Long before the beautifully toned Indian sandstone and limestone takes pride of place in your garden, creating a focal point worthy of talking about, it embarks on an arduous journey through the mines, processing plants and across land and sea.

 


The mining process begins at one of the many quarries across India. Enormous pieces of stone are quarried using an array of methods; these largely depend on the preference of the quarry owner and the qualities of the stone.

 


Following the quarrying of the stone, it is then moved to a manufacturing plant where the stone is cut to pieces which are easier to work on. It is at the manufacturing plant where the processes occur to turn the stone into a range of products including sawn and honed finishes, cobbles, coping stones, pier caps and walling blocks.

 


Arguably one of the most sought after and time-consuming processes has to be producing tumbled finishes. In order to provide a rustic look each stone is placed into a machine full of smaller rocks. The machine then vibrates causing abrasion to take place. This particular method has to be carefully managed to ensure the correct finish is achieved.

 


After each product has its respective process applied it is passed through a rigorous quality control procedure to ensure the highest standards are maintained. The stone is then packed into crates and starts it long journey from the mountainous quarries to the Port of Mumbai where it is placed inside a shipping container ready for the 7081 nautical mile journey to the Port of Felixstowe – equating to an average of 29 days at sea.

 


Once the stone arrives at the Port of Felixstowe customs than have to make sure no unwanted passengers or contraband has made its way into the shipping container. This can be one of the most frustrating stages of importing as it is within touching distance, however still so far away.

 


After customs have released the goods the container is then unloaded and placed in a storage yard at the Port of Felixstowe until transport is organised to collect it. It is then collected and makes the 200-mile journey to Sheffield where it is stored in our yard.

 


The array of different products are then purchased by you, our customers, and are transported across the length and breadth of the country using the effective and reliable Palletways network. Transporting our stone on pallets ensures that we can continue to offer exceptionally high standard goods whilst maintaining competitively low prices without compromising the safety of the stone whilst in transit.

 


Finally, the long journey is over. The stone is ready to be laid and marvelled at, giving customers enjoyment for many years. It is important to look after your stone to ensure longevity, cleaning products and sealants can be purchased at Lithofin Premium Paving & Patio Sealants (https://www.lsd.co.uk/paving/patio-sealants-cleaners-chemicals)

 


All of the products mentioned in this blog post can be found at Hardstone Paving, Indian Limestone and Sandstone Paving - LSD.co.uk