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Diversifying a stone fabrication shop: in this online forum, conducted at www.StoneAdvice.com, stone industry professionals discuss how they have adjusted or expanded their product lines and client base to meet today's challenging business conditions.

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Q: With the decline in countertop sales in general, how many fabricators out there have been able to successfully increase their product lineup to the point that it is a legitimate profit center? What stone products are you offering in addition to countertops, and were there challenges in crafting these products? Has your work expanded beyond stone (I have heard that this is the case for some waterjet fabricators)?

Eli Polite, Delaware: I have been fabricating multiple surfaces from the beginning--15 years ago. I have never been dependent on one surface material. I started with laminate solid surface and butcher block, and then moved into stone. From there, I moved into engineered stone and now some of the new green materials.

I would have to say that if you're planning on adding a new material, you will have to do some research. Find out what is selling in your area and find out exactly what is involved in fabricating those materials. Solid surface requires much more attention to detail than you may expect. There are many issues that will void the warranty if done incorrectly. Meanwhile, laminate is extremely easy, but extremely unforgiving. If you make a mistake, you're finished. Whether or not it will add to your volume is dependent on your market.

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Scott McGourley, Kasco Stone, Tampa, FL: When I originally started my company, I planned to offer dimensional natural stone products, precast and cultured stone and do all kinds of interior and exterior work. I quickly discovered that I was unable to simply keep up with the countertop work and never even started to offer the other products.

I have since scrapped all plans to offer those other products and will stick to interior slab work using my newly created "Microshop." This will allow me to operate on a small scale with a reasonable return and less headaches. I think diversification into these other products would require a business on a large scale. I don't care to be a part of that equation. Our product line consists of granite, marble and quartz products, stainless steel and porcelain sinks and a breakdown low-end cabinet line.

Joe Little, Stone Concepts, LLC, Birmingham, AL: We try to focus on stone products only. We do fabrication of natural stone in the high-end environment, and we offer high-end tile and stone products for flooring and backsplashes. Getting into cabinetry in a high-end market would require a custom cabinet company, so we have steered away from the idea of offering cabinets. Plus, most of our work revolves around...

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