I was at my local marble fabricator yesterday with a client and it dawned on me that so many people out there are spending thousands of dollars to buy marble, granite and exotic stones for their counter top and marble surround applications.
Others are simply avoiding it because these large figures just don’t fit into their renovation budget.
The truth is that if your job is very large, the common process begins by going to the marble showroom to be accompanied around by a sales representative to pick out your stone slabs. These slabs then get shipped to your local fabricator to be cut, sized and crafted to your exact measurements and style requirements.
On the other hand, if you are not too fussy about the type of stone you are looking for, and you are planning to do a small job that may consist of a fireplace hearth, a vanity counter top, or even a small kitchen counter, you can go directly to the source and hit your local fabricator to see what remnants they have kicking around.
Marble, granite, quartz and precious stones are sold by the full slab only; it is very rare that a showroom or stone retailer will sell you half a slab or a piece of the slab. However, by going to the fabricator direct you do have the opportunity to save big bucks and purchase a small chunk of a slab for your project.
Fabricators will often have a lot of leftover slabs in their shop that they either buy in bulk or have as leftovers from big jobs.
By going to the fabricator direct you avoid the middle man and are able to negotiate a good rate on the marble piece and the fabrication.
The only downside of going direct is that of course, the choices are limited, but you never know what exotic pieces could be lurking inthe dusty shop!
In a world where we are all watching our dollar, this is a great approach to take and a wonderful insider tip that not many consumers are aware of. It is also a great opportunity to get your hands on something that you thought you could not even budget for!  On average you could save between 30% to 50% depending on the rarity, size and type of stone.
Most fabricators will allow any shopper to walk in through their doors. There are only a select few that are reserved solely for the trade. Your best bet is to hit a small mom-and-pop shop and call ahead to be sure
