How difficult is it to install your products?
What makes your products different from others?
How does weight affect a project?
How does your material compare in terms of weight?
Can you produce 3-dimensional (spherical) objects?
Can your products be used outdoors?
Can you fabricate backlighting for shower stalls?
How impact resistant are your products?
What is the largest size project you can produce?
Can you produce seamless applications?
What do you mean by stone inlays?
Do you provide detail drawings for Architects?
If damaged, can your products be repaired?
How do your products compare to Onyx?
Can you help in the design and development stages of a project?
Lighting
What light source is best for what project?
Can light colors be changed?
What are the warranty aspects of light source elements?
How can light source elements be changed?
What are the space requirements for backlit items?
Payment and Shipping
How can I make sure I get what I bargained for?
How do you ship?
Do you provide free estimates?
How difficult is it to install your products?
We build our products in a way to make installation easy. Due to the relatively light weight no special supports are necessary. We make sure that shipments contain ALL parts necessary to complete a project successfully. All parts meaning finished veneer surfaces, back structures holding the lighting elements, transformers, controllers, wiring, fasteners, installation instructions, the works! In case of backlit features just make sure there is an outlet available. In most cases it takes a few screws, hangers or other fasteners to attach or install our products. We will advise in the quoting process, what is best.
What makes your products different from others?
The fundamental difference is our unique surface material (RSV Real Stone Veneer®) which is extremely thin, flexible and translucent. Unlike other stone materials it also can be joined seamlessly in order to produce the look of very large single stone blocks. Additionaly it is light weight (half the weight of tile).
It must be attached to some kind of carrier surface, which may be drywall, concrete, Acrylic, glass, metal, wood or almost any other material.
How does weight affect a project?
Most comparable projects using slab materials like Onyx, crystalline products or certain laminates have to deal with substantial weight issues. Creating support structure, handling and shipping heavy materials and installation will increase the total project cost substatially. Let alone the potential for damage even before installation. On the contrary, our material is light weight, so no special engineering or support structure is needed.
How does your material compare in terms of weight?
A 10x4' 3/4" thick Onyx slab may weigh in excess of 700 lbs. as oppoosed to a 4x8' sheet of RSV applied to 1/8" thick Acrylic backing with approx. 60 lbs
Can you produce 3-dimensional (spherical) objects?
As our surface material is flexible, we can wrap it around any shape, spherical or otherwise. Availability of odd shaped carrier materials (PVC, Polycarbonate or Acrylic) can at times pose a challenge.
Can your products be used outdoors?
Yes, they can be used inside or out, in wet or dry areas and hot or cold climate zones.
Can you fabricate backlighting for shower stalls?
Absolutely, it should be the wall without plumbing fixtures though, as they might get in the way of the light source. Most light sources can be dimmed, so backlit stone in a shower will provide awesome effects. The only problem: the water bill may be increasing as people don't want to leave the shower!
How impact resistant are your products?
This depends solely on the carrier material. In case of 1/8" PVC backing a good hit with a hammer will do to knock a hole in it, if the stone veneer is applied to bulletproof glass, a sledge hammer may chip it a little with no penetration. In other words, impact resistance can be engineered into the project.
What is the largest size project you can produce?
There is no limitation. As long as the material can fit in containers. Even then we can engineer parts to be pieced together.
Can you produce seamless applications?
Yes. This is one of the remarkable features of RSV Real Stone Veneer® that it can be joined seamlessly even in large areas. This is absolutely impossible with any other stone material.
What do you mean by stone inlays?
For a moment think about wood inlay work - usually this is done by cutting and matching different colors of wood veneer and forming a pattern or design - the exact same thing is possible with RSV Real Stone Veneer®. The stone veneer is extremely thin (1/8") so it can be cut into any shape or pattern imaginable. That may be art designs, characters, logos or anything else. And if so desired this inlay can be put on a two or three dimensional (i.e. spherical) surface which is very hard to do with wood. The stone project can then be backlit as well to produce stunning effects.
Do you provide detail drawings for Architects?
Upon request we furnish detail drawings for our LiteRokk™ Panels and Boxes.
If damaged, can your products be repaired?
Yes. As opposed to other materials this is actually pretty easy, by cutting out the damaged portion - usually with a carpet knife -, find a patch with similar colors, repair the substrate as needed, add the patch and seal the repaired surface. That's it. Only power tool needed in this case is a $15.00 heat gun.
How do your products compare to Onyx?
As there is a long list of items, we have compiled a comparison here
Can you help in the design and development stages of a project?
Absolutely! Actually we advise Designers and Architects all the time to involve us as early as possible - even put us in touch with the end user - so we can collect as much information on a project to make it another "head turner". This is particularly important as most Professionals are not quite familiar with our material just yet. It is and behaves completely different form other materials such as wallpaper, tile, granite, Onyx and others. It is unique.
What light source is best for what project?
In principle, the exposure time is what we consider. If a backlit stone feature is suppposed to be viewed mostly at night hours, less intensive lighting is required. Daylight exposure will require more powerful backlighting. In many cases dimmers can be used to adjust the intensity.
Can light colors be changed?
Thanks to RGB LED's the colors of lighting and thus the appearance of the stone surface can be changed to a host of different colors. As tastes are very different regarding this issue it is worth pointing out that the most popular stone colors used with RGB applications are White and Yellow thus appearing like white or yellow Onyx. The red's green's blue's are probably more suitable for Bar and Nightclub applications. Either way, the colors can be changed by means of a 40+ button remote control allowing all kinds of different effects and programming.
What are the warranty aspects of light source elements?
Depending on the location of a backlit feature changing out light source elements can be very expensive. As we are not manufacturing any lighting elements, we and our customers have to rely on respective manufacturer's warranties. We are testing lighting elements constantly for a number of issues but please consider that promises of manufacturers regarding life expectancy are impossible to test. Their standard promise of up to 50 000 hrs. means that If the light is used for 10 hours a day, this test would take 13.7 yrs. The other caution of course is always the "up to" phrase which by definition could be only one hour. Best practice is to plan ahead and make sure that the change of lighting elements is not going to be a major challenge as it is with many Onyx applications.
How can light source elements be changed?
This again depends on the individual application, however we will engineer the product considering the need for replacement. This can be achieved by selecting certain types of lighting elements to wiring procedures, technical additions and creating easy to reach access points.
What are the space requirements for backlit items?
Space requirement meaning the space behind the stone veneer/ Acrylic laminate. We strive to achievere uniform and constant backlighting in order to get maximum impact. Therefore we recommend a minimum of 5 inches in case of fluorescent lighting, a minimum of 2.5 inches for LED's and 1 inch for LED panels. Note: The latter will be the hardest one to change out as most of them are custom fabricated for a specific size.
How can I make sure I get what I bargained for?
At time of purchase clients will receive login credentials in order to access their account (24/7). These accounts will be updated regarding projects as follows: 1) Start of production, 2) weekly production status with images, 3) Images of completed project prior to shipment. This way our customers can follow the production process from start to finish and actually see their product before it is shipped. Only 50% are paid up front. remainder prior to shipment.
How do you ship?
Smaller packages ship with UPS, larger ones with ABF or R&L, either way we will get a quote for your project before you even make a commitment.
Do you provide free estimates?
Estimates are free of charge as long as we receive all pertinent information in our facility. You can fax, email or snailmail. If we are required to go on location for planning, engineering, advice, etc. appropriate charges will be applied.
