When Biriviana and Fernando De Leon established Stone Nation in Milford in 2019, they had one goal in mind: to make and install high quality countertops.
Fernando is the master mind, an artisan stone fabricator with a passion for creating beauty from a slab of granite, marble or quartz.
Biriviana, who majored in business in college and was working in finance, had no construction experience, but jumped in feet first as they launched their business. Like her husband, she is self-motivated, with a willingness to do, a tenacity and a desire to make something of herself and their company.
Shown is a quartz stellar gray master vanity
“My husband says I’ve taken over now. We both do sales, and he does the stone work, while I’m the front face of the office and manage office personnel,” Biriviana said.
Biriviana, who has lived in Delaware for 30 years, can trace her ancestry back to Guatamala. Fernando immigrated to the United States from there and traveled across the country before settling in Delaware in 2008. He honed his skills early on working for another granite shop.
The couple have gathered a team of qualified professionals who are committed to providing excellent customer service and quality work. In addition to nine employees, Stone Nation has a number of experienced contractors with a similar work ethic.
One recent customer commented, “Best remodeling experience I’ve ever had. Appointments were always kept, workers came when they were supposed to, and additional contractors also came when scheduled. And the workmanship is first-class! They clean up after themselves, too. And, Biriviana! She’s amazing! I highly recommend this company.”
Biriviana said, “Our years of experience, knowledge and competitive pricing make us the perfect choice for all your stone needs. We sincerely hope that everyone can appreciate the beauty and durability of both natural and man-made stone.”
You are invited to visit their showroom at 30 SW Front St., in Milford, to see samples as well as some slabs. “Since we are a smaller, family-owned business, our space for full slabs is limited,” Biriviana said. “Down through the years we’ve tried to cater to our customers by bringing slabs in that we think they’ll like. We go through the warehouses and tailor their experience rather than have them go through rows and rows of slabs. We capture the vision of our customers and present them with options.”
Stone Nation works natural stone such as granite, marble and quartzite, as well as man-made products. Granite is a high-quality, durable natural stone that comes in a wide range of colors, each slab with its own unique characteristics.
Marble is formed when limestone rock is heated to such extreme temperatures that the minerals grow larger and fuse together. The dark streaks cutting that add color are a different kind of metamorphic rock, such as slate. Marble is beautiful, long-lasting and cost-effective, but not maintenance-free.
Quartzite, not to be confused with quartz, is also 100 percent natural. This very hard metamorphic rock begins as sedimentary sandstone that gets buried underground, where it is heated and pressurized, causing the individual grains of sand to fuse together and form a dense rock. Known for strength, beauty and overall durability, each slab is unique.
Quartz, on the other hand, is manmade, or “engineered” by mixing natural quartz aggregates with polymer resin or plastic and color powder. The process creates a slab of material with a uniform appearance, offering more color and pattern options than quartzite. Also, being non-porous, quartz does not require sealants.
Porcelain is another man-made material used by Stone Nation. “Porcelain is used mainly on a wall, bath or shower surround, or a fireplace,” explained Biriviana. “It’s relatively new.”
Stone Nation obtains materials from worldwide sources, depending on the color needed. “Distributors come to us from huge warehouses in Baltimore,” Biriviana said.
Stone Nation offers free consultations, in the showroom or in-home. “We love listening to your masterpiece ideas and vision that you have. We then guide you through the process of choosing the right countertop based on those specific needs. But we will also give you options that you may have not considered, like different types of trends and styles,” Biriviana explained.
“Before making the first cut, an experienced team member will visit your location to template your project. We take precise measurements of your countertops for fabrication offsite to ensure your countertops are just right on the day of your installation.
Biriviana continued, “After the templating is done, our fabrication shop will make your masterpiece into a work of art. Our skilled craftsmen transform the slabs entirely by hand using specialized tools.
“We take your template, set it on top of the stone slab, and then cut the pieces out. Once cut, your pieces are sent over to the fabricator.
“Our experienced artisan will shape your edge profile using a router and/or grinding stones. He also cuts out the sink(s) and grinds the roughness of the stone down. In the final stage of fabrication, the polisher will smooth the stone and make it shine. Through the process, each craftsman will ensure your countertop meets our high-quality standards.”
On the scheduled day of installation, the crew will arrive on time, place the countertops on your cabinets, set the sink(s) in place and drill faucet holes.
Time from template to installation, at present, takes two to three weeks.
“If you can envision it, we can make it,” Biriviana stated. “We are capable of large scale, complex commercial and multiple area projects, high-end kitchens, pool houses, fireplaces and the smallest project of any type.”
Visit online at www.stonenationde.com to see some of the beautiful work Stone Nation can do. For more information, call 302-725-5251.
