If you’re looking for a great source of natural stone, it can pay to recycle. From a new vanity top to materials for tile flooring, using a whole new slab can be costly and unnecessary. A lot of the time, remnants can give you the same excellent materials, at a cost that’s hard to beat.

Remnants are a natural part of the stone fabrication process. Most stone slabs don’t exactly fit the dimensions the buyer needs them to fill, so a piece is cut off and shipped away. That means the fabricators are left with huge pieces of slate, marble and granite cut in irregular shapes and sizes. Remnants can even include pre-fabricated pieces designed for a variety of sizes and spaces; if one of those fits the dimensions and design of your home, you can save a tremendous amount of money.

When you’re checking around at stone shops for a material that fits the style you want for your home, it’s a good idea to ask to see their supply of remnants. You can probably find a supply as varied as the materials they have to offer, in every shape and size, so it can be useful to try several different vendors. You can find a list of stone fabricators in your area on the Marble and Granite website.

Regardless of whether you use remnants or stone cut from a whole slab, you’re getting the same elegant, durable material that you’d expect from natural stone. You’re also doing the fabricators a favor by taking a few odd-shaped pieces off their hands, so plenty of stone shops will advertise their supply of remnants to you. So take a close look, and see if remnants might be able to fit your needs.