n this world of instant gratification and “yes” men, we sometimes forget the value of allowing our personalities to be improved a bit as we deal with life’s everyday struggles. When I grind stone, especially granite, I have to use a series of polishing pads studded with one of the strongest stones on earth, diamonds. This eventually creates a mirror finish that is truly beautiful. We can allow the challenges we face to do the same for us. However, not every situation is condusive to this self improvement model, so I’ve mapped out a list of polishing ‘grits’ and how they can help you:

• Grinding Wheel- This is where you are initially shaped (your childhood). Keep in mind that this wheel is for basic shapes and if there’s a defect in it, it will create a dent, so don’t stay too long on this one so you can fix any dents.
• 50 grit- This is to smooth out the bumps and dents created in the early process. You may need to spend a little time here licking your wounds and leveling out the surface first. Make sure the basic shape is there and right, because any major flaws won’t be fixed by moving on to the next polishing pads, so it’s important to take the time to ask yourself the probing questions about whether your belief system is right.
• 100 grit- This is a continuing process of the shaping. Now you’re finishing the shaping process. You will have some big life decisions that need to be made in this phase and it’s up to you to make sure you get your life in harmony with your priorities and make sure your priorities are correct so you can move on.
• 200 grit- Now that you’re shaped, you have to start smoothing out the rough scratches. How you deal with your family and those around you when the going gets tough will determine how many scratches you get out, or create.
• 400 grit-This is where the polishing actually begins. You’ve been knocked around enough and now you are ready to start taking on the roles you’ve decided for yourself. Are you going to get yourself to the next level, or are you going to remain rough?
• 800 grit- You are just starting to see some refinement, although you don’t shine yet. You’re not saying the wrong things to your spouse and you do realize how important spending time with the ones you love is (if you’ve never gotten to this phase, I feel sorry for you).
• 1500 grit- Now you’re starting to see some shine peering out in small spaces from among the many scratches. This is where you define the values that govern your existence.
• 3000 grit- This is where you polish to a shine. The beauty of the character you worked on previously now starts shining through to reveal the qualities you’ve worked so hard to display.
• Buffer pad- Now you want that mirror finish. Your selfish brute self has been replaces with a shining example of a human being. Even though you may be able to see scratches in a microscope, to the human eye, you’re perfect because you are the best you can be and that’s good enough.

You may think to yourself that that’s a lot of polishing pads to go through. You’re right, but to create the masterpiece takes some work, whether you’re working on yourself or a piece of stone. Some of us are easier to mold, like travertine. Others of us like granite may be hard as a rock, but we shine even more. This is the amount of work and dedication into everything I make and sell at www.stonecompliments.com and the amount of work I put into myself and my children as a father. One day, I hope that I, too, can shine to a mirror finish.

If you had told me as a kid what I’d be doing as a man, I’d have looked at you and laughed. Dealing with stone, well, that’s manly, but I never imagined myself saying words like ‘twitter’, ‘facebook’, ‘xml’, or ‘open source’. Now, here I am, going blind trying to stare at a screen and typing away, thinking of all the tasks in between orders I need to do. The internet allows me to connect to people on a real level, to collaborate like never in history. A lot of the work I do now is custom requests. I can have a product created on autocad and then email or share my screen view and let them see their idea in full scale, talk about awe.

Now, I can’t imagine running a business without my website and blog. I’m hoping in the near future to have a lot of the custom design elements up and running so you can see some of the amazing things requested from all of our customers from stone and stainless steel we’ve created. Its been a wonderful experience and I look forward to many more, so bring it on!!

When I started this business, it was with the goal to expand what I could do to help my customers have exactly what they need. I knew there would be copycats and I’d have competition eventually, but I wasn’t too worried. Flash forward to today and I’m still not. Why? Because although there are a few trying to lowball it, they can’t do what I do, and you’d be hardpressed to find someone willing to do the customization and attention to color, size, scale, and details I do, most at no additional cost. Most products offered are either stone resin, unfinished edges, or limited in size and color. What I offer is a completely finished product ready for installation and completely customizable to the customer’s request. I can use just about any stone tile product that can be bought on the open market and can do a variety of sizes and designs. There’s nothing quite like having exactly what you need custom made for you. I have a great price on everything I do and I do it without sacrificing quality or options to the customer. Have a man-made tile and need a custom bullnose? I can match it with a stone and make them for you, giving your tile project an even greater high edge look. Need a custom shelf and trims to match a unique color or tile? Email me and if it’s accessible, I can make it. It all comes down to what’s truly going to give you the end result you wanted. That’s what lasts, and that’s why my customers come back and send others too over the years.

Time changes everything. One minute you’re on top, next minute, you feel you’re left holding the bag of a big pile, of, well, you can guess. Many people, when they get into a middle of a home improvement project, realize that there are “hidden costs” they haven’t calculated. Before you know it, you’re trying to scale down your plans and hope your house doesn’t end up with a big hole in a wall and your countertop being plywood or reduced to buying one of those cheesy plastic showers because you ran out of funding. That’s another part of the benefit of what I create. The custom bullnoses I do can help you put a finished edge to a counterop or shower install and make a stone tile project actually have a finished edge. This means a lot because you don’t always have the funding to hire a professional installer, especially in today’s economic enviornment. It also saves from having to go to solid stone surfaces by allowing you to use lower cost stone tiles since solid surface can set you back quite a lot. Stone tiles with a finished edge can do wonders for creating the rich, lush look of stone and a fraction of the price to get it in other methods. Want a stone I don’t list here? Justcontact me and tell me what you want. We’ll get it done together, so stop worrying :).

Ya’ll (I’m southern), I need help. I’ve been working hard filling orders and have totally neglected creating new products. Since most of the products I’ve created are directly or indirectly inspired by my customers, I really need some inspiration. I have some good ideas and want to explore them, but there are a few questions that I need to know. I’m putting them here and am asking, no, begging everyone to give me your two cents worth:

1. What colors should I come up with now? What colors are you using that you’d like to see?
2. What is missing that you’d like to see created? Is there really something that urks you that you can’t find in stone or a stone and metal combination?
3. What would you like (similar to what I make) that is out in the market, but you’d like to see it cheaper? Perhaps some beautiful piece that gave you sticker shock and you’d like it to be actually affordable?
4. Is there a product I currently make that you think you can redesign better? I’m not ego driven and I do know that two heads are better than one (something you learn when you’re married and you get the stupid knocked out of you).
5. Can you take pity on a poor artist and help a guy out (caution: some desperate pity party here)?

That’s all I got for now. I’ll put out another sad desperation plea here soon as well. Let me know your thoughts. I’ll also put this out on twitter for you to tweet me.