Why Doesn't L.J. Stone Install Actual Stone Showers?
Stone's in the name, but not exactly in our remodeling game. If you visit our showroom or talk with us about remodeling your bathroom, you’ll discover something interesting:
We don’t install natural stone showers.
No marble. No granite. No traditional stone.
For a company with the word “Stone” in its name, that might seem a little unusual. But there are several reasons we’ve chosen to offer other materials instead.
At L.J. Stone, we believe choosing a bathroom remodeling material involves more than finding something that looks beautiful. Cost, maintenance, everyday performance, and even how materials are manufactured and fabricated are worth considering.
Here’s why we’ve chosen a different direction.
- Stone Is Beautiful, but It Can Be Expensive
- There’s no denying the beauty of natural stone.
Marble, granite, and other natural materials can create incredible bathrooms. Their unique patterns and colors can make every shower one of a kind.
That beauty can come with a substantial price tag.
Natural stone can be expensive to purchase, transport, fabricate, and install. Installation may require specialized cutting, additional preparation, waterproofing, grout work, sealing, and skilled labor.
And the expense doesn’t necessarily end when the installation is finished.
Depending on the stone and how the shower is used, periodic sealing and specialized cleaning products may be recommended to protect its appearance.
For someone who loves natural stone, those additional costs may be completely worthwhile. We simply believe homeowners should understand the long-term cost of owning the material, not just the initial price.
Natural Stone Is Porous
Another consideration is something you can’t necessarily see.
Many natural stones are porous, meaning they contain tiny openings that can absorb moisture and other substances.
That becomes particularly important in a shower, where surfaces are routinely exposed to water, soap, shampoo, body oils, minerals, and cleaning products.
Porosity varies considerably between different types of stone. Some are much more absorbent than others. Depending on the material, homeowners may have to consider staining, mineral buildup, discoloration, etching, specialized cleaning, and periodic sealing.
That doesn’t mean natural stone can’t perform well in a shower. A properly built stone shower should have a waterproofing system beneath the finished surface, and an experienced stone contractor can explain the maintenance required for the particular material you're considering.
At L.J. Stone, we’ve chosen to focus instead on nonporous, low-maintenance shower materials designed for everyday use.
For many homeowners, the goal isn’t simply to have a beautiful bathroom. It’s to have a beautiful bathroom that doesn’t become another household chore.
There’s Another Side to Some Engineered Stone Products
Natural stone isn’t the only way to achieve a stone appearance.
Engineered stone products can provide beautiful colors and patterns while offering characteristics that differ from natural stone.
However, there’s an important occupational health issue surrounding some high-silica engineered stone products, particularly during fabrication.
Certain engineered stone products can contain very high concentrations of crystalline silica. When workers cut, grind, drill, or polish these materials, extremely small particles of silica-containing dust can become airborne.
If adequate safety measures aren't used, workers can inhale those particles deep into their lungs. (cdc.gov)
Long-term or intense exposure to respirable crystalline silica can cause silicosis, an incurable lung disease that causes permanent scarring of the lungs. Exposure is also associated with other serious health conditions. (osha.gov)
An important distinction needs to be made here:
The primary concern is the dust created during fabrication—not simply having a finished product installed in your bathroom.
Not every engineered material contains the same amount of crystalline silica, either. Manufactured shower materials vary significantly in their composition. Products such as mineral-resin composites and other solid-surface materials shouldn't automatically be placed in the same category as high-silica engineered quartz.
We Think About the People Behind the Products, Too
At L.J. Stone, we spend a lot of time thinking about the homeowner who will ultimately use the bathroom.
But we also believe it’s worth thinking about the people behind the products.
The people who manufacture them. The people who fabricate them. And the people who install them.
Many manufacturers and fabrication companies take worker safety seriously and use wet-cutting methods, ventilation, dust collection, respiratory protection, and other practices designed to reduce silica exposure. (osha.gov)
Our decision not to offer traditional stone isn't a judgment of those companies or contractors.
It’s simply one consideration among several that has influenced the types of bathroom remodeling systems we've chosen to offer.
What Do We Install Instead?
Rather than traditional natural stone showers, L.J. Stone specializes in high-performance manufactured bath and shower systems designed to provide beauty without many of the maintenance requirements associated with natural stone.
We select our bathroom products with several priorities in mind:
Beautiful design with numerous colors, patterns, textures, and accessories.
Low maintenance with nonporous surfaces that don't require periodic stone sealing.
Durability for the demands of everyday bathroom use.
Predictable installation that allows many tub and shower projects to be completed in as little as one to two days, depending on the project.
Long-term protection through manufacturer material warranties combined with L.J. Stone’s lifetime workmanship warranty on our installation labor, subject to the applicable warranty terms.
So, Is Stone a Bad Choice?
Not at all. If you love the uniqueness of natural stone and are comfortable with its price, installation process, and maintenance requirements, it may be exactly what you're looking for. There are contractors who specialize in stone and can help you explore those options.
We've simply chosen a different path.
We want homeowners to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the materials they're considering so they can decide what makes the most sense for their home.
And yes, we recognize the irony.
Our name may be L.J. Stone, but we don't actually install stone showers.
Instead, we've chosen materials that better align with what we want the remodeling experience to be: beautiful, durable, low-maintenance, and predictable.
Because ultimately, that's what our name represents today:
L.J. Stone — We make home improvement predictable.