"Giving good advice is more than making a good sale." At least for us. Just like us, you strive to be efficient in your work. But profit isn't everything, and it shouldn't be the goal in every situation. Sometimes it's important to make a decision simply for its own sake—for example, without being influenced by a "magic price."
Since I started, I haven't just gained valuable advice on how tools should properly function. Like many of you, I built my company from the ground up. I watched the steps taken by growing companies and drew inspiration from the decisions of major players among both clients and competitors.
Eliminate losses wisely. Sometimes you just need to think about it for a moment, and an idea will strike you.
There are plenty of ways and places to save in the stonemasonry business. Sometimes you just need to open your eyes a bit wider and have a good idea. My life experience is that the best idea isn't usually the first one that comes to mind, but exactly its opposite. For example, everyone wants to save at the very beginning—during the purchase. But have you tried focusing on the opposite end of the process: the waste? Here are a few practical examples, some of which I will discuss further down in the article:
- By using offcuts from stone slabs and combining them appropriately, you can create tasteful urn graves and monuments—the exact types that are currently becoming more popular.
- Use offcuts to create samples of stone windowsills and establish partnerships with building supply stores. Believe me, people often have no idea that stone is quite an affordable material for their construction.
- Turn offcuts into home or garden accessories such as flower pots, tables, or planters. Alternatively, you can use these products to stylishly enhance your own company's space.
A diamond tool should work the entire time. There is always a way to use it up completely.
- Unevenly worn Velcro (zip) pads can be cut to a smaller diameter, such as 80 millimeters, and used with a smaller backing pad to continue performing full-value, detailed stonemasonry work.
- Use nearly worn-out polishing pads for beveling stone edges. This is exactly where performance is least critical, yet where tools typically wear out the most.
- I’m sure you know of other ways to save or recycle. Feel free to send them to me in a message, and I’ll be happy to add them.
A TIP from you: stonemason pencils often go missing very quickly, long before they are half-used, and they aren't cheap. Break a new pencil into two or three smaller pieces.
This is not how to do it! A polishing pad thrown away at two-thirds of its lifespan. It can definitely still be used in several ways.
Stonemasonry chemicals also require proper care and optimal storage conditions
Whether it’s adhesives, impregnations, cleaners, paints, or gold size (mixtion), almost all products require nearly identical storage conditions: specifically, a stable temperature and a sealed container with minimal air.
- No stonemasonry chemical reacts well to excessively low temperatures or frost. Store sensitive products outside of the masonry season in a stable, at least tempered environment.
- Be careful about storing chemicals in a hot car. High temperatures can change their properties—leading to faster hardening of adhesives, altered density of polyurethanes, inaccurate curing of gold size, or faster expiration.
- Products that cure via evaporation should not have too much air in the container. If there is only a small amount of chemical left in a large container, the remaining material expires faster. We recommend transferring the material to a smaller container or thinning it with an appropriate solvent.
Sometimes tools just seem to disappear in the workshop.
If you feel that consumables aren't being managed ideally, there are several ways to increase efficiency or control in the warehouse.
One proven method is requiring craftsmen to turn in a worn-out tool in exchange for a new one. With a "one-for-one" system, you don't just track the rate of wear; by looking closely at the tool, you can see how it was handled. Through detailed analysis, you can determine if something could be improved or made more efficient. Don't be afraid to contact us about this. There are many options, nothing is black and white, and it needs to be approached sensitively. The goal isn't to harass the craftsmen. For example, sometimes a flexible polishing pad is worn in a way that:
- It can still be used if trimmed to a smaller diameter.
- It can be used for polishing small edges where these tools wear out most, "liquidating them 100%."
- Perhaps an unsuitable backing pad was used.
- We are happy to help and train less experienced employees.
- Is it wise to reveal everything? I’d rather tell you more in person.
Do you know when I started realizing this issue? When stonemasons—business owners who also grind and polish themselves—showed me how they could utilize a tool's full potential. They were able to work with it until it was absolutely worn out. This is very hard to achieve with employees who are pressured for speed and performance.
A collection of perfectly worn-out polishing pads that were exchanged via the "one-for-one" method. Our respect to the employee-grinder.
