If you’ve never built a home or executed a kitchen or bath remodel, there’s a good chance you’re not exactly sure where to start. There’s a ton of information out there on the Internet, but if you’re new to the process, you may not even know which questions to ask or which terms to “Google.”

Beautiful bathroom by Boardman Design; Photo via Houzz

One question we get a lot is what’s the difference between a distributor and a fabricator, and how do you know who to turn to…and when? Here’s how it boils down:

Distributors or wholesalers are basically the suppliers to the natural stone industry. These are the people who provide access to the stone as well as technical support. At Marble and Granite, Inc., for example, we are the largest natural stone wholesaler in New England. We search the world over for top-quality materials, hand-selecting the very best products for our market. We “do our homework” to always stay on the forefront of design so that we can bring our discerning customers the products they’re looking for and also welcome them to visit our showrooms, where we’ll offer our knowledge, help them choose the right stone, and make sure they leave our showroom with a pleasant and unforgettable shopping experience.

Professional Lighting, Cleanliness and Climate Control: Our showroom in Westwood, MA

Fabricators are the hands-on stone experts who execute the process from templating to the final details of installation. This includes measuring, figuring out exactly how much stone, or other material, is needed, laying out the stone to ensure the best view of striations, veins, shading and other features of the surfacing product, executing edge details, and basically ensuring that your final product looks impeccably beautiful. At Marble and Granite, Inc., we have a network of over 500 fabricators who we trust to work with the materials we sell. We’re confident that these fabricators will focus on quality and offer the best final results possible.

Customer-friendly ambience of our showroom in Milford, CT

Of course wholesale distributors typically carry far more inventory than a fabricator, but depending on your particular project, a fabricator may be able to offer savings. If you’re working on a large project, say a master bath that includes vanity countertop, tub deck, and jams, you’ll want to go to a distributor. They’ll be sure to have enough of the material you’re looking for. However, if you’re just looking for surfacing for a small project, like a small single bowl countertop in a half-bath, then check out a fabricator. They’ll typically have tons of remnants for you to choose from, which can mean big savings.

In addition to our expert fabricator network, we also work with 1200 kitchen dealers and 1000 architects and designers, who we trust, and who put their faith in the quality of our materials. We’re happy to answer more questions that you might have about distributors, fabricators, specific types of natural stone and more. We have two beautiful well-lighted indoor showrooms in Westwood, MA and Milford, CT as shown in pictures above. We invite you to stop in any time to find answers to your tough questions. Check out our featured products in this Virtual Showcase below, and click to view pictures.

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