I find this quote rather inspiring. Think of all the ways this could apply: food prepared by a chef, an architect’s drawings of a new building, or even Frank Zappa’s written songs. All of these require the gray matter of someone’s brain to make it into something of value.

When I saw this quote, I immediately thought about Buechel Stone’s fabrication of Kansas limestone. A blank piece of paper does not create great art, songs, or writing, just like a block of stone on a prairie land pasture is not valuable to anyone other than perhaps the cow. Only through the abilities and imagination of a creator’s mind do these things become something of usable value.

It takes vision to see something out of nothing. In this blog, I’ll show you how we quarry Kansas limestone for cut stone projects and the steps we take to make that block of raw limestone match the vision of an architect, mason, and/or project owner. At the end, I’ll show you some finished projects that highlight the greatness of Buechel Stone’s Kansas limestone.

“Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.”

Frank Zappa

Not all cut stone shops have saws large enough to cut four feet thick blocks, so many customers will order slabs precut to the thickness they need. Once we cut the slabs to thickness, they can be shaped into anything a mason or architect can imagine.

Slabs can be sold unfinished or have a finish added. These finishes enhance the slab with different textures and looks to best fit the installation and designer’s needs. Aged Parchment, Silverdale, and White Marigold can have the following finishes added:

• brushed (a smooth rippled texture that creates a satin finish)
• bush hammered (rough dimpled finish)
• rock-faced (face pitched with a chisel)
• sandblasted (fine-coarse texture)
• sanded (smooth matte finish), or
• veloured (full-grain leather finish)

Below they are adding a sanded finish to a slab of White Marigold.

The stone’s workability and unique color varieties make it a great alternative to many other cut stone and cast stone options. Below are just a handful of projects Buechel Stone has supplied through the years with cut stone from Kansas. Our Rockstars are eager to create the next masterpiece for your project!