Flooring tile retailers and commercial installers in the Miami area are always looking for the best price on a supply of high-quality marble. This product is very popular as a floor covering material in the southern part of Florida. Homeowners and business property developers favor marble because of its beauty, lasting durability, and low maintenance cost.
Marble can be very expensive to obtain unless it is purchased in bulk. This is due mainly because of its weight – which means costly shipping rates – and because most of the prime marble extracted from quarries must be shipped overseas. A direct importer and distributor of marble floor tiles is the best bet for procuring this product at wholesale prices.
At Stonexchange, we operate our own manufacturing facility and import bulk quantities of all the popular shades and textures of marble. This is good news for commercial contractors, independent installers, and flooring product outlet stores. Having and maintaining an inventory of the exact type and color shade of marble results in a much higher number of repeat customers.
The Benefits of Marble Flooring
Ever since it was first quarried and shaped, marble has been a preferred building material. In centuries past, marble symbolized opulence, wealth, and positive social status. Long ago, marble was extracted using crude tools and was carried great distances by humans or camels. This presented a problem for buyers because of the immense amount of labor required to bring it to its final destination.
Only the wealthy could afford to purchase marble. This material was used in the construction of columns, exterior and interior walls, and atrium floors. Today, many people still think of marble as a product reserved for the rich and famous. However, the modern methods used to extract and cut this natural stone has helped to significantly reduce the price tag of ownership.
The benefits of using marble in construction are many and include:
- Durability and resistance to fading
- Increase in the value of the property
- Practically no maintenance required
- A natural air conditioning effect that saves on energy costs
Marble is rather complex in its structure. It is formed when heat and high pressure combine to change the bonding of different mineral compounds. The result is a very hard, dense, and beautiful stone.
Marble will scratch unless it is polished. However, it does not chip or break very easily, and once it is installed as a floor covering, it will outlast the rest of the property. Marble is virtually impervious to water penetration, meaning that it stands up well to high humidity. It does not stain, and it requires only an occasional polish touch-up in order for it to retain its lustrous appearance.
Marble tiles are often preferred because they substantially increase a property’s value. The initial cost of installation is more than offset by the higher appraisal value of the home or office building. The appearance of a marble floor will also act as a strong selling point, especially when it comes to swaying the minds of potential home buyers.
Marble floors are an energy saver. This stone does not reflect or absorb heat very well. This helps to create a cool air layer in the home or office interior. Marble cools off very quickly, meaning that the room in which it is used as a floor covering will stay at a more stabilized temperature all day and all night.
Good News for Retailers and Commercial Installers
A property development project may include the laying marble floor tiles, and subcontractors will need to find a supplier that can ship hundreds or even thousands of similar pieces. These installers often purchase from a local distributor, one that has ties to a direct importer of fine-quality natural stone. If the outlet store is able to purchase the material at a substantial cost savings, the installer saves money as well.
An importer of natural stone tiles is constantly ordering product from overseas. Stonexchange is a prime example of a distributor able to save commercial customers money on bulk orders. Our company has eliminated the middle mark-up man because we own or have part ownership in the fabrication facilities. Those who purchase from us save money because they are buying directly from the producer of the material.
The key to our company’s success is maintaining an inventory of every type of marble commonly used in homes and office buildings. Building plans usually specify a generic or industrial name for the marble shade, and we import tiles that perfectly match the installer’s request. Buying in bulk not only means a tremendous cost savings, it also allows retailers or their commercial customers the opportunity for multiple placement patterns. This eliminates one of the most common installation headaches otherwise endured by installation specialists.
What the People Want
In South Florida, particularly the Miami area, certain shades of marble are more commonly used than others. These include crema and white carrara. The crema sold by Stonexchange is known as Sahara Marfil, and this shade is a perfect match for building plans specifying the use of Botticcino or Bursa, two of the popular cream shades.
Our Nuevo White Carrara marble is off-white and is streaked with beautiful gray patterns. This is the shade often seen inside office buildings, on government property atriums floors, and for the construction of columns. It is also perfect for living rooms, especially as a tile covering in front of a fireplace.
Mixed shade marble tiles are also popular. The contaminants present in the stone result in rosy, green, or French pattern tiles. These are known by various names, but all are popular for use as floor tiles, countertops, and even window sills.
The Ordering Process
Stonexchange sells product to commercial clients only. Our orders are full crate containers, and we ship these crates to customers all across the nation. Our popular tile shades are packed into large overseas freight containers and sent directly to our Miami-based warehouse center.
From there, the orders are sealed into overland shipping crates and delivered directly to the client. We will ship to a warehouse, flooring retailer, commercially rented storage facility, or even to a construction job site. For standard orders that do not include custom-size pieces, we process the request and send out the product in as little as two or three business days.
We maintain a business relationship with numerous retailers throughout the Miami area and the southeastern portion of the United States. Many of our customers have a recurring order schedule and take advantage of our low prices year-round. Here in the Miami area, the building season does not slow down during the mild winter, and we make certain that all of the popular marble styles and colors are available even in December, January, and February.
Custom orders may take longer to process. Tiles that come in sizes larger than the standard 12″ X 12″ may require a special instruction given to our overseas cutting and fabrication facility. Large development projects often subcontract for the installation of tiles, and the lead time of two or three months is generally not a problem. We understand that many of the projects utilizing materials purchased from Stonexchange involve early bid placements, and we therefore can guarantee a price well ahead of the actual delivery date.
For orders involving standard sizes of floor tiles, we take the customer information, number of tiles required, style and color indicated, and then we generate an immediate price quote. Our customers save on shipping costs as well. We deliver throughout the Miami area on a constant basis, and our shipping company partners give us a break on freight charges. We are happy to pass this along to our loyal customers.
Quality Is Guaranteed
The wholesale marble distribution industry is rather complex, and it takes the right sort of business and marketing plan to make it work properly in terms of cost efficiency. Even wholesale prices do not necessarily mean inexpensive product for the buyer. Only through bulk ordering and delivery can our commercial customers enjoy a per-piece cost that is far below retail.
Take a moment to contact us with your order requirements. We think you will be pleasantly surprised at our prices, delivery schedules, and quality guarantee. Our business survives and flourishes for one reason only, and that reason is our loyal customer base. These clients have discovered the lowest price on premium quality marble tile, and they are extremely happy with every purchase.