The first and most foundational step to any landscaping project involving decorative stone is the extraction of those natural materials from the earth. This is called quarrying, and some of the most popular materials used in landscaping, construction, and industrial agriculture in the Southern United States—granite, marble, limestone, and quartz—must be carefully elicited from two major quarries in the Carolinas.
The North Carolina Granite Corporation
The North Carolina Granite Corporation operates the largest open-faced granite quarry in the world, with the surface of the rock encompassing about 60 acres of land in Surry County. Famous for its Mount Airy granite, which is a white stone with black specs, the North Carolina Granite Corporation offers crushed stone products that are entirely unique to their quarry and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. These products are available in quantities ranging from 50-pound palletized bags to bulk truck hauls, and the company offers white and colored options. The white option features only Mount Airy granite while the colored option includes the optional mix-ins of black and grey granite. This company works within the confines of the quarry that has historically produced the finest white granite in the world, offering customers a monochromatic color palette for landscaping projects.
Hanson
The Hanson quarry produces a multi-sized stone commonly referred to as ocean pebbles, which are extracted from quarries through an action called dredging. Dredging is the excavation of the bed of an aquatic body, essentially clearing the bed of all mud, weeds, and stone. The Hanson quarry dredges an under-water bank, and once the stones are removed, they are filtered from the mud and weeds and separated by size. Because the stone is generally found in coast-lines of the mid-Atlantic, ocean pebbles are especially popular for beachfront properties. The stones are also commonly used for driveways, gardens, and parking lots. With rich white, tan, and caramel shades, ocean pebbles offer a neutral complement to any landscaping project.
Where To Buy Quarried Stone?
Carolina Stone Supply offers a wide variety of quarried products through wholesale stone distribution, including granite in monochromatic shades and ocean pebbles from under-water dredging. Nonetheless, the company’s most popular product is New England River Rock, a smooth quarried stone rich in color that is sure to make your landscape stand out. The small rounded nature of the stones, paired with their unique color shades, makes them an enticing addition to your landscaping project or even a replacement for more traditional brown and gray river rock. A bed of New England River Rock contains an essential array of white, grey, brown, and black stones, but it features stones in pink, red, and even blue shades, adding a pop of color while also being easy to clean and maintain. Whether it be granite, ocean pebbles, or New England River Rock, if you are seeking solutions to your landscaping project, Carolina Stone Supply is a one-stop-shop for your decorative stone needs – get a quote or place an order at carolinastonesupply.com today.