Stone Selection Ltd. is consistently traveling the globe in search of the best materials available in the market to meet our customers discriminating needs. With over 30 years experience in the Natural Stone Industry, we hand pick our materials from the world’s best factories.
The journey often begins in remote quarries around the world in search of exotic and exclusive materials. We inspect blocks that have been removed from mountain, surface and subterranean quarries. Recent advancements in quarrying technologies and diamond tooling allows for larger block production (yielding larger slabs) with less impact and damage to the blocks then was previously available by reducing blasting in the quarries and a more gentle production and handling process. Quarries are now subject to reclamation practices, requiring returning any removed soil and vegetation to the site and leaving the site as close to it’s natural state as possible.
The first step in the new process for cutting the blocks involves a diamond wire saw that squares the blocks preparing them for future cutting. The blocks are then sawn into slabs with a different multi-wire diamond saw or a conventional gang-saw. This cutting process can take from a few hours to many days depending on the material being produced and the sawing method. The new multi-wire diamond saws are faster and more gentle on the material.
After being inspected again and going through multiple stages of dehydration machinery. The cut slabs are then treated with the latest advancements in resin and resin application technology. Using vacuum resin application followed by UV and microwave resin curing, the slabs are then ready to be polished with diamonds. The new polishing lines have 22 separate stages to bring out the best finish. These technologies all explain why our slabs just look better – come see for yourself.
The materials are handled with vacuum lifters and robots. This is especially crucial during the resin application and curing process to prevent stressing the uncured slabs. The slabs are checked again and robotically sprayed with a biodegradable protective packaging material to prevent scratching during shipping. This reduces the millions of pounds of plastic sheets that were previously used to prevent scratching.
The finished materials are packed in recyclable wood crating and then loaded in to shipping containers. The containers are then shipped to either coast in Canada at which point they are loading on rail and brought to Calgary, they are only on truck for a few kilometers. This helps reduce the carbon footprint as steamship and rail use less energy to move material then conventional long-haul trucking.
At last, the stone arrives at Stone Selection where it is added to our ever increasing collection of the finest granite, marble, quartz, engineered stone and Precioustone™. We constantly research the latest trends and technologies to make sure we have assembled the greatest selection possible. It is here at Stone Seelction that the stone awaits it’s final destination – your home.
Stone Selection Ltd. 403 214 2363 1240 - 26th Ave S.E. Calgary Alberta T2G 5S2