Peninsula Building Materials Company Showroom

Best to come here when they are not on the phone or anything else… two people in the showroom and the help we received was minimal-​and I’m being polite
Almost felt we were speaking Martian and they kept tilting their heads to try and understand-​or perhaps not drop the phone
Phone calls are a fact of doing business, isn’t that why the other guy is there?
Did get a lovely pen and tablet as parting gifts

Beautiful showroom, great place to look around for materials. Went there 3 times, the only time I didn’t get an attitude from the woman there was when I was with my husband. She always acted as though I was a bother when I asked her questions, and would sigh and shoo me away. The last time, I went in, I was looking for some natural stone to go over concrete. I was looking at either thin veneers or tile. I asked for a recommendation for a tile store and she said, «Go google it.» Ok then! Went to Terico. Surprisingly, had great service there.

Well, I can’t tell you whether or not the stone was the most excellent part of the PBM showroom, or whether it was Henrietta. Pretty sure it was Henrietta, who is totally the «bedrock» of the entire place (see what I did there?) — look, how much fun did you think you were going to have reading this particular review? Take my puns or leave them.
Five glowing stars for the building itself, which is warm, inviting, and completely bedecked in real-​world applications of pretty much every stone they offer, all of which are numbered. The numbers correspond to the program Henrietta gave us when we entered the building, and basically, what you do is walk around and stare at the floors and walls and outdoor spaces and other stone treatments that have been created as examples of what each product can look like out in the wild. Then, you mark any and all numbers that look interesting. Out of over a hundred options, we must have marked up twenty possibilities.
Five stars for the range of options available to look at, in an environment that is absolutely unique as far as showrooms I’ve visited in my life. No pressure from anyone ever. It looked and felt like an Andy Goldsworthy-​related installation in an art gallery, to be honest, with the careful demoing of stone products in real-​world scenarios, many of which are in quiet little alcoves that invite introspective contemplation. I learned so much about the world of stone, and I was not expecting this at all. I was expecting a totally respectable yet utilitarian factory experience. Instead, art and elegance.
Five bright and glowing stars for Henrietta, the worker who knows everything about the products in PBM. Henrietta very patiently sat with us, going number by number through our list of possibilities, explaining why this one would be suitable but this one would not be, what the minimum thickness of each stone needed to be, which PBM location had how much of each stony contender in stock, which form factor would and would not need to be special-​ordered, how much each would cost per square foot, and what quantity each item would be sold in (for instance, by the ton, or by the square foot). Because of her incredibly diligent work, she mercifully narrowed our choices down to a manageable handful, which allowed us to then go to the PBM that had our ultimate stone choice in plentiful quantities.
Four very respectable stars for the ease of using the showroom during a special event that started during regular business hours. It is amazing and laudable that PBM donates its showroom as a facility for nonprofit charitable events, but it is difficult to shop for stone when there are a hundred chairs and that many well-​heeled attendees standing right on top of where you’re trying to examine with your little booklet. I suggest calling in advance to make sure there’s nothing double-​booked for the date and time you’re thinking of dropping by.
Thanks, PBM, for ensuring that our project turned out to be a stone-​cold fox! Yeah! Multiple masonry puns!

Amazing showroom with friendly, knowledgable staff in a very accessible location. What else could you want from a natural stone company? Henrietta was outstanding!
This location does not have samples to take home and be mindful that not everything in the showroom is currently available.
We will definitely rerun for future projects!

This is a GORGEOUS showroom. It is so cool how they have several mini home facades inside the showroom to give you a sense of different ways to utilize natural stone in a building’s design.
This place have every kind of stone you could want and their materials are good quality.
Henrietta works at the front desk and is wonderful. She spent quite a while with me explaining the virtues of natural stone versus faux «stucco» stone, but didn’t pressure me to go one way or another. I was a complete stone novice and she really took the time to educate me and help me find the perfect stone for my application — an office building exterior facelift.
I ultimately chose MG Architectural (Real) stone and am so happy I did!

‘Love this place! As a designer/​contractor in the landscape industry, I am so proud to bring my clients to browse their showroom for all jobs that incorporate any type of stone. Not only do they have the biggest selection, but it’s so beautifully laid out and easy to work with. The staff there is incredibly friendly, helpful, and Not pushy at all. They are there to give you information and to make your experience pleasant and productive. Definitely worth a visit.
Fanny Obadia, president@ Green Thumbs up inc, Palo Alto, California

I purchased over $ 20,000 of material from them. They are so cheap to charge me $ 15 per pallets extra. when it came to refund the money they start giving me hard time for pallets i will never work with them again. no wonder they are so slow in their livermore location.

The one in Sunnyvale is where all the material is. Went there and meet pat the owner he was very helpfull showed me all types of stone gave me a great price and had his guys load my truck it was very crowded but they had lots of employees to help like to also thank Todd and Tom

The big thing that you need to know is that this location is PBM showroom.
It’s a showroom.
Love it, big and it has a ton of samples. If you are looking for ideas, this is your place. Their showroom is nice airy and well lite. They have many kinds/​colors of rock/​bricks/​masonry/​faux that you could ever hope to find under one roof. PBM allows you to check up sample to take home.
If you have a contractor and need a better understanding of the end result could be, start here.
Please note: PBM also has a pick up yard in Sunnyvale. You will get dirty, and mostly for contractors. Yes they are the same company however their showroom is a much better place.

I was at a fundraising event here last weekend and had the best time! The showroom is fantastic! They have an incredible variety of building materials and I was so impressed with the quality and craetive display of the products. PBM has like 3 mock building exteriors inside of the showroom and this incredible fountain made out of boulders. I got so many ideas of how to make my space better.
At the event, they used 2 fabulous outdoor clay pizza ovens and the pizza was fantastic! Seriously better than most pizza places and best of all, it was homemade. I want one of those things for my backyard now!
I cannot comment on the staff or customer service here b/​c, like I said, I was here for an event, but this is where I will come for my new outdoor pizza oven!

I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It’s like a Bloomingdale’s for stone products.
This entire place is designed and built with the natural stone products which Peninsula Building Materials (PBM) carries. From the rustic stone pavers and ledgestones used for landscaping outside to the beautiful polished natural stone restroom floors inside. All constructed with PBM’s inventory of fine stone products.
At first, the showroom’s spaciousness can be a little overwhelming. Where’s the merchandise? I soon realize I’m standing on or looking at them. The walls & floors are covered with the merchandise, paved in sections. Each section identified by a number. You reference the floor key to the number and you’ve identified the product’s name. Complete literature with each product’s specifications are easily available. The staff manning the floor are professional and pleasant. Gotta love the rock water feature on the showroom floor, wished I had one.
I come here for ideas. I come here to get inspired for home improvement projects. I come here to see, to touch and to feel the products.
PBM calls this their Masonry Showroom. I call it Nordstrom Rock. Off the Bayshore freeway (101) on Rengstorff. Take the street that snakes in front of Costco and In-​N-​Out Burger. Left at the weird stop sign (BE CAREFUL: trafffic comes only from the left). Pass the traffic light and the place is on the right.
Showroom hours:
M-​F 9am-​6pm
Sat 9am-​2pm