I’m so excited – today our fireplace will be finished!! Early this morning the stone fabricator will install the limestone I chose for the fireplace surround and later in the day I’ll help Jason hang the TV in the recently painted black millwork. I think we’re going to install the Gossip Girl sconces today as well.
I found a really interesting piece of stone remnant for the surround area, for (comparatively) almost nothing!
If you’re buying stone, the general rule is you’ll be buying full slabs from a slab yard. The slabs are priced by the square foot usually and most slabs are around 50 or 60 square feet. $10/sq foot is about as low as you’ll find for pricing. Some of the stones that are prettiest to me are priced more than $50/sq foot, which adds up fast for a kitchen application where you’d probably need several slabs.
Often the slab yard will only give pricing to a stone fabricator, so usually you shop for slabs by yourself, taking note of your favorites, and then have your fabricator call in for pricing later. Sometimes you can beg the slab yard salesperson and they’ll give you a ballpark number without your fabricator present. Clearance pricing is usually posted on the slab.
I went to a few different slab yards a couple weeks ago, shopping for my dream kitchen and for remnants for our fireplace surround. I found this really lovely black granite at Arizona Tile, but the slab was going to cost me about $600 and I only needed about 15% of the slab for our fireplace. What I loved the most about this piece was the texture and the variations of dark colors. I decided to keep looking and asked to see their remnants area.
There usually isn’t much of anything in the way of remnants at a slab yard though because they don’t cut stone at most yards. Sometimes they’ll have a small section with broken slabs though, so it’s worth checking out. Your best bet if you want an inexpensive, small remnant piece, is to call around to stone fabricators and ask them if they sell their remnants.
I found a pretty great selection of remnants at Allpride Granite and Marble fabricators. I was immediately drawn to this black fossil shell limestone. It had a similar textural quality to the meteorus granite I was loving before.
They sold me the half slab for $75! Such a deal. I had them cut it to size and in the morning they’re going to install the pieces around the firebox. I can’t wait to see how it finishes the who look of the fireplace! I’ll be sure to post an update here soon, and on Instagram in real time in case you want to follow along. :)
I’m so curious – have you been shopping for natural stone lately? What’s catching your eye, and was it priced anywhere near the $50/sq ft mark I seem to keep getting quoted? :)
you have the best luck/skill with finding great deals! i am really loving all that you're doing to your new home and i wish i had even your pinky finger's worth of talent.
i'm currently redoing our new house and love, love, love marble but everyone looks at my with crazy eyes when i tell them i want it in the kitchen. right now, i'm trying to decide between bianca macaubus quartzite, which looks like marble (and super pricey :/), or the real deal carrera. i'm still thinking of sticking to the marble in the bathrooms…
any thoughts on marble and upkeep? should i get it and accept the stains and etching as patina or go for something more durable since really, i can't prevent damage with 3 kids 4 and under?
I live whAt you chose and will be stalking IG all day for updates!
Can't wait to follow this process on Instagram. You really do have the most amazing luck with finding hidden gems.
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Hi Jenny,
What a beautiful stone! As far as suggestions go, I recently had my kitchen updated and used a quartz by Vicostone. http://www.vicostoneus.com/
http://www.simpletexan.com/project/remodeling-a-house/
I love the fossil shell limestone. I recently had my master bathroom redone and used large gray-green fossil limestone tiles on the floor. Love it.
I also wanted soapstone kitchen counters. Had to wait a few months to get the right slab, but I'm so glad I did. It was expensive, but something I have wanted for a long time.
Do you mind sharing what you're paying for having it cut down and installed?
What a great deal & a great find! You always find the best stuff :)
Can't wait to see the finished fireplace!
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We just had soapstone countertops installed. I am in love. Pricey, for sure, but oh so beautiful. Love your slab choice and can't wait to see the finished fireplace.
Put in a 2 inch thick carrera island ( 4.5 by 6 feet) in my kitchen and normal thickness jet mist granite for perimeter countertop around a year ago. I've been looking back to see i can find a price/foot quote but no luck…. I do have the total w/ fabrication/install though (6100) and here is a Houzz link: http://www.houzz.com/projects/191229/Sullivan-kitchen
I remember the granite was in the 80's to 90 per square, w/ the carrera marble lower and in the 50's to 60's per square.
BTW, love the carrera, also have it in both bathrooms… honed is the only way to go! HTH!
Can't wait to see the finished product! I'm sure it will be beautiful as always! For the person questioning having marble in the kitchen – I was in the same boat and decided not to. Not long after I read this post (http://fortheloveofahouse.blogspot.com/2013/03/marble.html) from The Love of a House and then had regrets that I didn't go with the marble.
We put a quartz countertop in our kitchen and then found a MASSIVE piece of granite in their remnants to use in our bathrooms. It only had about 15% used, and was a beautiful black. They also fabricate on-site and do the install. They gave me the granite and the install for about $100. It was amazing. If you're in Utah check them out. They're in Lehi.
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I haven't shopped for these because, I admit, I'm intimidated. I'm supposed to have a really good one with great prices nearby so I shouldn't let myself miss out on this opportunity.
I love what you selected! It is going to be amazing when it is installed!
This piece and the granite one both look like they're covered in smoke-ghosts. :)
xox
So cool, Jenny! Thanks for tips and insight about this–I have an old 40s brick fireplace with a wooden mantel and I've never quite been motivated to change it, but your fireplace is so glam that I might try to copy you. I've always loved the idea of a dark marble surround, similar in look to what you picked but more like veined instead of, um, fossiled. :) You give me hope that it's not totally unattainable financially!
Hi Jenny, I love the fossil stone you selected, and that fireplace is really glamorous. I have had decent luck at AZ tile with the selection of their remnant lot. I bought 3 slabs of Brazilian Jade for 12.95/sqft. These were full slabs. I'm in the market for about a quarter of a slab of bianco venatino….in case you spy one in the valley:–)
Hi Jenny, I love the fossil stone you selected, and that fireplace is really glamorous. I have had decent luck at AZ tile with the selection of their remnant lot. I bought 3 slabs of Brazilian Jade for 12.95/sqft. These were full slabs. I'm in the market for about a quarter of a slab of bianco venatino….in case you spy one in the valley:–)
We're about to pick a stone for a fireplace surround, too, so this gives me a good head's up.
ag
I'm wanting to put quartz countertops in my kitchen… any great deals out there? I'm in Utah. Surprising how much the cost can vary for exactly the same thing.
both options are really abstract and beautiful, but I think the stone you ended up with is a little softer and more classic in nature. great choice, and who could beat that price?!
I have been on the hunt for wholesale stone before and what caught my eye was definitely its price. I think that is the main factor that you would actually look out for when buying in bulk or in a huge amount per se. However, I also did take into consideration the design, colour, and overall quality of the stone as a whole. They are also just as important as I was building a storage compartment and quality needs to be emphasized, on top of taste and preferences.