It was one of those cold Florida mornings, chilling down to at least 50 degrees. Yes, folks, that’s downright cold here in Florida. I woke up that morning freezing since my heat hadn’t been turned on the night before. I managed to peel myself out of bed in a hurry to head over to the diner for a warm cup of joe to warm me up. I threw on my trench coat, grabbed my fedora, and headed out the door.

The Woody was difficult to start, but after a few tries, she finally kicked over. I parked right in front of the diner, shivering as I got out. I walked in and noticed a stranger sitting where the old Admiral usually sits. He was wearing a fancy three-piece suit and was reading what looked like a legal document. This guy had to be a lawyer. I sat next to him, said hello, and asked him if he was in court today. He smiled and said yes. I introduced myself and told him that I’d served as an expert witness in numerous cases across the U.S. involving stone and tile failures. He looked at me and said, “Maybe you can help me with something.” He mentioned he would be cross-examining a construction expert and that this expert said there was a big difference in his industry between a standard and a guideline. He wanted to know how I would handle the difference in my industry. I took a slow sip of my coffee, cleared my throat, smiled, and told him that I was just involved in a case where this exact topic came up. I also told him I recently added an article on this very subject to my article page at www.stoneforensics.com. I told him I could give him a brief overview. So here is what I told him:

First off, there’s a clear distinction between “standards” and “guidelines,” which many people don’t realize. Standards are like the hard rules in the industry, set by big organizations like ASTM or ANSI. They are the must-follows covering everything from what physical properties different stones need to have, to how they should be cut and installed. If you don’t follow these, you’re basically asking for trouble—think safety risks, legal issues, and structural mess-ups.

On the flip side, guidelines are more like friendly advice from experts. They’re not mandatory but are packed with recommendations on everything from design aesthetics to maintenance. They help professionals make informed decisions but also allow for creativity and flexibility depending on the project’s needs.

I told him that this is how I understand the difference and that our industry has several trade associations that have manuals, and that these are generally not standards but guidelines. I told him I wasn’t sure about other construction trades, and hoped that my perspective helped. He nodded and said, “Thanks– that does help quite a bit.”

It would be interesting to know if he won his case or not. Now that I’m warm and fed, I’m ready to tackle some other projects today. 


The Stone Detective is a fictional character created by Dr. Frederick M. Hueston, PhD, written to entertain and educate. Dr. Fred has written over 33 books on stone and tile installations, fabrication and restoration and also serves as an expert for many legal cases across the world.  Send your comments to fhueston@stoneforensics.com.