Volga Blue differences

Hi there, my wife and I have decided to purchase Volga Blue granite for our kitchen (and I know it's a personal favourite of yours) but are confused about the differences between different slabs. The first slab I saw from a local supplier in Toronto was outstanding. The blue "eyes" were big and had great presence to them. The problem is that each slab measured 144 x 73 and it was the largest slab in the entire warehouse. Accordingly, my installer has raised his price by quite a bit because he will have extensive waste from 2 slabs that big (for a 71 sq ft kitchen). So I went to 4 other local granite suppliers to see their Volga Blue and none of the others compared to the original one that my wife and I saw. They had less "eyes" and overall were less appealing. Can this occur? Are there different grades of Volga Blue granite? Do some POP more than others? Thanks

 

Dear Bruno:

Unfortunately stone is a product of nature and, depending from which quarry, or even simply which corner of the same quarry it comes from, it can display differences that at times can be dramatic.

As for the grading, of course there are different grades: like I said it is a product of nature after all. Unfortunately, however, the stone industry never got around to mandate appropriate grading for stone (heck, they can't even tell you the real classification of a stone!), and therefore you're just at the mercy of the merchants you're dealing with.

And that is why the world needs marblecleaning.org!

Now remember, it's never too early to think about the proper maintenance of your stone. The issue of what you'll be doing day in and day out to your stone is – as it should be intuitive – vastly more important than its sealing (if and when possible and/or advisable – which in the case of Volga Blue is both impossible and not advisable) and it's all too often neglected. As you can tell by reading many of this site's postings, you're not likely to get good information about routine care from your dealer or installer. Don't become another statistic! By logging into the Helpful Hints section of our website at:  http://www.mbstone.com/HH_promo/helpful_hints.htm , you will be able to get the short version of our maintenance guidelines at no charge. The full version of it – a 7-page document considered by many as an industry benchmark – is available in pay- per-download format in our Educational Literature section at:  http://www.mbstone.com/literature/literature.htm .  

And remember, every single penny of the cost of the literature will be used to support this site and its cause: your cause.

While you are in the “Helpful Hints” section, do spend some time reading all of the interesting FREE articles you'll find in there!

Finally, keep in mind that we need your support to help us helping you!

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By spreading the word about this valuable site among your friend & family and the stone trades' people you've been dealing with, you will be rendering everybody a valuable service!

Thank you  

Ciao and good luck,

Maurizio Bertoli

 

www.marblecleaning.org – The only Consumers' Portal to the Stone Industry Establishment!