Education—A Necessity When Selling Natural Stone

As the demand for natural stone products continues to grow, the need for customer education becomes a necessity. Many customers believe that natural stone countertops have many of the same characteristics, as man-made products such as Corian® , engineered stone such as DuPont Zodiaq® or others, or laminate materials. Some people also tend to believe that they behave in the same way. This is usually not the case. As a fabricator, we hear many misconceptions regarding granite and other natural stones.

One misconception regarding granite and natural stone is they are consistent in appearance like solid surface materials. While this can sometimes be true, there is always the possibility that there might be some sort of natural markings on the slab, like a vein or spot. Some colors can vary a great deal with flow and movement pattern throughout the slab.

The most important point to keep in mind and take into consideration when purchasing a natural product is that it was formed by nature. We can not control what it looks like. Granite and other natural stones can vary in their appearance. Often a small sample is not a good depiction of what a full slab may look like.

To avoid problems and better educate customers, we prefer that the granite selection process start with us. Some contractors send customers directly to a supplier to select their material. We do not mind when customers go directly to a supplier to select their stone, but we carry samples from all local suppliers, and more. We also have much of our own stock including some exclusive colors for viewing. We can direct the customer to a supplier ourselves if need be. We also can answer many questions pertaining to the characteristics of natural stone, maintenance and care concerns, fabrication and layout, pricing issues, etc.

Contact Paramount Granite today!