WHAT'S NEW
huge natural stone warehouse tile clearance sale save save save 75% OFF msrp natural stone tiles and some porcelain modeled to select natural stoneok i agree it looks like we've been trying to tweak our standings in google search: natural stone - yup ;)
better natural stone - now fabricating tables and more at 321
27 August 2010
now fabricating at 321, local natural stone countertops + better natural stone
vermont verde antique natural stone - looks like marble and outperforms many granites - asn natural stone = better natural stone
20 MAY 2010
better natural stone countertops
new thin stone veneer
natural stone tile installation
NOW AVAILABLE!! call 413 552 0070 and/or e-mail infoeast@asnstone.com
natural stone natural stone stone natural stone natural stone natural stone stone natural stone natural stone natural stone stone natural stone stone natural stone natural stone stone natural stone stone natural stone!!
31aug09 - unloading our first natural stone pre-cuts from Brazil - ECO friendly first quality low priced stone counters now more available in popular colors! WOW!!
17jul09; updated 30aug09: Hello and welcome to asn natural stone's 1st natural stone blog! Today we offer the unofficial latest on 100% natural stone slab vs engineered stone in large pieces; as we see it from our unabashedly biased perspective while promoting and discussing what we feel is really the real thing: natural stone!
You may be wondering, as I am - what all the fuss over quartz or so called 'engineered stone' is all about? It seems to me that they may be trying to copy - they might say 'improve on' - natural stone as available in slab form - enabling large piece surfacing. Why else would their marketing teams use the word stone so much? My observation is that the fuss is probably because stone has a natural attraction - just like people are attracted to each other, and the engineered folks want to get in on the action. But after they co-opt the name, they almost mock real stone in their zeal to climb over our carcasses. Their marketing is slick and necessary because it has to be, their product doesn't have much more than fad appeal when you get right down to it. Don't be fooled, it is not real stone - it has too much plastic in it (up to 20% binder by volume)! They don't tell you it is only by weight when they say it is ~93% quartz! Yet they tell you that natural stone needs sealing (arguable as some does and some doesn't - depending on the stone, its use and desired performance) and they try to put fear into us with talk of radiation (its natural too and it doesn't hurt anyone at the quarries - and the hypothesis as recently put forward by BuildCleantm sponsored by Cosentino's Silestone and Cambria of the US has been largely debunked through rigorous stone testing and studies by the MIA - Marble institute of America) But even some seemingly savvy architects put stone down because of its weight - 500 miles radius for LEED points?! What's that all about? It is simply not realistic when weighed against the benefits natural stone brings to a project. What gives it its strength, beauty and longevity if not weight? ...and why won't the other manufactured 'LEED point' products agree to have their ingredients locally sourced? ...and are they even 1/2 as green as natural stone? doubtful - who are they trying to kid- are they trying to say that the earth is too heavy? ...oh yeah, we deliver our stone locally with bio-diesel...
Us natural stone 'purists' as we could be called, know and love real stone because we eat, sleep and breathe it. Does it inspire our passion? You bet! That's why we love it! Maybe people love natural stone products because of their nature - because they are nature and they have variety that is a spice of life. I also believe natural stone helps ground us after a stressful day in a modern world with all the technological distractions - there is nothing like reconnecting with mother earth. Like us, natural stone will always have something to say, and like us - no two stones are alike, similar maybe, but always individual. Natural stone is not 'made' by a machine - it forms through the rock cycle which could be considered recycling, in its purest form. In the natural stone business we expose stone for what it really is - an abundant / sustainable natural resource, aka one of the main ingredients of the planet Earth!
One day on the radio I heard Micky Hart say: "we live on a blue and green spinning rock"...he was talking about how radio waves bring music around the globe and it validated what I already knew, that we live on a rockin' world!
