For decades homeowners have been using natural stone to add character to their fireplaces, walls and other areas of their houses. Nowadays, most homeowners use stone veneers. If you are constructing a house and wondering whether you should go for natural stone or stone veneer, here is how the two compare:
Cost
A stone veneer contractor installs stone veneers much faster than natural stone. This results to you spending less as you complete your project faster. The reason why the contractors proceed fast in is because stone veneer is lighter; therefore, easier to handle.
The process of making stone veneers is shorter and fast as most of the veneers are industry manufactured. Natural stone is obtained from natural stone and this results to the stone manufacture process being expensive.
Stone veneers are cheaper even during shipping. When shipping the units, you ship more stone veneers at the same weight as they are lighter. The extra load covers more square feet on your project which results to you saving more in the long run.
Installation
Many homeowners decide to install veneers after they see that they still have some money left after completion of the project.
Since stone veneers are heavy, most walls can’t support their weight. Unless you have the plan of installing natural stone from the start of the project, you may be required to install additional support in order to support the extra weight. This translates to additional costs on your part.
If you have just decided to install veneers, the best option to go with is stone veneers. Since they weigh less, you won’t have a problem installing them even if you didn’t have the plan at the initial stages of your construction.
Detailing
To give the area you are decorating a perfect look, you need to ensure that the veneers fit perfectly. Stone veneers are ¾-2 inches thick. This makes them ideal for tight areas that don’t have plenty of room.
While stone veneers are great, it’s hard to find the right pieces for tight corners. In areas that might require additional weight, it’s impossible to install thicker pieces as they come with weight restrictions of no more than 15 lbs per square foot.
Stone veneer also doesn’t work well in stacking projects that don’t have mortar between the joints to hold the stones together. If you live in extremely cold areas, you are advised avoid stone veneers as they don’t cope well with freezing and thawing conditions.
Conclusion
As you have seen, both stone veneers and natural stone are ideal for different applications. All you have to do is choose the right one for your application. Regardless of the areas you are working on, ensure that you work with an experienced masonry contractor.