Our ambition of manufacturing stone panels began 11 years ago. Of course we are neither the first nor the last company that explores this domain, but ever since then we are constant and driven to achieve more with each year of activity that we have behind us as a strong statement of who we are and what values we stand for.
Being located on the east coast of South Florida, we encountered the perfect context to begin developing the production of lightweight stone panels. By stating this, we refer to the coastal marinas that harbor cruising lines, yachts or small boats.
The trend of owning a yacht gain dramatic popularity among private owners here in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. You can enjoy the luxury of yachting in exotic places or even benefit from the fact of having a boat and rent it. Either way the interior design of the yacht is crucial in this business.
So here is the premise from which we came to develop our ideas and business. Ultra thin and weighing only 3.2 pounds/sqf , the aluminum honeycomb stone panels allow the yacht owners to have exquisite natural stone inside their boats, without having to compromise a good functioning.
Natural stone won’t come in the same pattern or with the dull aspect of artificial materials, which can only make it unique and highly appreciated.
Marble and granite or onyx and quartz are the most desirable stones in terms of giving that luxurious finishing a yacht is built to offer. But the stone slabs in their most natural state are heavy and yet fragile as they can easily break. Boats on the other hand must be swift and not heavily charged with the interior amenities.
The weight of the stone used for decoration has noticeable effects on the fuel consumption and may impact the capacity of easily handling the boat. The stone veneer reinforced with the aluminum panel has a mass reduced with 80% from each original piece of stone.
The stone panels for yachts need to be very carefully crafted and the highest quality is absolutely mandatory. In this purpose, Stone Panels USA specially developed a hydraulic press to laminate the stone slab with the aluminum honeycomb panel. The new composite structure is held under pressure for 24 hours, the perfect time period for the epoxy to cure, creating a bond that will hold under any circumstances. The long durability of aluminum honeycomb stone panels may in most cases brilliantly pass the test of time while other decorative materials will perish.
Then the stone slab is split in equal halves with a cutting bridge saw. The thin stone surface is polished to achieve the texture desired by the customer. The process of obtaining two lightweight stone panels out of a solid slab adds significant reductions to the material and installation costs.
Stone Panels USA believes only in the fact that one cannot guarantee a product unless it stays behind the manufacturing process. This is the reason why we chose to produce the lightweight stone panels in our own unit and never import already made cheaper sandwich panels from outside the United States. It may come to our disadvantage that we custom make each panel as required by the customer and not have industrial stocks in the most accessible or popular colors of granite and marble from import, but we want to be defined by our quality and trustworthiness. Remember price or rapid manufacturing should never be a decisive factor when it comes to lightweight stone paneling projects.
Still our factory can provide you with manufactured panels in any available stone color found on the American market, whether is granite, marble and limestone.
You may choose the surface where you want to use them. The applications of our stone panels began in the interior of yachts but it doesn’t end there at all. From exterior cladding to interior stone walls, the lightweight stone can be used on the facades of offices or commercial buildings, hotels to lobby surfaces, elevator floors, ceilings, bathroom walls, countertops; just use your creativity!