A striking new condominium complex on Grand Traverse Bay displays Natural Stone Veneers International Sydney limestone in a random ashlar pattern.
Photo courtesy of Natural Stone Veneers International / Apple Photography

By M. W. Penn

Natural stone: Throughout history it has always been the most sound and visually appealing of all building products available to man. Stone is the basis for architecture: Egyptian pyramids, Greek temples, Roman walls, Gothic cathedrals and Renaissance palaces. Is it even possible to imagine a world of architecture without stone?

Today, stone remains the first choice of architects and designers. Natural stone has high strength, low absorption and excellent resistance to weathering, all proven by long-lasting performance. And stone is beautiful, embodying the richness, colors and textures that only nature can produce.

Monarch Blend limestone from the Chilton Quarry of Halquist Stone demonstrates the versatility of thinstone. These corners were cut at a 135-degree angle.
Photo courtesy of Halquist Stone

Now thin stone brings real stone into the realm of renovation and interior decorating. Since stone is no longer confined to floors and walls that have been designed with proper support structures for increased weight, natural stone has been transformed into a material that can be included, not only during the final stages of construction, but also during a remodeling or redecorating project. Natural thin veneer is a potential choice in projects as diverse as facing a backsplash, a fountain or a zero clearance fireplace, covering concrete foundations, block walls, retaining walls or the exterior of an entire house. Natural stone can be used to enhance any part of any building at any time.

Ease of Installation
Adhered natural thin stone veneer is a beautiful, versatile wall covering. And it is just that — stone supported by the wall it faces. The structural backup behind the stone veneer does all the work in resisting loads. This backup wall may be wood framing, metal framing, concrete block or poured-in-place concrete.

Installation of adhered natural thin stone veneer is relatively straightforward. It may be applied directly over any masonry surface such as concrete block, brick or cement. One restriction is that the underlying masonry surface must be clean, and painted masonry surfaces must be stripped of paint. But this isn't a problem.

Dense limestone from Halquist Stone's upper-peninsula quarry, Peninsula Créme Thin in a random ashlar pattern faces
this full height fireplace.
Photo courtesy of Halquist Stone

If it's difficult to clean a masonry surface, or if a surface is composed of material other than masonry construction, there is a simple installation method. First a non-corrosive metal mesh or lath is attached to the wall. The lath is covered completely with a thin scratch coat of mortar, which is lightly raked into horizontal grooves and allowed to set up or cure. This, in effect, creates a masonry surface to which the thin stone veneer may be applied. It's really that simple.

As with all adhered finishes, it is important to provide adequate damp-proofing and drainage when using thin stone in adverse conditions. All masonry veneers are water-resistant, not waterproof; any time moisture is a concern, a moisture barrier should be installed beneath the metal lath, and exterior veneer should always have a backing system that resists water penetration. Standards and codes vary for different regions, depending on weather conditions; in some regions an additional weeping material is applied over the water-resistant membrane. Stone veneers used to face retaining walls, the decking around swimming pools or the splash zone near roadways will also need special care in detailing, but they are a viable solution for these areas.

Buechel Stone Corporation, of Chilton, Wis., supplied one-inch thick Chilton, custom tailored, for the back wall of the fountain at Crossroads Mall and Fond du Lac for the stone features. The six-inch high base has a honed face and trimmed edges
Photo courtesy of Buechel Stone Corporation

The recommendation for aesthetic application of thin stone is similar to that of full veneer. Prior to setting, it is important to determine how the stones will be laid out; any necessary trimming should also be done at this time. As with all masonry projects, an experienced mason with the ability to fit stones in an attractive pattern will greatly enhance the appearance.

Thin Stone in Design
The color, texture and beauty of natural stone veneers enhance any design, making stone veneers appropriate for use in commercial, residential, institutional and public projects.

Thin stone veneer is available in a wide variety of stone of different densities, colors, textures and shapes with the most popular shapes corresponding to the shapes of full depth veneer: roughly square/roughly rectangular will be composed of large blocks of stone with 90-degree corners; mosaic, often described as a broken ice pattern, is composed of large irregular pieces of stone; ashlar split face stone is cut into long, narrow pieces and assembled like stacked brick; stacked ledge stone has the look of rustic stacked stone; fieldstone veneer can be natural thin or round fieldstone, and has either a flat or rounded surface.

