Natural Stone vs Manufactured Stone Veneer
Learn what manufactured stone is and how it compares to quarried stone
Have You Considered Faux Stone Veneer?
Stone veneer is in hot demand. It offers all the beauty and color of real stone but at a fraction of the cost and environmental damage involved. Veneer is used on homes and office buildings as a decorative yet durable exterior. It can also be used indoors and on stone structures, such as fountains and decorative stonewalls. When it comes to comparing natural stone and faux stone veneer, GenStone faux stone clearly comes out on top. Here’s how.
Natural Stone
Natural stone is created from real stone. It’s heavier, denser and feels more lifelike than stone veneer. It’s cut directly from stone or collected. Fieldstone or quarried stone is the most common types of natural stone. Natural stone can be cut to thickness, width and is often considered a popular way to decorate when it comes to using it as a building material.
The biggest downfalls to natural stone are the installation process and cost, upkeep and maintenance, durability and environmental impact cutting stone has. Installing natural stone requires in most cases an experienced and expensive mason, not to mention a small project could take days or weeks. You also must maintain your natural stone by cleaning it constantly and also make sure nothing impacts it that will cause it to crack.
Loose or cracked stone can be very expensive to fix. Thus, cracking stone features or compromised mortar is a major durability drawback. Finally, natural stone is tough on the environment. It not only destroys natural resources but waste materials and dust are left behind. For those concerned with going green, faux stone veneer is the way to go over natural stone.
Faux Stone Veneer
Faux stone veneer is a type of decorative exterior material used on homes and office buildings. It’s generally cut at 1″ thickness, weighs a few pounds per panel and doesn’t necessarily need an additional support structure to be affixed to a wall. However, many using stone veneer will utilize it with a framework to allow for draining and insulation to be installed.
Faux stone veneer is designed from natural stone to give it an authentic look and feel, and is pre-engineered to make installation easy. In fact, this is where GenStone truly excels and our designers can help you find an affordable solution to decorating your home or office. Not to mention, stone veneer is environmentally friendly, cheaper than natural stone and comes in a variety of styles and colors.
Natural Stone vs. Stone Veneer
When it comes to natural stone versus stone veneer, faux stone veneer always wins out. It’s cheaper, weighs less and has a variety of choices. Stone veneer is much cheaper to produce, which is passed on to the consumer. If you’re looking for an affordable way to decorate your home, stone veneer from GenStone always outshines its counterpart natural stone.
