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Using Manufactured Stone for Commercial Projects

Manufactured stone veneer offers many features that real stone can’t, and if taken advantage of it can make a big difference in the success of your next construction job. If you are familiar with using natural stone in a lot of your projects, maybe reading a little bit about the great benefits of custom stone will changer your mind. You will have many projects done in half the time, at a fraction of the cost.

A few of the ways the manufactured stone surpasses natural stone are:

Manufactured stone costs a small fraction of the current price for regular stone. This can come as a surprise to construction companies because they view natural stone as being cheap and plentiful.
Since a manufactured stone veneer is all part of the same piece, it can be installed much faster than normal stone. This is a benefit to commercial locations that do not want part of their building to be off limits for an extended period of time because if foot traffic is impeded it can result in lost revenue.
Manufactured stone veneers are much safer than a standard stone facing. If a natural stone were to come loose and hit someone it could cause serious injuries. Since the manufactured stone veneer is a single piece, you never have to worry about parts coming loose.
You will stand out from the crowd. Most commercial companies want to look businesslike and stylish so they tend to use a lot of stone in their construction. It looks good but after awhile it all tends to blend together. If you use a manufactured stone veneer, you can get any look that you want. You can have a veneer that perfectly emulates natural stone or you can have a veneer that perfectly reflects your own sense of style. You have complete control over how it will look in the end.

A great manufactured stone veneer is key when working on a commercial project. Customers are sure to be pleased with the quality, efficiency, and price of this great product.

4 Steps to Add Manufactured Stone to Your Garage

If you’ve been house hunting recently you may have noticed an increase in the popularity of stone work on the exterior of homes. This manufactured stone veneer product is one of the best materials on the market for this kind of work. There is river rock, castle rock, ledge stone, and many more designs that you can choose from to make the outside of your home look wonderful with half the installation work, and a much lower cost.

If you would like to dress up your garage, you might want to start with adding a manufactured stone veneer. This Native Custom Stone product is so easy to apply it will take two people just the weekend to finish.

Applying a manufactured stone veneer is a fairly simple procedure that can be accomplished following these 4 steps:

You need to have a base for your concrete. The best base is made by attaching felt paper and wire mesh to the surface of the garage wall. First cut the felt paper into manageable pieces and start stapling it to the wall with a hammer tacker. Now put the wire mesh over the felt paper and attach it to the wall as well. A pair of tin snips will make cutting the mesh much easier.
Read the instruction on your concrete and mix it accordingly. Use a bucket or a wheelbarrow so you will have room to mix it with a shovel. Once the concrete is thick and creamy, it is ready to apply.
Use a mason trowel to start covering the wire mesh with the concrete mixture. You want to force the concrete into the mesh so that it completely encases it.
Take your first manufactured stone piece and apply a ½ inch layer of concrete to the back. Then press it into place on the wire mesh. If you tightly stack the pieces as you work your way around the wall, you will not need to go back and use grout to fill in the joints.

Back-Splash: Update Your Kitchen with Manufactured Stone Veneer

Manufactured stone veneer is an excellent way to renovate any part of your home. We have already talked about how you can make a fireplace more beautiful with the use of custom stone veneer, and today we are going to talk about the steps for installing a great back-splash to update your kitchen.

Back-splashes are great for a few different areas in your kitchen such as behind the sink, stove, or counter space. Here are the materials that you will need for your project:

Chalk line
Level
Trowel
Mortar

Step 1: Find a great manufactured stone veneer for your project. Once you have all of your materials. Follow your mortar manufacturer’s instructions for mixing the proper mortar-to-water ratio. Spread the mortar compound on the space that you will be installing your back-splash.

Step 2: Use your level and chalk line to ensure that you’re working in an even line. Be sure to check your work with the level periodically.

Step 3: Start installing your manufactured stone veneer in the design that you want. Make sure that your stone is sufficiently placed in the mortar, but doesn’t slide. Also, make sure to clean off mortar on the stone as you go. If mortar is seeping out from your stones in excess you might want to start again and use less on your initial application.

Step 4: Once all of your stones are in place, use a piping bag to fill in gaps between your manufactured stones. Clean up excess mortar with a small grout trowel.

Step 5: Clean up any mortar on your stones and allow them to dry, this should take no less than 24 hours. However it’s wise to follow your manufacturer’s instructions on dry time. Clean up your stones once they are dry, and with a back-splash behind a stove or sink it is recommended that you seal your project to prevent staining and moisture damamge.

There you have it, a great kitchen back-splash. Make sure you use a quality manufactured stone veneer to ensure that your new kitchen will stand the test of time.

The Importance of Sealing your Manufactured Stone Veneer

Manufactured stone veneer from Native Custom Stone is a great alternative to natural stone. It cost tons less than natural stone, and is much easier to install. To keep your manufactured stone veneer looking great and lasting you do need to know the importance of sealing your manufactured stone after it’s installed.

Sealing your Manufactured Stone, or Custom Stone, prevents from:

Cracking or Chipping of the Stone and Mortar
Swelling and Breaking
Mortar from absorbing water
Color fastness in the Stone

If you are installing Manufactured Stone Veneer on the exterior of your home sealing it is crucial to prevent against weathering. If you don’t seal your Custom Stone Veneer you risk it becoming saturated and could break, crack, or lose color. Also, sealing your stone will help protect the Stone Veneer from mud and dirt stains.

