SURFACES INSIDER
THE INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER FOR STONE & SURFACE PROFESSIONALS | MAY 2026
Cambria Innovations, Industry Trends & Surface News
For over 21 years, Granite Plus has been a trusted name in the stone industry, proudly serving the Tampa Bay area and beyond. We specialize in curating custom kitchens, bathrooms, fireplaces, and showers — transforming everyday spaces into stunning expressions of craftsmanship and design. From the first selection of a slab to the final installation, our team is dedicated to making your dream a reality. With two decades of expertise, an eye for detail, and a passion for natural and engineered stone, Granite Plus brings unmatched quality and personal service to every project we touch.
Our Square Foot Program takes the guesswork out of budgeting and makes premium stone surfaces more accessible than ever. With over 40 carefully curated options — this program gives clients and designers a straightforward, transparent pricing model based on square footage — no need to buy a full slab. Whether you are updating a kitchen countertop or refreshing a bathroom vanity, our Square Foot Program offers a diverse selection of colors, patterns, and finishes at a price point that works for any budget. Each of the 40+ options has been hand-selected by our team for quality, durability, and design versatility — so no matter which surface you choose, you are getting a product backed by 21 years of Granite Plus expertise. Visit our showroom or speak with one of our stone specialists to explore the full collection and find the perfect fit for your next project.
Cambria — the leading family-owned, American-made producer of natural quartz surfaces — has been making headlines in 2026 with a wave of bold design launches, architectural innovations, and a standout presence at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Orlando this past February. Founded in Le Sueur, Minnesota in 2000, Cambria has built its reputation on nonporous, stain-resistant, maintenance-free quartz surfaces backed by a transferable Full Lifetime Warranty. Their 2025–2026 design cycle represents one of the most ambitious creative leaps in the brand's history — and it is directly relevant to what Tampa Bay clients are asking for right now.
Bold movement with blue-gray veining and warm undertones that anchor a space with unmistakable presence. Featured prominently at KBIS 2026 on counters, shelving, and kitchen islands in both Cambria Satin and Polished finishes — a showstopper for clients who want drama without going full dark.
Inspired by beach sand, sun-faded shells, and flowing tide lines, Traymore Bay channels coastal serenity through gentle diagonal veining and warm-toned movement. Its palette of taupes, ivories, and misty neutrals makes it a natural fit for Tampa Bay kitchens, bathrooms, and hospitality spaces.
Clean, flowing lines in a modern neutral palette. Claremont delivers quiet confidence — the kind of surface that reads as timeless five years from now as it does today. Ideal for transitional and contemporary interiors where subtlety is the luxury.
Soft tonal shifts with a grounded, refined look. Understated but unforgettable — Kenwood was featured in Cambria's 1cm luxury spa installation at KBIS 2026, clad floor to ceiling in grout-free applications that demonstrated just how far quartz has come as an architectural surface.
Two bold additions to Cambria's alloy design series — rich chocolate and smoky charcoal tones intermingle with brass and steel veining respectively. Both are available in the exclusive Cambria Satin finish, which adds depth, warmth, and a low-glare softness that clients consistently respond to. Remington Brass was selected by Benjamin Moore as the perfect complement to their 2026 Color of the Year.
A luminous blend of whites, soft creams, warm taupe, and subtle gray crystals — designed from the ground up to support Cambria's market-leading backlighting innovation. When paired with under-slab lighting, Brighton glows from within, creating a luminous, gallery-quality effect that is unlike anything else in the quartz category.
1cm Ultra-Thin Quartz Surfaces: Cambria's showcase at KBIS 2026 featured a fully clad luxury spa demonstrating its ultra-thin 1cm quartz panels in grout-free applications across walls, shower surrounds, vanities, and floors. The result — seamless, durable, visually uninterrupted surfaces that blur the line between stone and architecture. For bathroom remodels in Tampa Bay, this is a game-changer.
Backlit Quartz Applications: Cambria's Brighton design was engineered specifically to support integrated backlighting, where light panels are fitted beneath the surface to make the quartz glow from within. The technology is generating significant buzz in the luxury residential and hospitality design markets — and Cambria is leading this space with no close competitors currently in the market.
Cambria Satin Finish: Now available across multiple designs, the Cambria Satin finish delivers a low-sheen, tactile surface that minimizes glare and adds a quiet sophistication to kitchen islands, bathroom vanities, and wall cladding. It is among the most-requested finishes by designers working in warm, organic, biophilic interior styles.
Quartz Beyond the Countertop: At KBIS 2026, Cambria's theme — Style Without Limits — centered on demonstrating quartz as a true architectural material. Full-height walls, shower surrounds, flooring, fireplace cladding, furniture wrapping, and reception desks all featured Cambria surfaces in the booth. This philosophy aligns perfectly with what the most design-forward Tampa Bay clients are now requesting in custom home builds and luxury renovations.
