the official ENDURATEX™ blog

It’s back in demand.  In 1929, the American Record corporation—the company that, after a long chain of mergers and acquisitions, would eventually become Sony Music Entertainment—put out its first record.   Sixty years after that, having reached the top of the industry, Sony quietly stopped printing records altogether. It was time to evolve, and to leave vinyl behind in favor of their shiny, relatively new invention, the CD. Earlier today—nearly thirty years later—they took it back. As Agence France-Presse reports, Sony Music Entertainment just announced that they’re going to start making records again, starting next March. (above image from The Quietus )   Vinyl is making an undisputed comeback: as Forbes reported in April, sales are set to clear $1 billion this year, for the first time all millennium. Fans wax poetic about wax’s sound quality, and the physicality of interacting with an object rather than pressing a button.   New Sony discs wi...

Expanding hospitality options for Orlando’s many visitors this summer, LBA Hospitality will open TownePlace Suites by Marriott Orlando at SeaWorld and Holiday Inn Express and Suites Orlando at SeaWorld properties in the heart of the city’s magical attractions. Adding more than 125 local jobs and more than 350 new guest rooms at the intersection of International Drive and Central Florida Parkway, the two properties are located close to the city’s most popular attractions, including SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, Aquatica Orlando, Orange County Convention Center, Universal Studios and Walt Disney World. LBA Hospitality, a full-scale hotel management, development and consulting firm, is bringing the first TownePlace to the market for both short-term and extended stays. Focusing on the leisure and corporate crowds, the hotels are located within a five minute drive to the Orange County Convention Center. TownePlace Suites by Marriott Orlando at SeaWorld and Holiday Inn Express and Suites Or...

We’re in an age of wiring. Just look at the cables running through your home or office. You likely have wires supplying your Internet access. Wires (and old wires!) for your phone lines. Wires for electricity. And with the Internet of Things promising to bring us “wireless” connectivity of devices as diverse as smartphones, refrigerators and nanny cams, we’re looking at a landscape of even more wires. All before we even look at the network of communications cables connecting our homes, our cities, our cars and everything else. Here’s the thing: you have a choice of wiring. And choices have consequences. Like sustainability. And life vs. death – or, more precisely, your chances of surviving a building fire in one piece. PVC is a smart choice for wiring. Here are three reasons why. PVC cable components give you time to get out the door. Dave Kiddoo, executive director of the Communications Cable & Connectivity Association, told The Vinyl Institute that the release of chlorid...

This week's Vinyl of the Week is an Enduratex staple: PREDICTIONS.  PREDICTIONS has been an industry standard for over 20 years.  The FORBID topcoat was added in 2014 only solidifying its excellent reputation.   "Adding our FORBID SRT topcoat to PREDICTIONS makes it an exceptional product for high traffic areas," said Jeff Post, VP and General Manager of Enduratex/CGPCA (China General Plastics Corporation of America).  "PREDICTIONS is a perfect coordinate to woven fabrics and is an ideal option for hospitality and contract installations," added Post.     PREDICTIONS is anti-bacterial and anti-microbial.   It has heavy duty Wyzenbeek abrasion resistance, a nominal weight of 36 oz. per linear yard, is 1.24 mm. thick, and comes in 24 beautifully hued SKUs.           ( left to right: Blue Mojito PRE-1204; Deep Purple PRE-1184; Drift Wood PRE-1212)     INDEPENDENCE also features our proprietary ...

When it comes to creating magic, no one does it quite like Disney. So when famed Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto opened his first Pan-Asian restaurant at Disney Springs in Orlando, Fla., last year, getting the details right was imperative. (Patrons enter the restaurant through a three-story glass corner, revealing the dramatic interior.)   STUDIO V Architecture in collaboration with Patina Restaurant Group were commissioned to tackle Morimoto Asia’s design, which honors the industrial history of the former bottling company’s space it occupies while offering a contemporary twist—earning a 2016 Design Built Award of Merit from the American Institute of Architects in the process. The 522-seat restaurant successfully creates a series of unique contemporary design motifs that provide a departure from typical Asian restaurant design clichés which also pay homage to traditional elements in distinctive ways. A key component of the design concept was to reinterpret the ideas, materials, t...

NATIONAL PINK DAY National Pink Day is observed annually on June 23rd.  This day is set aside for the color pink and all it represents. First used as a color name in the late 17th century, pink is a pale red color which got its name from a flower of same name. According to surveys in both the United States and Europe with results indicating that the color pink combined with white or pale blue is most commonly associated with femininity, sensitivity, tenderness, childhood and the romantic.  Pink, when combined with violet or black is associated with eroticism and seduction. Dating back to the 14th century, “to pink” (the verb) means “to decorate with a perforated or punched pattern.” It would have been curious to find pink used in fabric or decor during the Middle Ages.  Occasionally it was seen in women’s fashion and religious art.  In the 13th and 14th century, the Christ child was sometimes portrayed dressed in pink, the color associated with the bod...

Sherwin-Williams has come out with their Colormix Forecast 2018.   It consists of three new color palettes: Sincerity, Affinity, and Connectivity.   On the Sherwin-Williams website, the color palettes are described “like blue meeting yellow to make green, every color has a collision of influences-every palette a fresh chance at community.”   Below are the descriptions Sherwin-Williams gives on each new palette. Sincerity   Less is more as we’re de-cluttering, moving more possessions into the cloud.   Silence is no longer empty, but instead are rare and rich with possibility.   Our notions of what’s authentic are being complicated.   We’re celebrating the unfiltered, yet captivated by the artfully processed.   Blending in this is the new standing out.   Flaws are treasured.   The hushed tones of this score play out in sand, complex grays and hazy botanical. Influences : Silence Instagram Minimalism Hygge Normcore   Af...

