Timeless Stone Elegance

Impressions in Stone ­fabricates and markets quality man-made (manufactured) stone products throughout the mid-south region of the United States.

(Front row, L to R) Vice President of Marketing Mike Howell, President Dagan Heaps, (Back row, L to R) Production Manager Wade Hight, and production crew members Terry King, Ronnie Smith and Terrance Lark (not pictured) make up the team at Impressions in Stone of Tulsa.

Impressions in Stone LLC is a joint venture between Tulsa native Dagan Heaps and Atoka-based Eaves Stone Products. Brothers Ray, David and Larry Eaves founded Eaves Stone Products in 1986. Heaps approached the company in 2004 and began the startup company, Impressions in Stone, in April of that year. Heaps graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Industrial Engineering. Prior to starting Impressions in Stone, he spent 15 years with an international consulting and software company.  

Impressions in Stone ­fabricates and markets quality man-made (manufactured) stone products throughout the mid-south region of the United States. “Our products can be used in a multitude of applications, from rugged outdoor wall surfacing to interior fireplaces, kitchens, retaining walls, wine cellars, and much more,” says Heaps.    

If you are a do-it-yourselfer, the product comes with step-by-step instructions. For the tough projects, Impressions in Stone recommends that you select an experienced, skilled installation specialist. “We have a list of qualified contractors that make our products look beautiful,” says Heaps. With proper installation in accordance with local building code specifications, your manufactured stone surface should provide many years of gratifying beauty and service. “All our stone products carry a 50-year warranty,” says Heaps.

Manufactured or man-made stone is a product cast in cement and designed to look and feel like real stone. Manufacturing begins with a set of rubber molds. Carefully selected, high-quality natural stones with varying shapes and textures are used as masters to make the molds, and they provide stunning visual interest to the finished projects in which they are used. A mixture of Portland cement, lightweight aggregate, water, and iron oxide color pigments are blended together and poured into molds. Many techniques are used to achieve natural coloring and shade variations, and each custom blend is developed by Heaps himself.  Once the mixture dries, the finished manufactured stone products are removed from their molds and cured for several days prior to delivery to the customer.

Why consider manufactured stone? Nearly everyone loves the look of natural stone. However, real stone is extremely heavy, expensive, and time consuming when used as a building product. By contrast, manufactured stone has the three dimensional look of real stone and can be hung on virtually any rigid substrate including rigid backwall surfaces, open studs, clean untreated masonry, and even sheetrock. There are also instances where Impressions in Stone products may be utilized when real stone would be out of the question because of its weight. Man-made stones are actually “cemented” to wall surfaces with mortar, so the weight of the stone is born completely by the wall structure itself.

If you’re considering a project and want to match existing stones in your home or business but have found they are no longer available, Impressions in Stone can manufacture a product to match the original stones. “In short, you get the color and type of stone you want in a very versatile product at a better price,” says Heaps.

Visit the Impressions in Stone website to see various products featured in dozens of homes and businesses in Tulsa and surrounding communities, many of which you’ll recognize. Their attractive showroom displays the great variety of colors and styles offered in their manufactured stone and brick products.

Hours for Impressions in Stone are daily from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. You may also set up an appointment for just about any day or time with Dagan Heaps.

For more information, contact

Impressions in Stone

www.impressionsinstone.biz

About Author Duane Blankenship

Blankenship graduated from the University of Oklahoma and has enjoyed a lifetime career in advertising. He started his own advertising business in 1993 and enjoys creating graphic art and writing. Hobbies include hunting, fishing and pencil drawings. Duane and his wife, Janice, have been married over 50 years and are active in their church and community. He has been a contributing writer for Value News/Values Magazine since 2005.