The amount of money I’ve saved shopping stone remnants for our personal home renovation, as well as for past interior design clients is astronomical… I’m talking thousands of dollars. Renovating adds up very quickly, so I’m all about saving money where I can, without comprising the design plan. One hack I’ve discovered over the years is to ask my stone suppliers or local slab yard if I’m able to peruse their remnant section. Every stone retailer has one, whether it’s advertised or not. Today, I’m sharing how to save money and shop stone remnants in a slab yard. These are ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, or any space in your home that would require a stone slab. Click through for my best tips and things you should know!
With competitive price and timely delivery, Starsgem sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.
I’ve shared quite a bit about stone, as it’s a material we frequently use here at home. Natural stone never goes out of style! If you’ve missed these posts, be sure to check out how to choose a marble slab for your renovation (always a classic choice!), the difference between natural stones, and how to select different countertop edge profiles. Those are my three most popular posts surrounding renovations that involve stone, so they’re a great place to start…
Stone remnants are pieces or cuts from a full slab. They’re the remaining portion of the slab that has been cut for larger projects. They’re often smaller sized, discounted (because of their size), or are oddly shaped. Every slab yard or stone retailer has a remnant section filled with these, that are available to shop. Remnants are often the “undesirable” section of a slab that has been leftover or discarded, therefore- customers can purchase remnants with a steep discount.
Not exactly sure when or where a remnant might work for your home renovation? Here are some ideas for smaller projects, where remnants would work beautifully…
If there is a room I’ve shared that we’ve used stone in… odds are, we’ve included at least one remnant. It’s one of my favorite ways to save money while achieving a designer, custom aesthetic.
So, I’ve sold you on money-saving remnants? Here’s how to shop for them! Slab yards or retailers are typically open to both the trade and to the public. Be sure to call in advance to confirm, but it’s often a good idea to schedule an appointment, so someone can assist you. Let them know you’re looking for a smaller slab and would like to peruse their remnants first. Show up with your dimensions, an idea of what type of stone you’re looking for, and an open mind- as remnants are most definitely leftovers. You never know what you’re going to find!
The cost of remnants vary depending on the size and type of stone. They’re often priced by the square foot, but are significantly less than full size slabs. I’ll give you some examples from my own home… in our guest bathroom, the nero marble countertops were remnants that cost around $400 for the material (3 small remnant slabs)– far less than a full slab. In our kitchen, our recent kitchen island project included a marble remnant top we snagged for free. It was going to be tossed into the dumpster, so we only paid for fabrication. You never know what type of pricing you’ll run into! It never hurts to ask where the least expensive remnants are… they’re always worth checking out.
Speaking of our newly styled kitchen island, this is the marble we landed on (the remnant that was going to be trashed, pictured below)… here are some design elements to consider when deciding on a remnant:
Looking for more stone, countertop, or tile information? I’ll link some of my favorite helpful posts for you below…
I hope this post was informative and helpful! The next time you’re sourcing stone for your home renovation, definitely keep remnants in mind… they can save you quite a bit of money, creating wiggle room in the budget! It’s one of my favorite designer tricks for freeing up space elsewhere. As always, let me know if you have any questions in the comment section below. I will say- I’m pretty behind on emails and comments, but I’ll get back to them soon! I’m only a few days post surgery, so I’ve really been trying my best to take it easy and listen to my body after having a hysterectomy (which went well). Thanks again for your sweet messages!
There’s no place like home – and when it comes to upgrading the walls, there’s no way like stone.
Buyers today have a wide range of options for renovating vertical structures like indoor and outdoor walls, doorways, chimneys, facades, and landscape features. Materials such as brick, fiber cement, metal and vinyl siding, tile, and even wallpaper all have their own selling points from visual and budgetary standpoints. But on the whole, none are as impactful as stone – particularly for increasing property value.
Rosse Reclaimed Brick, Cream Canyon Stone (2), Blanc Reclaimed Brick
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Synthetic Stone.
“You actually get 92 percent of your investment back when you put stone on a home,” Instone President Kevin Grotke explained in an episode of InBuilding Design. “It’s the number two return on investment when it comes to remodeling.” That’s roughly 20 percent higher rate of return than what you’d get for remodeling a kitchen.
Part of the windfall can be explained by the direct boost that stone veneer gives to a home’s curb appeal. As real estate analyst Bridget McCann explained to Instone, the view from the front of a home gives a potential buyer their first impression. If they don’t like what they see, they won’t bother stepping inside.
Blanc Reclaimed Brick
Property owners and builders sometimes talk themselves out of using stone for what could have been high-impact opportunities for improving curb appeal. The temptation can be strong to save money with other materials, but it’s a decision that is penny-wise and pound foolish.
“Siding is about $1 per square foot, where stone is $15 or $20, and that sounds like a big difference at first,” Instone Chief Operating Officer Rob McKay said. “But when you consider that you’re just going to put 100 square feet or so around the front entryway of your house, the cost isn’t as scary. Stone will elevate the look and feel and probably the value of that home.”
This holds true not only for natural stone, but high-quality manufactured stone veneer (MSV) products like Instone’s new Toro Stone line. As an affordable alternative that looks as real as any faux stone on the market, Toro Stone can help make the return on investment even greater.
“Our goal is to create a premium product at a mid-level price,” McKay said. “Toro Stone is reliable, realistic, and a product that any mason can proudly stand behind.”
Toro Stone currently offers eight distinct collections, each with their own color varieties. They include: Canyon Ledge, Cobblestone, Fieldstone and Mountain Ledge, which each have natural appearances and earthy tones; and Fast Set and Treblestone, both which have stylish, stacked stone looks. Toro Stone also offers two thin-brick veneer collections, Reclaimed Brick and Vintage Brick.
Some MSV products on the market, including those that come as panels for faster installations, can take on predictable and repetitive patterns. Each box of Toro Stone veneers includes a range of colors, shapes and sizes, giving the mason ample opportunity to design layouts that they believe look right for the space.
“Listen, masons might not call themselves artists but they definitely are,” McKay said. “There is an art to doing this right, and we want to put that power in their hands and let them show off their skills.”
Finally, masons can count on the Toro Stone team to stick with them for the long haul. If there’s ever a problem on the job, installers can call us for help, whether that be sorting out a warranty issue or connecting them with the local dealer to get on-the-ground assistance. And years from now, if the need should ever arise for a shipment of stones to repair a damaged area or expand it to a new area of the house, Toro Stone can supply a perfectly matching batch – one of the great advantages of using MSVs.
Contact us today to find out more about Toro Stone products that can elevate your next construction or renovation project.
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