Masonry Magazine March 2008 Page. 37
Edwards says that the industry's investment in technology has evened the playing field. "I believe the homeowner would always rather have the real thing as opposed to manufactured, and I think the cost for natural stone is comparable now," she says. "If the consumer is given a choice, they're going to choose natural stone." Technological advances, such as natural thin stone, have not only increased the material's use among its core market share, but has opened the door for use in lower econonmies.
Choice.
IT COMES FROM A NEW ANGLE.
natural stone varieties is beginning to make its way into U.S. building designs.
Competition and technology
Dellacroce believes that the creation of manufactured stone proved to be a great boost to Genuine Stone because it "woke" the industry up and encouraged its members to look at the products differently. "The reason manufactured stone came into being was to answer something that the industry was not responding to," she says. In response, the stone industry created improved technologies that made their products more competitive, both in physical structure and price, such as the introduction of natural thin stone. "Most of the major stone quarries around the United States are now producing their own thin stone," Dellacroce explains. "It's great because it has all of the benefits that the manufactured stone had - a lighter weight, more cost effective, and easier to install-but it's real stone."
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CIRCLE 116 ON READER SERVICE CARD
March 2008
Masonry 35