A Popular Surface Gets an Extra-Glossy Makeover

When it launched in 2013, Dekton — a universal architectural application material — stormed out of the gate: the ultra-compact surface already accounts for 10 percent of manufacturer Cosentino’s U.S. market share. No doubt, performance partly explains the surfacing’s immediate appeal.

To produce Dekton, Cosentino — who also manufactures Silestone — employs what it calls Particle Sintering Technology, which replicates geological metamorphosis. In only four hours, machines subject a combination of inorganic raw materials to the extremely high temperatures and pressures that a natural stone would endure over thousands of years. The process’s result is an ultra-compact surface that, besides offering design and style advantages, has near-zero porosity and high stability with resistance to scratches and abrasion as well as temperature extremes and UV light.

Dekton has resonated with early-adopter specifiers for purely aesthetic reasons, too. Cosentino launched the product with both solid colors and trompe l’oeil woods and stones that have a demure matte finish. Says the company’s Product and Innovation Director Valentín Tijeras García, “Matte finishes have grown in popularity over the last few years — touting more focus on a natural look and ease in keeping the surfaces looking clean.”

Yet, as any follower of the visual world will tell you, tastes change via two paths: the gradual creep forward and the pendulum swing. Reflecting the burgeoning popularity of high gloss in furniture and millwork, García says demand for gleaming countertops and surfacing is moving in the same direction. “However, high-gloss materials available in the market right now are low-performance, and Cosentino wanted to meet design demand with a high level of durability.”

In response, the company has launched its super-shiny Dekton XGLOSS series after two years of research and development.

“The gloss is produced, mechanically, without any coating,” García explains of the new collection. “To improve performance and make the material highly resistant to stains, we add a treatment with nanoparticles, which react with the surface and create a permanent bond.” Would it be possible to achieve that gloss and bond on any substrate but Dekton? García responds that the method can produce different types of gloss with other materials, but that the specific visual effect of XGLOSS is exclusive to Dekton.

As for functionality, Dekton’s proprietary nano-coating does not diminish the high-performance qualities for which Dekton is known. This ensures that similar to the full Dekton color offering, the seemingly smooth-as-ice material has no limitations regarding application, though “it should be taken into account that glossy materials require a bit more maintenance.”

While performance and versatility inform the A&D community’s sourcing process, García says that “color is the primary influencer” behind a typical specifier’s choice of Dekton over Cosentino’s other product lines. Consequently, the XGLOSS launch was coordinated with an equally careful eye to visual delight. The first release encompasses a small but evocative group of grays and whites, which range from a crisp white to gunmetal and subtle greys and taupes. The product team arrived at these colorways by market research, surveys, analysis of existing sales and focus groups. “We’re in the process of applying the XGLOSS finish to a number of other in-demand colors and looks,” adds García, who also says, “There is certainly opportunity for XGLOSS in contemporary designs, but more and more we are seeing the blending of modern-looking materials and finishes into traditional styles.”

Such versatility promises to gain new ground for Dekton both within the Cosentino portfolio and in overall market share. “Dekton is moving our company more into the architectural space,” García says. “All of our product lines are different materials and all beautiful in their own way.” Nationwide sales of Dekton XGLOSS commenced last month, and the 56-by-126-inch slabs are available in three thicknesses between 0.8 and two centimeters.