David DeFelice, above, is WallGoldfinger's stone supplier and expert. It's Dave who WallGoldfinger estimators, sales team and project managers turn to when a designer requests stone for their client's table, credenza, reception desk or more. Here Dave talks about the trend toward specifying luxurious Calacatta marble and cost saving alternatives.
"Designers across the country, and the world, have been and continue to specify Calacatta Gold or Calacatta Extra marble for their projects. Considered a luxury stone only available in a region of Italy, Calacatta's soft, wide veining may be attractive but this stone comes at a significant cost due its limited availability.
Consequently, manufacturers like WallGoldfinger are suggesting alternatives to Calacatta and, as the Asian and Middle Eastern markets make a dent in Calacatta supplies, clients are taking note of tripling prices and making alternative choices.
There are more than 3,500 colors of stone on the market today. Add in stone alternatives and the choices grow exponentially.
When it comes to mimicking Calacatta at a fraction of the cost, porcelains like those sold by Constantio, StonePeak and Dekton, do well as they are literally a printed image of Calacatta. But unlike real stone and some engineered substitutes we will soon describe, porcelain's patterning only appears on the top surface, rather than carrying throughout the depth of the sheet. Creating a finished edge is thus required.
Engineered quartzes are made by a host of different companies from throughout the world, including Caesarstone, Cambria, Zodiaq, ColorQuartz, PentalQuartz, Polarstone, OKITE and Silestone. DuPont's Zodiaq Calacatta Natura is perhaps the best match to Calacatta and in fact recently won favor with a major client due to its quality look and drastically lower price.
When it comes to natural stones, Polycor makes light marbles that tend more toward gray and Vermont Quarries renowned Danby marble is a favorite for its quality. In fact, a client recently opted for Danby over Calacatta because of its beauty and density at a quarter to half the price of Calacatta.
While designers will no doubt continue to specify Italy's finest Calacatta, the white stone craze - and budgets - need not focus solely on this high-end marble. Beautiful options can be manmade or acquired just miles from WallGoldfinger's furniture plant in the form of Vermont Danby."
