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FAQs
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 What
is Natural Stone?
Natural Stone
is a product “made by nature” in other words
the byproduct of the aging of the earth. There are three
basic groupings of Natural Stone products, Igneous or literally “made
by fire”, metamorphic or transformed by heat and
pressure and sedimentary or formed by a collection of deeply
buried river of sea sediments.
Each of these
types of Natural Stones has its own unique characteristics
and practical applications in residential and commercial
construction.
Igneous Stones
are primarily Granite and some Basalt. These are the hardest
of the Natural Stones as the Latin definition states “made
by fire” they were once molten rock. They composition
of the raw materials, much like a cake mix, determines
the color, texture and patterns that we see today in the
many varieties granite available from around the globe.
Basalt is literally liquid lava that has hardened on or
near the surface and is usually quite homogenous in texture
and color.
Metamorphic
Stones are the marbles. Marble is former sea bed deposits
chemically consisting of Calcium Carbonate or Limestone
that has been deeply buried, heated and compressed by the
tremendous weight on top of it to produce a multi-colored
and patterned Stone that has fascinated humans for centuries.
The colors and patterns are a result of the impurities
in the Calcium Carbonate base.
Sedimentary
Stones are the Slates, Quartzite and Sandstones. Slates
are varied sediments highly compressed to form a hard layered
material with primarily fairly neutral colors that have
for many centuries been used for roofing and flooring due
to their natural cleavage along the sedimentary fractures.
Quartzite is similar to Slate but with a high quartz content
and comes in a variety of brighter colors. Sandstone is
literally that “sand” that has been cemented
together and compressed to a rock, the color comes primarily
from the cementing material not the sand. Sandstone can
vary considerably in hardness and strength, careful examination
of structural characteristics should be undertaken prior
to using sandstone in construction.
How do I choose a Natural Stone for my project?
Granite,
Marble, Travertine, Slate, Quartzite or Sandstone? The
choices are many, in selecting a Natural Stone there are
many issues to consider.
What is the
intended application? What color are you looking for? What
is the cost of the product? How difficult is it to install?
Yes
these are all good questions and ones that you must answer
before making you final decision on which product suits your
needs.
Granite is the hardest of the Natural Stones (Quartzite
can also be very hard) it comes in a wide variety of beautiful
colors, patterns and textures. It is traditionally used in
Kitchen and Bathroom Countertops, Flooring, Structural applications
and decorative pieces. Granite polishes to a beautiful
shine and displays luster, texture and depth; it is truly
nature’s work of art. Caution should be used installing
polished granite tiles in bathroom or wet areas as it can
be quite slippery when wet. Honed or matte finishes are
available upon request.
Marble and
Travertine is almost totally composed of Calcium Carbonate
and is relatively soft by Stone standards. For many Centuries
Marble and Travertine have been used for flooring, countertops
and structural applications. Marble is noted for its quiet
and timeless beauty that has added elegance to fine homes
and estates around the world. Marble is not recommended
for Kitchen countertops as it is quite porous and subject
to staining and etching from any acidic food or products.
Sandstone
and Slate are largely used in flooring or commercial applications;
they do not polish well and tend to be more neutral in
coloration.
Where do Natural Stone products come from?
Natural Stone
products come very literally from around the globe. Every
region of the world has Stone of some kind, not all of
it is suitable for our planed use. Over many centuries
deposits of Natural Stone with unique colors and patterns
have been developed and certain regions have become the
primary producers of the beautiful and varied variety of
Natural Stone products we see today.
The primary
Granite producing regions of the world are in Brazil, India
and China to a lesser extend Saudi Arabia, the Scandinavian
Countries and Italy produce some very nice Stones. Stone
by Nature sources from the best regions of the globe looking
for consistent quality and choice colors.
Marble comes
from Italy, Spain, Turkey, Egypt and we are now seeing
some nice Stones from China, Vietnam. Stone by Nature continues
to explore new sources and interesting new products as
new deposits are developed.
When we find
value we will add these products to our catalog.
How much product do I have to order?
Stone by
Nature specializes in consumer sales; we offer most of
our granite, marble, travertine, onyx, stainless steel
sinks and accessories as individual sales.
- Granite Vanity Tops
- Marble Slab Vanity Tops
- Stone Vessel Basin Sinks
- Stainless Steel Undermount Sinks
Our tile
products are only available by quantity purchase, we are
not a retail organization, our tile products are shipped
to us packed in crates, to allow us to offer you extremely
low prices we cannot open crates and produce small orders.
Remember this is why your retailer charges you a significant
premium.
How
much product on a pallet or in a crate?
Floor tiles
come on pallets, the quantity is usually stated in square
feet of product, and the number of square feet on a pallet
is determined by the weight and size of the tile. A pallet
will contain between 360 and 420 square feet of material
3/8
inch granite weighs approximately 51/2 pounds per square
foot.½ inch
granite weighs approximately 61/2 pounds per square foot¾ inch
granite weighs approximately 121/2 pounds per square foot11/4
inch granite weighs approximately 18 pounds per square
foot.
Marble is slightly lighter than granite
Tumbled Marble
is available in 4 X 4 inch sizing and 6 X 6 inch sizing;
these tiles are packed in foam boxes of 5 square feet.
Your minimum order is for 100 square feet or 20 boxes.
Should I order a sample or just choose from the picture?
The pictures
on our website are representative pictures of our products;
we make every effort possible to capture the true nature
and color of our products. If you have any concerns what
the product will look like in a specific setting then it
is best to order a sample.
We charge
$15 for up to three 4 X 4 samples shipped to your office
or home, this will allow you to inspect and view the stone
in the installation location in the lighting you will view
it in.
Remember
lighting, artificial or natural, color of walls, blinds,
furniture etc. will all affect the appearance of Natural
Stone products.
This is a
big decision, you do not want to tear it out because you
don’t like the color (and yea we know “it looked
different in the picture”)
Why our prices are so low is there something wrong
with our products, are they seconds or poor quality?
We love to
hear this question, the answer is that our products are
of the highest grade and our workmanship is subject to
careful quality control. Our products are identical or
perhaps superior to any products you will find in the luxury
home decorating showrooms; in fact many of these luxury
retailers buy their products from us.
We are the
direct supplier, with our exclusive supplier arrangements
with carefully selected producers directly situated in
the best stone producing regions of the world. There is
no middleman, no fancy showroom (we do have a small showroom
in Orlando that you are always welcome to visit) no commissioned
sales staff.
What this
means is low overhead, remember a large portion of the
product cost is the overhead in operating a retail shop.
Stone
by Nature makes money by volume not huge mark up, we strongly
urge you to compare. YOU WILL NOT FIND THE SAME QUALITY
AT THE SAME PRICE ANYWHERE!
Is it safe to order online from Stone by Nature?
Stone by
Nature is a subsidiary of Hibiscus Corporation of America,
a Florida Corporation. Our corporate offices and warehouses
are located at 4709 Distribution Court, Unit 1 Orlando,
Florida.
Our online
credit card processing is done through SSL secure connections
with Authorize.net and our commercial PayPal account.
Our
corporate accounts are maintained with Wachovia Bank.
There
are many scams out there, we feel transparency is the best
policy and urge you to do your homework prior to dealing
with any online organization.
You are welcome
to visit at any time.
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