Cambria surfaces are available through a network of premium independent specialty retail and trade partners. Speak with the Granite Plus team to learn more about incorporating Cambria into your next project.
Tariff Developments: Monitoring of Section 232 tariff proposals on imported stone continues across the industry. The Natural Stone Institute remains in active dialogue with the U.S. Commerce Department, with a focus on securing exemptions for architectural stone not produced domestically. Granite Plus is working closely with our import partners to maintain pricing stability through the remainder of 2026.
Porcelain Demand Continues to Surge: Large-format porcelain now represents 34% of all hard surface specification in U.S. commercial projects — up from 21% in 2023. The residential market is following close behind, with full-slab porcelain shower surrounds and grout-free wall panels among the most requested applications in Tampa Bay bath remodels.
Florida Construction Activity: Residential permitting across the Tampa Bay–St. Petersburg metro continues to outpace national averages. New construction activity is driving sustained demand for kitchen and bath surfaces, with builders and designers consistently specifying premium quartz and natural stone over laminate and solid surface alternatives. Pinellas and Hillsborough counties remain among the fastest-growing markets in the Southeast, fueled by continued population migration from the Northeast and Midwest, a robust luxury home segment, and a wave of high-end condo and townhome developments along the waterfront corridors. Kitchen and bath finishes are increasingly a primary sales driver in new construction — buyers are asking for quartz countertops, large-format tile, and custom stone details as baseline expectations rather than upgrades. For Granite Plus, this environment represents one of the strongest sustained demand cycles in our 21-year history.
Silica Safety Standards: OSHA's enhanced silica exposure standard for fabrication environments remains in full effect. Shops without current baseline air quality data are encouraged to act. Granite Plus continues its active partnership with the University of South Florida — the most comprehensive third-party air quality research program in the Tampa Bay fabrication market.
Mitered edges — where two pieces of stone are cut at a precise 45-degree angle and joined seamlessly — are one of the most technically demanding details in countertop fabrication, and one of the most visually stunning. When executed correctly, a mitered edge creates the illusion of a dramatically thick slab with a clean, uninterrupted surface — no lamination line, no seam, just pure stone. At Granite Plus, mitered edge fabrication is a specialty we have refined over 21 years. Our skilled craftsmen use precision CNC tooling and hand-finishing techniques to achieve razor-tight joints on everything from kitchen islands to fireplace surrounds and bath vanities.
Homeowners and designers are moving away from traditional tile grids in favor of large-format porcelain panels for shower walls and floors. Oversized slabs in full slab formats are now among the most requested applications in Tampa Bay bathroom remodels, delivering seamless, grout-free surfaces that feel expansive and spa-like. The absence of grout lines means less maintenance, no discoloration over time, and a dramatically easier cleaning routine. Porcelain's natural resistance to moisture and staining makes it one of the most practical choices for wet environments.
Warm creams, sandy taupes, and coastal-inspired ivories continue to lead specification decisions in both residential and commercial design. Designs like Cambria's Traymore Bay and Claremont — and Eclos collections like Tajnar and Ivora — are perfectly aligned with this sustained market preference.
Satin, matte, leathered, and honed finishes are replacing the polished, high-gloss aesthetic that defined the last decade. Clients want surfaces they can feel as well as see — a trend driving the popularity of Cambria Satin, Cambria Matte, and the Satin Ridge texture series across both quartz and natural stone.
Bookmatching — placing two mirrored slabs side by side to create a symmetrical veining effect — is moving beyond luxury custom builds and into mainstream remodeling. Tampa Bay designers are using the technique on fireplace surrounds, kitchen islands, and statement bathroom walls to deliver maximum visual drama.
The demand for outdoor kitchens and entertaining surfaces across Tampa Bay and the Gulf Coast shows no sign of slowing. Porcelain pavers, frost-resistant quartzite, and UV-stable engineered stone remain the top specifications for outdoor countertops, cladding, and alfresco dining surfaces throughout the region.
With over five years of experience in the countertop industry, Ben focuses on helping clients make informed decisions that align with their style, needs, and long-term goals. Ben takes a consultative approach, working closely with homeowners to understand their vision and guide them with honesty and clarity. His goal is to make each project straightforward, collaborative, and tailored to the individual.
Outside of work, Ben is a big fan of Wisconsin sports — especially the Packers — and enjoys spending time at the beach, visiting craft breweries, and playing cornhole or disc golf. We are thrilled to have Ben on the Granite Plus team and look forward to the energy and expertise he brings to every client interaction.
Phase Two of our air quality partnership with the University of South Florida is now underway, introducing extended personal air monitoring for individual fabrication technicians during cutting, grinding, and polishing operations. Results will be shared transparently with our team and used to further refine our dust suppression and PPE standards. Granite Plus remains the only stone fabrication facility in the Tampa Bay area with an active, independently conducted air quality research program — because the health of our people is a core value, not a compliance exercise.