What to expect on lead times, shipping, and ordering

The short answer on numbers

Lead times, minimums, and shipping all depend on the job. That is the honest truth, and anybody who hands you one universal number is guessing. What we can do is walk you through how an order flows and what moves the schedule, so you know what to expect and when to call. Your rep confirms the real numbers for your project before you plan around them.

How an order generally flows

Most orders move through the same few stages, whether you are running a stock pattern or something custom.

First comes the pattern. You either pick a stock pattern from what is already tooled, or you work up a custom profile if the job needs its own look. Getting a sample in hand early helps here.

Next we confirm sizes to your bed. We want the liner sheets, the starters, and the enders to fit the way you actually pour, so nobody is trimming and fighting layout on the plant floor. This is where your rep nails down dimensions.

Then the liners go into production. Stock patterns are ready to run. Custom profiles have tooling to do first, which we will get to below.

Last is shipping. The liners get packed and sent to your plant. Where you are and how much you ordered both factor into how that goes.

Why custom takes longer than stock

A stock pattern is already drawn and already tooled. When you order it, we produce it. There is no design step in the middle.

A custom profile is a different animal. Before a single liner gets made, the profile has to be drawn up, run past you for approval, and then tooled. That front-end work is real, and it adds time to the schedule. None of it is wasted, because it is how you get a texture that is truly your own. But it means you want to start the custom conversation early. The sooner your rep has the profile moving, the sooner your liners are in production. If you are on a tight construction schedule, tell your rep that up front so the timing gets planned instead of discovered late.

Samples ship fast, on us

If you want to see and feel a texture before you commit, ask for a sample. Samples ship fast at no cost, and there is no form to fill out. Call your rep or reach out and say which pattern you want to see. Having the real thing in hand makes it a lot easier to settle a texture with your own customer or your architect before anything goes into production. It is the cheapest, fastest way to take the guesswork out of a pattern decision.

How to order

Ordering is simple. You call your rep, and they walk the job through with you from pattern to delivery.

For the Midwest and Canada, that is Bob.

For the East and West, that is Dawson.

Your rep confirms the pattern, the sizes to your bed, the quantity, and the shipping so the numbers you plan around are the real ones for your job. If you are not sure who covers your area, reach out and we will point you to the right person. Get the conversation started early, especially on custom work, and the whole thing runs smooth.