However, if your custom stone is on the interior of your home it’s not mandatory, but it is recommended.

If you have a Custom Stone Fireplace you will want to make sure to prevent it from soot stains.
In bathrooms it’s important because of the excessive moisture in the air.
In Kitchens it really is a preference. If you install a counter top you are going to want to seal your stone to prevent against stains. However, if you have Custom Panels accenting areas in your kitchen you may want to protect them from accidents but, it’s not necessary.

The benefits of Manufactured Stone Veneer are abundant and you can use it all over your home. This type of stone is great for do-it-yourself projects or large contracting jobs. It’s light-weight and costs much less than Natural Stone, though it looks natural and beautiful in any setting. Native Custom Stone offers a large selection of Manufactured Stone Veneer. Have a look at their gallery and visit a distributor near you.

Top 5 Places to use Manufactured Stone Veneer in your Home

Your local faux stone supplier talks about these Top 5 most popular places to install Faux Stone in your home. Manufactured stone veneer is a material that’s becoming more used recently. Faux stone veneer can be added to almost any room, including its many outdoor uses. If you haven’t thought about manufactured stone veneer or you wanted to add more to your home take a look at this list below. You might think up another great home renovation idea!

The Top 5 Rooms and Spaces to use Manufactured Stone:

1.) Finishing an above around basement. You can add manufactured stone directly to concrete to cover up what’s peeking out from under your home. It looks great and adds value to your house.

2.) Manufactured Stone Panels can be used as siding to your home, window seals, or door frames. A classic, it will look as if you home is made entirely of stone. Not to mention that this type can be a do-it-yourself project! It has gorgeous results!

3.) Bathroom and Kitchen counters and cabinets are another wonderful idea! It will give your home a timeless elegance and great functionality.

4.) Fireplaces look wonderful accented in manufactured stone veneer.

5.) Outdoors you can use manufactured stone veneer to accent gazebos, archways, and pool side areas. It looks great and has relatively low maintenance.neer. As if the fire wasn’t warm enough the stone makes the room much more inviting and cozy.

So, as you can see there are so many uses for manufactured stone veneer in your home. Hopefully this opened you up to all of the potential your home has. Most manufactured stone veneer has the capability to be a do-it-yourself project. There are so many styles to choose from. Native Custom Stone has dozens of styles and designs to make sure you find the perfect fit for your home. Please, don’t hesitate, give them a call today!

Dress it up! 7 Steps to Install Faux Stone Veneer to Your Home!

Your local faux stone supplier wants to to show you how to make your home more appealing by applying faux stone veneer. Manufactured stone veneer can be used in so many do-it-yourself projects to accent your home. It gives off the impression of sturdy stone construction without the cost and time consuming installation. One of the many great places to install manufactured stone veneer is on an exposed exterior basement.

Steps to Installing Manufactured Stone Veneer:

Your surface will need to be clean, unpainted, untreated, and unsealed. For brick, concrete, or block you can apply the veneer directly to the wall.
Prepare your mortar. This is the best mix: 12 heaping shovels of sand to 1 bag of type S masonry mortar.
Start with you straight edges first, so, right where your siding stops. Spread the mortar approximately ½” thick onto the exposed surface.
Place your stone over and under by 3” from where you want to stone to rest. Push the stone into the mortar firmly and ‘twist it’ up and over to its resting place.
Dressing the joints is a critical step, its also the slowest. When the joints are drying, at about 50%, fill the shallow areas and smooth them with a jointing tool.
Brush the finished mortar with a handheld whisk broom to clean off excess. Also, clean off any mortar that is on the stone with a wet rag. Do not let it rest over night without completing this step.
Finish up by cleaning your area. Let the mortar dry for 24 hours and wash with a simple water hose. Apply sealer according to manufactures instructions.

This is surprisingly simple installation that will have professional results. Your home will have the look of a sturdy stone construction. Native Custom Stone has a huge selection of manufactured stone veneer designed to make the interior or exterior of your home look timeless. If you’ve been considering adding stone to your home give them a call!

The Elegant Look of Faux Stone Veneer

Home improvement is something that is on every homeowner’s mind. Sometimes a room just seems to be missing something, as far as design goes; as if just a little something would make a world of difference. Often what the room is lacking are accent pieces. Accent pieces are often what can bring a room to life and create just enough balances and counter balances to make the room really glow. One great product to use and that we will be discussing is faux stone veneer.

Faux stone veneer, as the name states, is fake however this does not mean that it looks fake. In fact, to any eye this manufactured stone looks authentic. This is largely due to innovative designs and processes in which the manufactured stone is molded directly off of natural stone to get a look that is precisely like the real stuff. This really ups the ante on appeal, and when you take into consideration the cheaper price, better durability and lower maintenance, there is very little that keeps people from opting for faux stone veneer.

