December 16, 2022
Fabricator – Distributor – Kitchen Showroom : What is the difference?
As we continue the crusade to bring transparency to a sometimes confusing process, I want to give an overview of the different players in the stone game.
When we’re daydreaming about that new kitchen or addition, renovating the bathrooms etc., often times we ask ourselves, WHO DO I CALL? WHERE DO I START? Contacting a well qualified contractor/builder is without a doubt the best option. Find someone you trust, has GREAT references and insurance, even if you have to wait 6 months for a start date, ITS’ WORTH IT. It will come time to pick your finishes, you’ll be wondering where to go… here’s a little clarification on the STONE portion.
Quarry– A Quarry is where the stone comes from. All of the natural stones come from a Quarry (believe me, this is not obvious to everyone). There are quarries all over the world, many here in the USA. All stone come out of the earth in blocks. Some quarries cut these blocks into slabs, and some sell the blocks as is, to a processing plant. If you use Quartz or another man-made product, you can expect these slabs to come from processing plants worldwide.
Distributors – These are the folks with the big warehouses filled with stone. They purchase slabs from Quarries/processors. Distributors gather many different stones together in an effort to offer the best selection to the masses. Distributors do not sell to the public, they only sell to the fabricators. The end-user client, probably someone like yourself, is encouraged to visit these warehouses, browse their selections, and let your fabricator/contractor know what you’ve picked out.
Fabricators – That’s us! We purchase slabs and house them in our factory but also purchase your hand picked selection from the Distributors warehouse. Although we have lots of our own inventory, stone selection is VERY personal. There may be a slab of Soapstone that you like, but the veining isn’t want you want or a slab of Marble that is a shade darker than you need. In these cases, we encourage our clients to visit a warehouse, in search of that perfect slab! All of our warehouse partners are there to serve our clients and us. I find they’re more than helpful, and very knowledgeable. Once you’ve picked the stone you want to use, we come to measure, we fabricate everything in our shop and then we come and install the pieces.
Kitchen Showrooms – This is your one stop shopping experience. Often times, these showrooms offer a selection of cabinetry, a selection of stones, some hardware, maybe even some appliances. They will give you an all inclusive price to facelift your space. This has it’s advantages but there are also disadvantages. Often times, very long lead times, limited selection and higher pricing.
This is a lot of info, but we strongly believe that an educated client is the best kind! We are always available to answer questions and help guide you through the stone buying process.
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Give us a call!