For more than 50 years vinyl has made its stamp in the healthcare industry.  Its durability, clean ability, and ease of use make it the most widely known product used in hospitals and doctor's offices.  Vinyl has a strong defense towards tough cleaning disinfectants which is why doctors refer to it.  Read this short article, written by David Dunston, Jr. from Vinyl Info, below on how vinyl was effectively used in West Africa's deadly Ebola outbreak. A Barrier For Good Vinyl's Role in Infection Control- The West Africa Ebola Outbreak   The Ebola outbreak in West Africa was first reported in March 2014, and it rapidly became the deadliest occurrence of the disease since its discovery in 1976.  In fact, the epidemic killed five times more people than all other known Ebola outbreaks combined.   More than 21 months after the first confirmed case, 11,315 fatalities were reported in six countries; Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, ...

      This week’s Vinyl of the Week is LUNAR!   This line from Enduratex TM is categorized under our Marine collection.   LUNAR is popularly known for its powerful UV qualities while maintaining a soft hand. “The brushed loop knit backing of Lunar gives the product an extraordinary softness that will impress even industry veterans,” said Jeff Post, VP and General Manager of Enduratex.   “Automotive, Marine , and RV really haven’t seen a UV product that is this soft and with an impressive rating of QUV 500 hours,” he added.   LUNAR is available in 14 beautifully hued SKUs.     LUNAR is manufactured with Produratect™ M.   The line is anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, and has Wyzenbeek abrasion resistance.  It has a nominal weight of 26 oz. per linear yard, is 1.0 mm thick, and comes in 14 beautiful SKUs. Click here to find out more about LUNAR and request a sample!

by David Johnson from The Vinyl Institute Over 2,000 brand leaders came to Detroit last week for a collective conversation about how businesses can position themselves for success against the backdrop of changing societal needs. The Vinyl Business and Sustainability Council (VBSC) was there. The occasion was Sustainable Brands 2017, a gathering of global business leaders committed to brand value creation through sustainability-led innovation. This year’s conference saw the launch of a new global initiative, Redefining the Good Life, about how redefined societal aspirations are transforming the way brands deliver value for their customers.  How Vinyl Fits into the Good Life At this year’s conference, the VBSC showcased four examples of how sustainable vinyl solutions help to create a better life: A Tale of Two Michigan Cities —This story showcases  PVC pipe as a sustainable solution for safe drinking water  in both Burton and Flint, Michigan. A Barrier for G...

This weeks Vinyl of the Week is none other than our ever popular INDEPENDENCE! This versatile and colorful line is a easy choice for any application. Designers will have endless options with this collection. Beyond the expansive color palette, INDEPENDENCE is a value-priced, general grade product. With the seemingly limitless color options and application possibilities, you have the freedom to utilize this line however you see fit.  The addition of the Forbid topcoat makes INDEPENDENCE a product that crosses over multiple market segments allowing numerous applications. The fabric is also treated with anti-bacterial and anti-microbial agents making INDEPENDENCE  perfect for hospitality, healthcare, spa and massage tables, as well as conference rooms, executive seating, lounge seating and residential. INDEPENDENCE is anti-bacterial and anti-microbial. It has an abrasion resistance of 100,000 cycles on the Wyzenbeek, has a nominal weight of 32 oz per linear yard, is 1.0...

By Matthew Hall from Boutique Design Design Bureaux turns down the volume on a rockin’ restaurant/bar at The Venetian to create a sophisticated new vibe. The raucous Bourbon Room that was located on the casino floor in The Venetian in Las Vegas has been reborn as The Dorsey, a decidedly more urbane experience. Overseeing the space’s makeover from a pump-up-the-volume environment based on the “Rock of Ages” musical that formerly played at the resort—including a catwalk for song-and-dance numbers by the staff—into a more subdued and sophisticated cocktail-centric environment was New York-based Design Bureaux. “We wanted to create a memorable experience for worldly, curious and engaged patrons,” says Thomas Schlesser, design principal, Design Bureaux. To help achieve that upscale appeal, the designers fashioned several multi-textured zones within the 4,500-sq.-ft. space. That approach starts just inside the bar’s arched entry, which is home to a freestanding, bottle-shape...

Join us by celebrating the 150th anniversary of the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright's birthday by taking a close look at some of his most well known interior spaces. These photos show how the American architect (1876-1959) used architectural motifs in his interior spaces. 1. The Hollyhock House (1921) The living room of Hollyhock centers around a massive concrete fireplace, whose abstract sculpting is naturally illuminated by the leaded glass skylight above it. The geometric ceiling, although not curved, is geometrically sloped in a way that accentuates the concrete crafting. The hearth originally had a water moat, which was not a typical element of a Wright design—although the notion of water surrounding fire adheres to Wright's fascination with Oriental philosophies of nature and feng shui. Frank Lloyd Wright entered the Los Angeles, California market by designing this residence for the wealthy, bohemian oil heiress Louise Aline Barnsdall. Hollyhock plants were h...