Stone veneer: large pieces of stone slabs are fabricated into thin veneer sheets used for interior wall cladding.

Natural stones are highly durable and have an aesthetic appeal. Stones are environment friendly and can be reusable.

PROS

• Strength, durability and aesthetic appeal
• Environment-friendly
• Appearance: add visual impact, interest and visual retreat with naturally formed veins and grains.
• Durable: lasts for a long time
• Resistant to high temperatures

Types of Stone Used for Veneers

Most common types of stone used for cladding are granite, marble, slate, limestone, bluestone

Some of the other types are quartz, Silestone, etc.

Marble:

• Marble is a metamorphic rock containing high amounts of quartz and crystal.
• Biodegradable and eco-friendly.
• Suitable for both interiors and exteriors.
• Add a touch of beauty to both interiors and exteriors.

Granite:

• Granite is an igneous rock formed from volcanic activity, consists mainly of quartz, mica and felspar.
• Hardest material with dense grain and highly durable.
• Extremely popular material for both interior and exterior cladding systems.

Limestone:

• Limestone is a sedimentary rock mainly composed of calcium carbonate.
• Naturally aesthetic.
• It can be carved and shaped easily.

Slate:

• Slate is a type of metamorphic rock that is created by alteration of shale or mudstone by low-grade regional metamorphism.
• Mainly composed of quartz and muscovite.
• Unique appearance and highly durable.

Bluestone:

• Bluestone is a commercially used name for various types of stones.
• It includes at least twenty types of stone with a blue tint.

Aesthetics

Style/Patterns:

• There are various styles and patterns depending on the visual appearance and the way stone is fabricated. The availability of style depends on the location and the fabricator/supplier.
• Few of them are:

Carved block stone siding:

These are large, chiseled blocks appearing as uniform blocks with split and carved at the edges.

Ledgestone style:

In this style stones are of varying widths and lengths of low height and the stones protruding in and out giving the effect of a ledge wall. Ledge style pattern suits different interior design styles.

Tight cut style:

The stones are cut to the perfect refinement at the edges giving a sophisticated appeal. The stones vary in heights and widths and can be used as an accent wall in the interiors.

Ashlar:

Ashlar style shows that the stone is split or left natural that reveal the grain pattern. Mostly suited for the exterior surfaces of the building.

Square and Rectangular:

This veneer is cut roughly in squares and rectangular pieces offering a dimensional look ranging in heights from 4”to 12” and lengths from 4” to 24”.

Mosaic thin Veneer:

Mosaic pattern consists of irregular shapes of stone and arranged randomly.

Round: As the name suggests the stones are smooth rounded edges with earthly colors and appearance. Suitable for rustic style décor.

Surface Finishes:

Available as distinguished finishes creating a “wow” factor and largely depends on the brushing and polishing finishes done after quarrying and are suitable for a various décor style. (Both Interior and Exterior)

• Sawn: Finished by saw
• Honed/Matt: low gloss-Sanded by grit.
• Machine tooled: uniform grooves
• Sand Blasted: This finish is achieved by blasting sand particles on the surface. Rough but tidy look.
• Leather Finish: Suede look and feel.
• Natural Cleft: This finish occurs by splitting the stone at its natural layer.
• Brushed: Forms a rough surface as it is brushed by metal brushes.

Material Dimensions:

Stones come in full stone veneer or thin stone veneer. It is used in interior and exterior wall surfaces and comes in thickness 1” and dimension can range from 4-39 inches. Weight must be less than 15 pounds per sqft.

Stone Veneer

Stone veneer can be made from natural stone as well as manufactured stone.

Natural Stone Veneer

• Natural stone veneer is fabricated from natural stone that is quarried and collected. The stone is cut to a consistent thickness and weight for its use as a veneer

• Pros
  • Highly durable, easy to maintain and less expensive
  • Colorfast
  • Natural unique textures and colors
  • Have higher resale value
  • Can be reused
  • Less porous than manufactured stone
  • Protects from different atmospheric conditions.

• Cons
  • Heavy and difficult to install than manufactured stone
  • Difficult to cut

Manufactured Stone Veneer

Manufactured stone veneer is fabricated by pouring a lightweight concrete mix into rubber forms and painted with a coloring process which makes it resemble real stone. The stone veneer produced is then attached to walls with special mortars.

• Pros
  • Light weight and easy to install
  • Available in various attractive colors, styles, textures
  • Since its thinner and lightweight, it is affordable than natural stone
  • Various patterns

• Cons
  • Color might fade when exposed to UV rays in sunlight
  • Likely to be stained exposure to harsh chemicals.
  • Brittle and likely to break, not as strong as natural veneer.
  • Cannot be reused

How to Install Stone Veneer

There are two types of installation methods:

Applied mortar or thin-set method-stone veneer is adhered to the wall using mortar.

Anchored thin stone veneer-mechanically anchored to the wall using with metal clips.

Sustainable Considerations

The transportation of stone from the stone extraction quarry to the project site requires significant amount of fossil fuels. Therefore, to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, the stones are sourced from locally fabricated sites.

As the stones are long-lasting, they can reduce frequent replacement and depletion of natural resources.

Waste generated from processing and laying marble and granite stones can be recycled to use for terrazzo flooring.

Published by The Arch Space

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