Stone
Tips & Advice to help you make your decision on Stone
Stone materials are very common in landscaping, masonry and artistic businesses. Stone comes in many different shapes, sizes and densities. Each of these offers the creative business owner a series of options for revenue creation. Your small business may benefit from the sale of stone materials and products.
Stone options range from common shale or granite to expensive marble and gemstones. Understanding your target market will help you determine which stone materials are best suited to your business and clientele. Artists and crafters often desire rarer and more expensive stones, while masons and construction workers need common stone in bulk. Transport and storage are also concerns, as stone materials are much heavier than most manmade alternatives and require large amounts of space.
Sourcing your product poses another major challenge for sellers in the stone market. A stone merchant must carefully consider local and even international options for purchasing their product. Shipping costs may prevent all but the smallest or rarest stones from being transported internationally, but large bulk orders can also help to offset the costs of transporting more common materials. Stone is an ancient product, but its use is constantly evolving. Business.com remains a great source for the latest information on stone materials and other resources for your small business.
Stone Wholesalers
Buy stone from the best wholesale suppliersBy Kristina Seleshanko If your client requests natural or engineered stone for any part of a job, there are several things you must consider. Some choices you'll need to make with your client (like what type of stone--exactly--he requires); the decision about where to buy from is up to you.
There are many sources for stone and stone information. Which purveyor you choose depends mostly on what sort of stone you need to buy and which type of stone supplier you're most comfortable with. Therefore, consider:
1. Business-to-business (B2B) sources for a wide variety of stone needs,
2. Wholesale stone quarries for a more hands-on approach,
3. Or specialized wholesale stone suppliers for specific types of stone.
Buy stone B2B
Business-to-business generally offers a reasonable stone price. Whether your client desires natural American stone or stone imported from exotic locales, there's sure to be a B2B source for you. Just remember to seek a reputable business for your stone purchase since there's no governing body to define what sales terms (such as "first quality") really mean.
Try: Atlantic Granite is a B2B natural stone provider. Nile International Stone sells imported Egyptian stone, business-to-business. Stone.cc offers a list of B2B businesses in the United States who specialize in stone.
Purchase wholesale from a stone quarry
At a stone quarry, you may purchase wholesale natural stone with excellent results. Most quarries specialize in certain types of products, like veneer or outcropping. Find a quarry that specializes in the sort of stone product your client needs.
Try: Adirondack Natural Stone quarries natural granite. Central Arkansas Stone is a wholesale quarry carrying thin stone veneer and stone flooring, among other products. Fort Wayne Rocks has a quarry for thin random, web wall and outcropping.
Select stone by type
When you need a specific type of stone, like marble or flagstone, seek a company specializing in that type. If you're buying natural stone, be sure to purchase all you may need for the project at one time since you may never be able to find more stone that will match your original purchase.
Try: Stone Quarry is a natural stone importer and wholesaler; they carry granite, marble, slate, limestone and other exotic stones from around the world. Wholesale Marble and Granite offers full-size slabs of marble, granite, limestone, travertine, crystallized glass and onyx. Arizona Flagstone Supply is a stone supplier carrying flagstone in a wide variety of colors. Bangor Wholesale Laminates offers engineered stone, which is mostly quartz mixed with resin, glass and dyes, making it a very durable product.
- When buying stone for building, realize that flawless natural stone is impossible to come by. But chances are, your client doesn't really want the stone to be flawless; the irregularities of natural stone are part of its appeal. If your client really wants "flawless," then you should look for an engineered stone.
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