ErthCOVERINGS leaves no stones unturned as it continues to bring high-quality, natural stone veneers to North America.

Ivan Rapa knows a good thing when he sees it. A former building renovator from Australia, the self-described adventurist came to Canada in 1998 and quickly established ErthCOVERINGS, a stone and tile company that would revolutionize design in Canada by providing stylish, quality stone wall coverings that are as effortless to install as they are beautiful.

It all started on a visit back home in 2002 when Rapa came across a lightweight stone-covering product that was unlike anything he had ever seen before. “This stone was unique, it was cutting-edge — it could transform a wall very quickly and cost-effectively within the day,” says Rapa, president and CEO of the Vaughan-based company. “Two weeks later I decided to take on a distributorship in Ontario and imported my first load. From there, the company quickly evolved and by 2003 I was looking at additional lines and styles to add to the company’s offerings.”

Our company’s growth is an indication of how well we’ve built our foundation on good morals and great customer service

— Ivan Rapa, president and CEO of ErthCOVERINGS

ErthCOVERINGS has since become a leading distributor of high-quality, natural stone veneers in North America. Rapa and members of his close-knit team are constantly exploring remote quarries and attending stone shows across the world in search of one-of-a-kind natural stones to bring back home and into the marketplace. In some instances, however, the next big thing can be found just around the corner.

“We’re seeing a shift to marble and limestone accents in home design,” says Rapa, who recently started producing natural stone veneers from Ontario limestone sourced from quarries three hours north of Toronto. Its earthy colour palette of neutral tones, taupes, beiges and greys, he explains, is the reason for limestone’s welcomed comeback in home décor. “A designer may have never worked with Ontario stones because they can be raw and crude, but we’re turning them into a format that any homebuilder and designer could implement in their projects. We’re constantly working on how to produce a product that is environmentally friendly.”

With a renovation boom sweeping through Canada, ErthCOVERINGS’ revolutionary and easy-to-install natural stone products are fuelling our need to transform our homes into unique and inspiring sanctuaries. But it’s the company’s attention to detail that has solidified its reputation as a pre-eminent purveyor of natural stone veneers and tiles. “Our company’s growth is an indication of how well we’ve built our foundation on good morals and great customer service. Our quality control is by far something that we really work hard on. If there’s an issue we’ll take it back — that’s how strongly we believe in our product.”

www.erthcoverings.com
55 Silton Rd., Unit #1,
Woodbridge, Ont.
905-265-8565

photo by carlos arturo pinto