Landscape Paving Stone Sourcing

Landscape paving stone for high-end projects can be very hard to find especially if you are looking for special sizes, thicknesses and finishes. We know this because after doing hundreds of projects for discerning clients we found ourselves and customers frustrated with the lack of good choice of materials. So over the years we have gotten on planes and flown around the world to find supply partners who could meet or high expectation of quality and performance of specification. We found them in Egypt, Turkey, England, France, Italy, India, Peru, and China. We also have a number of outstanding American and Canadian Suppliers that understand what it takes to turn out exception materials with tight tolerance, specialty finishes and in a range of sizes. Because of this time and effort we spent with these suppliers we have developed friendships and business relationships based on trust and respect.

Since many of these suppliers handle several different colors and finishes of stone the number of possible sample pictures could be endless. We find that people have a look in mind and really do not care where the stone comes from. All most of our clients care about is that it meet of exceed there expectations. This is why when we work with a client we talk about type of material, desired color, finish, and physical characteristics and then we bring sample of the many options that are available. We commonly have several samples with specific finished shipped in from all over the world to help the client get a full picture of all the options that are out there.

Since the average project we do has paving, coping, tile, and countertop materials that are all supposed to match we need to go directly to the source. We work with the producer closely, make a trip or two to the production line if necessary and even switch suppliers if we do not like how things are turning out.

In the stone supply business very few people do this. Those that do tend to work with one country and a limited number of stones. Most of the paving stone available in the world is cut for stock probably 99% only a small amount is cut for very specific orders with specialty finishes and profiles. We have found that many of the suppliers we work with are more than capable of giving our clients what they wish. It is just that very few people have the expertise or are willing to put the effort into it that is required to get specialty materials.

Types of Stone Finish

The finishes for exterior use are, chiselled, brushed, antiqued, and tumbled

Honed
A smooth satin finish achieved by using abrasive polishers on the surface of the stone. This preserves the aesthetic qualities of the stone but gives a less reflective surface than polishing.

Polished
A highly reflective finish achieved by applying polishing abraders to a honed stone surface.

Chiselled
This finish is adds a deeply attractive contrast to any project. This feature paving is used as a decorative trim, skirting and is used to clad walls

Brushed
A soft worn finish achieved by using plastic or metal brushes on the surface of the stone.

Tumbled
The stone is tumbled in a machine similar to a cement mixer or washing machine with small pieces of abrasive material such as granite or marble. This achieves a worn rustic finish. Larger pieces are either brushed or acid washed to achieve the same look as it is not practical to tumble them.

Antiqued
This worn finish is achieved by a variety of methods such as tumbling, brushing or acid washing (treating the stone with an acid that eats into the surface to produce a worn effect).