The American Stone Company team consists of passionate, highly trained and qualified professionals at every level. This begins with the wealth of knowledge that our CEO, Maurizio Ghiotto, brings and ends with our expert installers who bring over 30 years of experience to deliver exceptional work. In between, our project managers, coordinators and superintendents share the same passion and drive to make sure that we deliver the highest quality projects safely and on time. We expect nothing less from the suppliers and subcontractors that we choose to partner with – only selecting the industry’s best. American Stone Company’s proven, methodic approach simplifies complex projects and makes it easy for our clients and partners to work with us.
Material Selection
Though the selection process can seem daunting with so many amazing materials to choose from, selecting the perfect material for a project is critical. That is why, during this initial and important stage, we aim to educate all parties involved on the unique qualities that each material has to offer. Such education is inclusive of various installation methods, techniques and future maintenance requirements. ASC maintains deep relationships with stone suppliers all over the world and has a proven track record of credibility that ensures those suppliers want to work with us and will deliver the best quality product on time. Our supply chain has experience sourcing and shipping material from many countries including Italy, Spain, Portugal, China, Israel, India, Mexico, Canada, and the US.
3rd Party Inspection
For expensive or complex installations which utilize rare materials or require very strict design criteria, ASC often recommends to its clients that they commission a 3rd party stone inspector. A 3rd party expert is critical to the process because they can communicate and confirm stone rarity by stone type and source particularly because they possess the knowledge of the quarry’s history as they remove blocks from a mountain for projects all over the world. American Stone has an extensive history of successfully working with 3rd party inspectors on many projects to meet the highest standard of installation the first time.
Dry Lay
Dry laying is the process of placing tiles or slabs on the ground without any adhesive to plan the layout of the floor or wall. This is a particularly critical activity when a client is specifying a certain color tone or continuity of vein structure on a large feature. Because a stone’s unique features are such a critical component of final aesthetics, this activity often overlooked by other installers, can be the most important part of the process. American Stone has over 25 years of experience working with quarry’s, inspectors, architects, and clients and has mastered this process to ensure installations exceed all expectations the first time. We host clients’ visits to quarries to select blocks and slabs and then utilize overhead cameras and/or drones for shop dry lays to ensure we capture the over-all image before we execute permanent installation.
Drafting
Drafting is the process of translating the architects design, general contractors building specifications, and peculiarity of stone manufacturing into fabrication drawings. After client sign-off, fabrication and installation processes conform to these drawings to ensure accurate, timely project delivery with minimal waste. One consistent challenge with this stage is that often the as-designed dimensions provided by the client do not always reflect the as-constructed dimensions. Even a 1/8” difference can throw off an entire pattern, require costly rework, or leave un-appealing seams.
Fabrication
Fabrication is the process of translating the fabrication drawings into packaged tiles or panels that can be transported and installed productively. The ASC fabrication facility is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery that can fabricate up to 30,000 square feet per month onsite. In addition, our worldwide network of factories can produce material for projects of any size, according to our specifications. ASC prides itself on staying at the forefront of the latest cutting methodology and equipment. We have recently installed a large 5-axis WaterJet from one of Italy’s premiere equipment manufacturers.
Finishing
The most common type of stone finish is ‘polished’ but there are a variety other possible finishes include honed, sand-blasted, brushed, flamed, and tooled. The surface finish you choose will affect the look and feel of your room and the maintenance of your stone. Variations of finishes can be combined in a project to present a unique aesthetic.
Installation
Installation is the culmination of all the previous hard work from the earlier stages of the project. This is also the point at which the work becomes permanent, so it is increasingly difficult to make corrections as final installation is performed. A successful installation begins with receiving, unpacking, and verifying the material supplied. Expert installers will follow the shop drawings and sequences that have been developed during the drafting and dry laying stages and ensure that the precise patterns are placed and adhered properly.
There are different types of adhesion methods for stone tiles, primarily depending on whether they are internal or external and vertical or horizontal. Typically a manual adhesive material is spread evenly on the back of each tile before placing the tile on the final location. Other tiles may require a mechanical anchoring process. Regardless of the method, establishing a level surface is critical. It is truly impressive to see the capabilities of our installers at this stage.
Offerings
- Columns and Other Specialty Work
- Exterior Flooring
- Exterior Walls
- Interior Cladding
- Interior Flooring
- Interior Tops and Tables
- Conference Tables
- Repair and Maintenance
Material
- Granite
- Marble
- Terrazzo
- Tiles
- Porcelain
- Quartz
Certifications
- Louisiana State Contractors License
- Incorporated and Registered in California
- NTMA Affiliated