Not all Carrara Marble is Equal

In the background is lot# 683535-12 ‘C’ Grade Italian Marble 12×24″ Honed $10.95SF (we only import ‘C’ grade but as with everything occasionally there is the exceptional).  On top of it is 12×12″ CD Grade Italian marble.  Available almost everywhere. On it’s own without comparison lower grade Carrara looks okay.  Put it next to our tile and their is no comparison.

Let me take you through the decision making process and you see which direction you would have chose when importing Italian marble. It was the Summer of 2014 in Carrara, Italy. Blocks were cut, all you had to do was choose which blocks you wanted to have cut into tiles.  They would then be cut up into the sizes you specify (12×12“, 6×12“, 12×24” etc), boxed, put inside wooden crates and shipped to the USA.

Which blocks do you choose?  There are hundreds of them.  There are a huge number of darker gray blocks with little veining.  There are far less white colored blocks.  The price of the blocks is reflected by this supply and demand.

Now comes the decision making: Pay $2 to $2 a Square Foot less than the premium white and get the gray blocks. Or opt for the best this beautiful white mountain has to offer.

You have to make a choice pay the lower price and import the ‘CD’ grade like almost every other US importer of Carrara or go for the premium product.  The whitest base Carrara Bianco available.

The USA is a very price sensitive market.  If we did not buy these blocks of Carrara then most likely it would head off somewhere else in the world. But everything comes back to the same question “What would I want in my bathroom/kitchen?” and “What would I want to wake up to and look at for the nest 20 years or more?”  Given the length of time this Home Improvement will last, I want the best marble I can get. A couple of dollars a square foot more is okay as long as I understand the rationale behind it.

Hope this explains why our quality of Carrara is so high, it is not an accident it is by design.  We have selected blocks to get the best look.  Italy charges more, it does not fit what everyone is looking for, some people are all price ( I understand that, perhaps it is a flip) we are price and quality.  See for yourself, order a sample, call us, ask for pictures of our current lots compared to ‘CD’ grade Carrara.  Communication is the key, it is a big project, work with us, we are here to help!  Questions email sales@thebuilderdepot.com or call 800-308-9359.