Sometimes, there is an individual in a crew with an unfair attitude who tries to make a extra money by selling tools they "managed to save at work." Unfortunately, I haven't encountered this situation just once. I've even been offered a "cheaper purchase" of our own products. No, I'm not a snitch. I didn't tell anyone, only you here. And you shouldn't tell anyone either.
At our next meeting, I told the owner the trick of monitoring tool consumption by "one-for-one" exchange, and he has been successfully applying it ever since. Was it the right solution? In my opinion, yes.
It can also happen differently. Sometimes backing pads are old, the Velcro fabric doesn't hold the pad, and it simply flies off during work. Besides the nasty risk of injury, the tool is often permanently damaged. There are at least two solutions for this:
- Use one backing pad for each disc; in other words, don't keep peeling and reattaching Velcro discs on a single backing pad. The initial investment is not high, and the efficiency is guaranteed. If craftsmen find it tedious to change threaded backing pads, you can try backing pads with the SL system, which is essentially a quick-release tool attachment.
- You can refurbish older backing pads by replacing the Velcro fabric with new material.
Did the boss go to an exhibition and bring back a bag full of discs?
It's time for the grinders' silent weeping. For some, one experience with "magically cheap" purchases was enough; others never learn. We tried it too. Just once, and we told ourselves we wouldn't ruin our reputation that way. Unfortunately, not everyone shares this approach. Unreformable are primarily the owners of larger companies who don't grind themselves and, sadly, don't communicate with their grinders. I often witness a truly sad situation where an employee is pushed for performance but doesn't have optimal working conditions. But the boss saved a few cents. Congratulations!
"If the price of a tool is a technical parameter for you, it's quite likely you won't have room for progress. I assure you that you will be dealing with completely different problems in the workshop."
Our collection of fake polishing pads. They are all blue, all very similar, but there is only one original. Grinders recognize the difference almost immediately.
Let me tell you two more short stories.
- It was around 2012 when I visited a new stonemasonry workshop. I saw that the grinders were working with a mix of discs from unknown manufacturers and suppliers. At that time, I was already carrying a collection of counterfeits so I could demonstrate and show that all tools look remarkably similar, but only one is the original. To gain the client's trust, I let them test the tools. After testing, the grinders immediately responded positively and acknowledged the difference in quality—for the same price they were paying for dodgy tools from resellers. Since then, we are not only business partners, but I dare say, good friends.
- It wasn't that long ago—I won't mention the year for anonymity's sake. In a locally well-known company, I was in a competition with a rival: "whoever arrives first, sells first." I'll admit, I don't like participating in these activities. I respect it if a business owner chooses to work with someone else and I don't waste time persuading them. In this case, however, I picked up the phone and called the owner, saying: "Please, go to the guys in the workshop and ask them a simple question. Ask them which discs they work with best. You have tools there from several manufacturers and several suppliers. Take a good look at the one they point to and find out where you got it from and who made it. Every one of our discs has a logo. Now look at the invoice, see the price you're buying them for, and compare. I know what your guys like working with. I know what they told you. Unfortunately, I know more about them than you do. So why are you buying them expensive yet low-quality tools—knockoffs with no logo, no identity, and no possibility of return or consultation?"
Conclusion
I’ve only mentioned two of many stories. I’ve shared several interesting insights I've gained during my career.
However, I know that trust isn't easily earned. It can't be bought, it can't be acquired cheaply, and it certainly can't be bought in some Chinese warehouse. The most expensive value in our lives is time, and in these stories, it plays a vital role. Those who realize this are two steps ahead of everyone else.
Pavol Šáray
CEO & Technical Expert DiaSegment
I spend most of my time in the field with customers, searching for the best solutions for their specific tasks directly at construction sites or in stonemasonry workshops. These trips are my greatest inspiration—I process practical feedback into technical articles to help you navigate the industry. Since I am often in full work mode, you might not reach me immediately, but I will be happy to give your questions my full attention.
✉️ E-mail: diamantovenastroje.cz@gmail.com
📞 Mobile: +421 903 528 039
Available on business days 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
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