A Short Primer

For the Natural Stone Industry

By Richard P. Goldberg, AIA, CSI

DIMENSIONAL STONE - June 15, 1998

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Continued from

Selecting Stone Tiles

How do people generally select stone tiles? The selection process can be overwhelming unless you take your customers through a methodical approach. Aside from the cost, which arguably should not be the most important criteria, stone should, first, be selected by identifying the intended use and then, secondly, an analysis should be made of the physical characteristics that meet these requirements. For example, where will the stone be used?

• Interior or exterior?
• Commercial or residential?
• Floors or walls?

Once the use has been determined, the physical characteristics that meet these requirements should be considered. Some physical characteristics of natural stone are as follows:

• Color;
• Size;
• Availability;
• Water absorption;
• Stain/abrasion/slip resistance; and
• Installation materials required

"What if a 'stone neophyte' comes to you for a certain project in his/her respective home or business? Shouldn't this person be made knowledgeable of the who, what, when, where, why and how of stone?"

Obviously, it's up to your people to know a little about these items, then to intelligently convey to customers reasons why the variegated Tinos Green marble tiles would be more suited for bathroom walls than for kitchen countertops. Or, the reasons why a granite tile would perform so well on a high-traffic entrance foyer.