Marble & Granite Suppliers in Fort Lauderdale

Have you ever wonder how are Granite or Marble slabs created?

It is quite a process from finding a quarry to undergoing a process so that it can look great in your kitchen countertop. There are many places where this gems can be extracted from. Many stones are found close enough to the surface which allows them to be cut from shallow quarries. In order to get  each stone into transportable blocks, small holes are drilled in the shape of the desired block size. Carefully planned explosives placed into these holes create just enough blast to separate the block from the bedrock without breaking the block itself. Many blocks of granite then travel by ship from Brazil (the largest source of granite) or wherever they are quarried from to countries like  Italy, India, and China. These countries have large facilities with advanced machinery for cutting them into slabs. 

After a long journey, the block finally reaches at a fabrication facility so that it can be cut into slabs. Not much has since stone entered the homes of the ancient Greeks. What has changed dramatically over the years is the type of machinery used in this age-old sequence. Three basic types of machines are involved in the fabrication process: saws, polishers, and routers. Saws perform several functions during fabrication. A block saw, cuts the massive stone blocks into slabs. These days, diamond wire saws make short work of this task. Modern technology has produced a new type of saw utilizing water jets combined with an abrasive material, which cuts edges and holes quickly and smoothly, and many fabricators are upgrading to these machines.

After this process is complete, then the slabs goes from supplier to fabricator. These bundles are placed into large shipping containers and transported to the US by boat. The containers are off-loaded there before starting the journey over land to wholesale supplier in cities around the country. These suppliers sell exclusively to fabricators, the companies that cut, polish, and install granite counters in homes and businesses like VMC. The fabricators will select the slabs that they want to display in their showrooms and this is when the customer can go and select the option they want based on quality and visually pleasing patterns. 

After VMC selects the best slabs, then is time to bring the samples to the client and have them browse to a variety of selections. Once the stone, color and pattern have been selected by you the client, then we will setup a time to go into the locations of the project, residential or commercial to make the necessary information to start the process of building a template. What this means to you, is that we go through the process of developing a wooden template so we can ensure that the exact shape and measurements are taken as this will ensure the we manufacture the stone to your project specifications to ensure a  perfect fit is achieved at the time of installation.

This will conclude the project and we will finally leave you to enjoy your vision.

The template is then taken back to our shop for fabrication, this is where we use the template to cutout the cooktop (if applicable), faucet and soap dispenser holes and undercount sink.  This step is truly an art as it is when technology and experience meet so we can produce and deliver a flawless completed piece. After the holes are cut, they need to be edge and depending on what your selection was, it may require a special process.  We then add an extra step to ensure that we strength the stone, especially on the Ares where the the cutouts took place like behind and front of the sink. We use a strong Epoxy to ensure these sections are strong as it ensures that the finish product is made to last.

This is the beginning of the end of the fabrication process.  Usually when the stone is received from the Quarry the Face is already polished. What we need to polish is the edges.  This is achieved by using different types of grit to ensure a shiny and smooth surface. Once this process is complete, then the next step would be to seal the stone as Granite as an example is naturally impervious to moisture. 

The final step is on our in depth quality control. We take an approach to ensure that not only the edges, but that the entire face surface is even and free of any imperfections. Once it passes the inspection, then the stone is ready for installation. We understand that your selection is a piece of art and we treated as such with full knowledge that the finish product will become a focal point of your home and family gatherings.