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quality differences in stone...
With stone available from a variety of sources, it is important to understand qualitative differences that exist in the market. Many quarries/fabricators offer several grades of stone. Other factories are incapable of producing first quality material and must sell what they produce at a lower cost.
We understand your desire for the lowest possible price. As long as all pertinent information is disclosed to you, you should be able to make good decisions. But if you are not reliably informed, and the product you select fails to meet your aesthetic or performance expectations, you will be understandably upset. To take some of the mystery out of stone purchases, here is a partial list of characteristics associated with lesser quality products:
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Color range: With higher quality, care is taken to sort the stone into an acceptable range. The range expands with lower grades as the stone companies look for a place to sell their entire production.
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Fill: With products that come honed and filled (e.g., travertine), the size of allowable “voids” (holes) is smaller and better controlled with higher grade products. The color of the fill and finishing processes are also better.
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Calibration: Consistency in the stone thickness is a characteristic found in higher grade material; lesser quality can vary considerably, particularly with slate.
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Squareness: Whether a stone is square or not is primarily a function of the quality of cutting and fabricating equipment at the factory. If the factory lacks the proper equipment, "squareness", with its attendant installation problems, becomes an issue.
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Quality control: This is important. In the case of tumbled stone, absence of a quality control translates into excessive broken corners and other unacceptable defects.
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Cleanliness: Lower quality stone is often not washed and often arrives dirty on the job site, making it more difficult for the installer to select and blend product.
As with our ceramic selections, we are committed to providing you with high quality stone products. We buy only first quality products from respected manufacturers.