Anyway, there must be some use for that 'expensive formica' right? OK, with the faux stone you can get the cool color of the month and the homogeneity that works well in modern design and I'll definitely give you that. You can put it on a bar or in a kitchen with little to no etching - and it can be useful for other surfacing, but, that's it my friends. It costs more (both in $ and environmental impact: consider the carbon load of manufacturing cement and plastic and the trucking of ingredients, recycled or not), it fades in the sun, engineered stone melts under pots over 300 degrees, actually catches on fire (I can light it with the flame of MAPP gas) read: TOXIC 911. Here is a killer: 'engineered'stone' isn't recommended for floors! - and shouldn't be used outside! - as it won't stand up to UV! What kind of 'stone' is that?! There is no way it could even come close to natural stone as a lifetime product - consider the generations that have observed all the stone structures that are still standing and will continue to do so for many more generations into the future! Just look at the Great Pyramids in Egypt. The man-made stuff will deteriorate as fast as its plastic or cement or other glue binder. Real natural stone has been proven all over the world throughout the centuries to stand the test of time like nothing else... what more can I say?! So 'franken/stepford-stone' vs real natural stone... we are free to choose.
If longevity is paramount and you want the real recycled abundant sustainable green choice I say put your money on natural stone, on history. Natural stone is history. Natural Stone is...
Scotia Slate's natural stone quarry re-opened and is now available again from ASN Natural Stone in medium to large random and cut sizes: 3/8"-1/2"-5/8" sorts x 1 to 3 feet for interior; and 1-1/2" to 1-3/4" and 2" for exterior wet or dry set with sizes up to 3 x 5 feet. Check our natural stone catalog for photos. Call for price quotes!
SFMOMA new sculpture garden opened May 10th; audio tour on your cell phone: 415 294 3609 see our catalog page for some sneak preview photos featuring ASN Natural Stone Lava Stone Walls.
Academy of Sciences is open also and is awesome, check out the Rainforest and Moss Room with ASN stairs and c-tops in Lido thanks to Lundberg Design.
AIA San Francisco at the Moscone was a nice show for ASN Natural Stone, we met some old friends and made some new ones - our grass floor by Rose was popular! We featured photos of some recent SF projects like MOMA's new sculpture garden wall; the Moss room at the New California Academy of Sciences; The DeYoung Museum and Epic Restaurant cladding. Met a landscape architect from Boston - small world indeed!
PIETRA DELLA LESSINIA is an eco-friendly pink cream natural stone extracted from the earth in slab form so no gang sawing is necessary. Large thin panels are available in interesting finishes. Call for samples. on this site click on Catalog to see pictures from an ancient quarry to ancient buildings and fences to modern structures to pavement. google The Arena in Verona for history!
EAST COAST LOCAEast coast location in Chicopee, Mass, is slowly but surely getting off the ground. Our warehouse in Chicopee is open Tues-Fri 8:30-5pm, aSaturdays 10-2; and our Northampton Design showroom is open to the public Mon-Sat 10:00-5:00p.m., but sometimes closed for lunch 12-1pm. Architects, Designers, Contractors, and the general public are welcome to come see and learn about stones anytime.
NEW EXPANDED SERVICE: ASN Natural Stone East has grown from wholesaling and is now offering fabrication and installation of slab stone and tile as of November 2008 including 'lean and green' 2cm (3/4") stone that is lighter and fabricates and installs easier for both cost efficiency and natural resource conservation! And what ASN Natural Stone fabricates is the best yet:
GOING GREEN + BUYING LOCAL+ SAVING! with a local stone: VT Verde Antique that looks like a beautiful marble yet outperforms many granites! ASN Natural Stone's quarry direct relationship means that we can keep stock of this incredibly beautiful dark green jewel like stone and thus charge only for the actual stone used on your job - within a half-slab. You can also use 2cm (3/4") thinner stone that stretches this already abundant natural resource. Less waste means a greener job and the savings stays with you! Who said going green isn't easy? It is a win-win for the practical and eco-conscious! We have other great stones available too. Every day is Earth Day at ASN Natural Stone!
ASN Natural Stone East is currently looking for strategic partner(s) to enable further growth and is open to investment offers of capital and material.
to learn a little about Alex and why Italian cars matter so much, especially now because they got me into stone: see:
http://www.businesswest.com/details.asp?id=1519
ASN Natural Stone is re-stocking some granites including Giallo Orientale, Nordic Black Satin, Ouro Brazil, Marianna Soapstone and many standards. We are also stocking 2cm Butterfly Green, Peacock, Tan Brown and Santa Cecelia that allows great value for countertops, and is sold by the half slab to further save you and your clients' $.
Our stone tile is priced very aggressively so CALL 413 552 0070 east
415 626 2616 west
Click here for directions to ASN Natural Stone EAST and recommended stone care. Call 415 626 2616 if you have any ?'s 4 ASN San Francisco.
