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Cantera Colors

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Standard Cafe

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Mandarin

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Mocha

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Platinum Shale

White River

Antique

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Black Diamond

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Cafe' 1

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Aloe Mist

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Cafe' 2

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Wood Stone

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Cafe' 3

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Grey Cafe'

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Sea Foam Green

Wade Stone

About Cantera Stone:

Cantera is common to central Mexico. It’s created by volcanic ash and water turning into hot mud after an eruption referred to as a pyroclastic flow. Think of it as boiling concrete, the city of Pompie was engulfed by it. It settles in a depression which is a future cantera quarry. It’s covered with silt over time and eventually lithifies into cantera stone from the pressure and time. Some cantera is hard enough to be used for our needs, many are not. We do not use dynamite to harvest the stone, rather we meticulously cut blocks. Blasted stone often cracks during transport, installation or after it’s installed. Most government buildings in Mexico’s interior are made entirely of cantera. It’s a structural material, only if it’s used in blocks several feet thick, and only in Mexico. Other than that, it’s only used as a facade facing or as fountains. Cantera is found in over 50 colors and we will offer about 12-15. We also offer a type of woodstone that is technically a type of dense rare sandstone, but referred to as cantera. Features such as lava inclusions make some cantera unique, others have iron, which makes it rust. Each color has it’s own unique character. It’s considered a rustic material and typically not used for fine finish work. Some low density cantera sold by others dissolves after a few years. Cantera tile is considered Domestic Quality, not gauged (not perfectly square or the same thickness like marble) and would not be considered export quality. This means - Installation time is affected when installation is considered.  Our products are about the best there is in the business as we check to make sure the stone is similar. We check and inspect often to make the best quality outcome. Each type of cantera is unique and should be learned. Mexico uses no digital equipment. All saws, laths, sanders and other machines are locally designed and manufactured. No Italian polishing machines or Taiwanese gang saws, no slab cutting machines, just a lot of home made tools. Cantera tile has a max size of 36”x 36” x 1” being very large and it’s expensive. Finishes are - Smooth, Chiseled, Sawcut, Rusticated and Antiqued.

Call for a Quote  (858) 667-4279
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