Haifa Inc. Offers Leading Architects and Designers Tips on Selecting Top Quality Limestone That Includes Literally Scratching the Surface With a House Key PR Newswire -- March 6, 2002 DANIA BEACH, Fla., March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- How can you tell if your limestone's sublimestone? Stewart Corwin, CEO of Haifa, Inc., has the answer key. The noted authority on limestone today announced his company is producing an educational pamphlet targeted to architects and interior designers, outlining the pertinent facts and essential tests for selecting the highest quality limestone. In it, Corwin advises two simple, yet highly effective tests. One checks the limestone's density by using a standard house key. When scratched along the stone's surface, high quality stone will wear down the key, leaving a metal line on the stone. Inferior stone will be worn away by the key, leaving an indentation and a dust trail. The other test measures porosity. On unsealed stone, place a droplet of water and wait. On non-porous stone, the droplet will remain on the surface. With porous stone, the water will spread out and eventually be absorbed. Haifa has gained a worldwide reputation for its quality selection of French and Jerusalem limestone. Their client list includes Bob and Elizabeth Dole, Celine Dion, Nasdaq President Frank Zarb, Donald Trump, author Tom Clancy and others. Haifa has been selected to supply Corton and Jerusalem limestone for the kitchen restoration of the Blair House, Washington's guest quarters for the President. Corwin, who traveled the world inspecting the major quarries, feels there are misconceptions about limestone that lead architects and interior designers to choose inferior products. Learning to select the best quality, most dense, least porous stone is essential to having satisfied clientele. "There is a lot of inferior limestone in homes across the country," states Corwin. "That distresses me. Both good and bad limestone can come from the same quarry. Most of the ratings and tests supplied to architects from quarries are misleading. This is where the difficulty begins." Selecting the correct limestone makes all the difference in the beauty and longevity of one's flooring, countertops and wall cladding. More detailed information will be included in the packet, which will also be available to press. Haifa has locations in Manhattan, Astoria, NY, in Washington D.C., Lake Worth and in Dania Beach, Suite 258A at the DCOTA. For more information log on to www.haifainc.com Contact: Michelle Soudry 561-750-9800, ext. 19 msoudry@transmediagroup.com