CHOOSING THE RIGHT STONE FOR YOUR PROJECT
Making product selections for a project, especially a personal one can be quite stressful and challenging. Whether looking for stone for your new home, an outdoor BBQ (can't you just smell those burgers?) or designing a stone wall to keep out those loud nosy neighbors, we want to help! We will listen to your likes/dislikes and provide you with a range of products that fit your specific needs. Choosing the right stone for your project will depend on its application and climate. This is a topic that you will want to discuss with your mason during the planning process (make sure that he/she is STRONG). Will your project require Full Building Veneer (often referred to as “Full Bed”/”Full Thickness”)? While this natural stone is called by many different names, it is characterized by a thickness of 3”-5”. This type of quarried stone will require a footing or ledge for installation as it is one of the most dense and heavy (averages 35-40 square feet/per ton) building stone options. Thin Stone Veneer is made by cutting Building Veneer Stone down to approximately 1” thick. Because it weighs significantly less (15lbs per square foot), it makes it a common choice for both interior and exterior applications (foundation, backsplash, indoor/outdoor fireplace). This stone will require a footing or ledge. Another stone option is Manufactured Thin Stone/Brick. This product is made of concrete and molded and colored to look like marble, granite and other popular natural stones. Because it is a man-made product, there is a bit more consistency in uniform color/shape than that of natural stone. Manufactured Thin Stone can also be made in a mortarless panel constructed with integrated metal flashing to provide the necessary drainage for waterproofing. The cost/labor would be significantly less to install this type of product as mortar would not be required. Now that you’ve figured out which type of stone will best be used for your project, you need to think about the shape/face of the stone. In general there are 5 common styles of stone veneer (available in both natural and manufactured) - Ashlar, Ledgestone, Mosaic/Irregular, Square & Rectangular and Rounds. Color is the next step in choosing your stone. In some cases when the color is more important than the shape/style of the stone, the color should/can be selected first. Natural stone material comes in a wide variety of color ranges, due to its origin in nature (stone quarry). Availability is often determined by region, based on geology surrounding the quarries where the stone is harvested. As mentioned earlier, manufactured stone products are often considered to be more consistent in color due to the available controls in the manufacturing process. In general, the color ranges that stone veneer products are categorized by include: black, brown, grey, red, tan, white and multi-color/blends
You will not find a better team to help your vision come to life! We at ACR Stone Group are here to assist you with every detail to ensure that you make the right stone selection for your project. Don’t see the stone you are looking for on our website? Provide us with a picture and we will find a source! Not only do we have a global network of quarries and suppliers, we also ship NATIONWIDE. What could be easier? Let’s get started. Call us today 1-800-697-1330, We are confident that your ideas combined with our products and service will result in an investment that will last a lifetime!
