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Post by mscantrell on Mar 3, 2015 10:30:32 GMT -8
Good morning all!
I just learned something, so why not share?
I'm planning on a single-bell batch-box masonry heater this summer, and the current front-runner design is a tall fieldstone rectangle.
But I got to thinking, "You know what would be a way to trade some money for time and achieve an almost-guaranteed beautiful level of fit and finish? A tall box built of four stone slabs and a small one on top. Who sells stone slabs? Monument companies."
So I called my local monument company. I talked to a real helpful guy about what I was after, and here's what I learned:
1. Monument companies generally buy slabs from quarries and engrave them in-house. They're not sawing or grinding anything after it arrives; they order the faces and edges the way they want them.
2. A 60" x 36" x 4" slab costs around $800. Freight from Georgia to Michigan is around $700. So my box would carry a price tag of about $3900 plus some miscs.
3. That slab would weigh a little over 1,000 lbs, so four of them plus a cap would get you over two tons handily. (Would also require equipment to erect.)
4. He knew about limestone and granite, but had never dealt with soapstone.
So. That's an itty-bitty piece of knowledge, but it was useful for me, so maybe it will be useful for you too.
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Post by satamax on Mar 3, 2015 12:31:55 GMT -8
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Post by DCish on Mar 4, 2015 6:21:46 GMT -8
Countertop installers often have lots of scraps where they cut out sinks and when they cut an end off of stones too long. Some folks do soapstone countertops. It's a bit more rare, but I was able to find a few pieces. Not quite enough to make anything out of though. Might be worth checking in your area.
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