Another thing to consider when working with this product is the actual heft of it. Obviously it is much lighter than natural stone and so requires less structural support and installation than real stone. Faux stone veneer can also be incorporated into small or large products and come in a variety of colors and designs, including stone but also woods, to suit any room or project that needs enhancing or full-scale remodeling. Make that fireplace really stand out with a manufactured stone veneer setting, or finish off the bathroom counters. The possibilities are many, so let your mind wander and explore the delights of having faux stone veneer a part of your interior or even exterior decorating! You can easily work this stone into the exterior of your home and even into your landscape. Give Native Custom Stone a call today to help decide which stone veneer would make your home look great.

The Beauty of River Rock Stone Veneer

It’s getting to be the time of year when things start to cool off, plants and trees go into hibernation, and the weather can be downright cold and uninviting, leaving your patio to snow and rain and fallen leaves. This, however, does not have to be the case, and one great new product to use is river rock stone veneer. There are many ways you can dress up your patio for the winter months and holidays so that you can continue to enjoy the space throughout the year.

As previously mentioned, river rock stone veneer is a wonderful product. Designed to withstand just about any temperature and condition. Given the durable quality and low maintenance of this product, it’s hard not to incorporate it into the design and landscape of your home. A great place is out on the patio with an outdoor fireplace! River rock stone veneer or any style of stone veneer can furnish you with a authentic looking and fully functional fireplace to keep you warm while entertaining guests. If there isn’t room on your patio for fireplace, you’re not at a loss. There are also fire pots, which take up less space and are easier to move, fire rings and even fire tables! These options all provide appealing warmth and aesthetic beauty, allowing you to get outside without being cold.

Any of these options can also be outfitted with a river rock stone veneer base or enclosure to add extra style and creativity to your patio-warming option. You can either make the piece a focal point of the patio and natural gathering area, or have it off to the side as an accent piece for your greater entertaining area. Whatever you choose, you won’t be disappointed with the quality and life-span of river rock stone veneer. For more information on how to make stone veneer a beautiful part of your patio and home, give Native Custom stone a call today!

Choosing the Right Manufactured Stone Fireplace Veneer

Manufactured stone fireplace resources are out there – you just have to choose the one, or two, that you like the best and then put them to the test. For an interior fireplace a quality stone veneer is one of the best products on the market because it looks and feels like traditional stone but it is far less expensive and easier to install. The question is, how can you use it to fit your fireplace needs?

There are many ways to choose the right manufactured stone fireplace veneer. You could start with color. A variety of colors are available, including colors that can create the perfect stone hearth in a traditional form or the most modern. You can also choose materials with specific details, such as those that are tumbled or those that look as if they are weathered. Some love that old, aged look along their fireplace walls. You can also select a pattern that suits your needs. Consider the geometric affects of what you select and how well the colors and pattern play off other hard elements in the room.

To gather a few more fireplace ideas for manufactured stone veneers, do consider the various ways you can use it. For example, you can place it to cover the entire wall surrounding your fireplace. On the other hand, you can use it just to create a hearth, where your fires burn within their own firebox. Check the specifications on this material to know the heat level it can manage.

Overall, there are many ways to create beautiful manufactured stone veneer fireplaces. The creativity is up to you. The only limitations you have are for your overall needs in budget and with the space. Take a good, long look at your options. You may just find that a combination of options can work well to create exactly what you are looking for in a stone fireplace.

Interior Manufactured Stone Benefits

Interior manufactured stone is not only for fireplaces any more. Though that is a popular choice for the use of interior manufactured stone, interior decorators are using them in other ways that look fantastic. The kitchen has become the second favorite location to use this lightweight material that is available in any style or color found in nature at a fraction of the cost. When thinking about remodeling the living room or kitchen area, seriously consider interior manufactured stone to stay within the budget.

Interior manufactured stone for fireplaces:

1) Comes with a great warranty.

2) Able to be installed after the home is built.

3) Lightweight

4) Can be installed on practically any surface.

5) Available in any style/color found in nature.

6) If chipped this product is the same color inside as the exterior so there’s no contrast in color.

7) Requires very little maintenance to keep it looking new.

Interior manufactured stone for backsplashes:

1) Much more stylish than the common ceramic tile.

2) More durable than any laminate material.

3) Numerous colors/styles to match any existing countertop.

4) Doesn’t need a great deal of upkeep.

5) So lightweight that on smaller jobs a homeowner may very well be able to install the new backsplash themselves.

Interior manufactured stone for walls:

1) Lightweight materials allow this to be used as an attractive accent against another wall of any color.

2) Can be used to create a column in either a rustic, traditional or contemporary style.

3) Able to be removed and changed to suit the changing theme of a home.

4) Bookshelves can be installed between two faux columns and durable enough to hold objects to accentuate the room.

5) Takes up very little floor space to prevent a room from appearing cramped after installation.

There’s simply no way to go wrong in design or function of manufactured stone when either building a new home or simply in the mood to change the theme of an existing residence. Though the job can often be done by the homeowner, there’s a company close by with years of experience ready to make the job quick and easy. No matter what color is desired, there’s a perfect match for the job. Interior manufactured stone is a durable, lightweight, affordable alternative to the real thing that stands the test of time and fits practically any budget.