Mosaic, often described as a broken ice pattern, is composed of large irregular pieces of stone. This is Connecticut Stone Supply's Old Spruce Mountain Mosaic.
Photo courtesy of Connecticut Stone Supply

Still, these don't begin to suggest the possibilities for the size and shape of thin stone, which can be custom cut to an architect's or builder's specifications. Corner returns are not only available — they can be hewn in odd angles of other than 90 degrees. And thin stone can be produced in the shape of lintels, corbels, keystones or other architectural details within the limits of UBC recommendations. Since thin stone is real stone, masons can also cut or trim pieces on the job site to fit exact specifications.

On one wall of the Crossroads Mall food court, rugged natural thinstone veneer creates the appearance of an authentic alluvial outcropping with water cascading down the stone in four separate areas and flowing into a raised stone trough.
Photo courtesy of KKE Architects

Some restrictions must be considered in thin stone veneer installations and are the same that apply to all masonry veneer. The UBC weight restriction for any thin set masonry application is 15 lbs./sq. ft., so that adhered thin stone veneer units may not weigh more than 15 lbs./sq. ft.; otherwise, the stone installation becomes too heavy to be supported by the wall. For veneers weighing less than 3 lbs./sq. ft., UBC specifies no limit on dimensions or area for each unit, but for veneer units between three and 15 lbs./sq. ft., dimension and area restrictions also apply. For example, for veneers of this weight, no side of any unit can exceed 36 inches in length, and the overall face area of each stone may not be greater than 720 square inches.

Architectural Solutions in Thin Stone
A Fountain Wall
Cesar Pelli, who has great enthusiasm for public gathering places, encourages architects and designers to include generous amounts of stone in beautiful patterns and textures in their design of all public spaces. He believes that natural stone gives the public a deserved sense of nobility.

In many ways, food courts in malls have become the new public gathering place for neighborhoods and communities; they can provide a space for casual meetings or public events and, reflecting the social function of sixteenth-century Italian piazzas, they often serve as a town's living room. The food court at the Crossroads Mall in St. Cloud, Minn., is a stellar example of bringing nobility to this type of public gathering place.

A close-up of the plaster and thin stone mix that was used to preserve the integrity of the stone exterior without the added expense of additional support structures.
Photo courtesy of Spencer Brickwork Inc.

A new addition to an existing mall, the interior design of the court provides the public a warm, comfortable space. Clerestory windows and skylights bathe the court with natural light, while gently curved panels suspended from the exposed overhead structure give a sense of ceiling and provide more intimacy to the space. Booths of purveyors are arranged in a long arc facing a seating area designed to accommodate 750 people. Special attention was given to the use of natural materials and finishes; maple wood and local granite are featured throughout. The most dramatic feature of the design is the wall opposite the food court tenants. This wall features rugged stone designed to resemble an authentic alluvial outcropping; water cascades down the stone in four separate areas and flows into a raised stone trough.

Due to the cost overruns, full-dimension stone veneer could not be included in the construction of the proposed fountain wall, but a manufactured stone alternative could not be guaranteed to withstand the erosion of constant flowing water. In the end, the use of thin stone veneer provided the only feasible way to implement the design.

The Silver Shadow Alabama thinstone on the Curtis residence was furnished with a split face and split top and bottom edges.
Photography courtesy of Deichman Construction

Bill Miller of KKE Architects was enthusiastic about the way theÊplan was implemented. "The fountain was designed and installed as one entire enclosed unit, and natural thin stone veneer was applied directly over the surface of the water feature's walls and basin. One of the major cost advantages was in the labor involved. A mason can install three times the square foot area of thin stone in the same time it would take to set regular veneer, resulting is significant savings."

Miller specified Buechel Stone Corporation's one-inch thick Chilton NTV in a blend of Buff Gray and Mill Creek Castle Rock for the back wall and Fond du Lac Cambrian Blend NTV for the stone features, applied in both a linear and vertical drystack ashlar pattern. He added that the product was readily available and caused no delays. The joints of the stone were grouted in areas where the stone veneer was exposed to water, but the integrity of the water system is a function of the fountain's structure. Thus, the most impressive element,Êthe natural stone "outcropping," is simply a decorativeÊaddition to the wall.

3,000 sq. ft. of Natural Stone Veneers International Virginia Ledgestone was used in the total renovation of a 1950s Frank Lloyd Wright-style house in Cambridge, Mass., featured in This Old House Magazine.
Photography courtesy of Natural Stone Veneers International

A Residence in Madison Lake, Minn.
Mark Deichman of Deichman Construction in Mankato, Minn., said, "You can have real stone anywhere you can have a manufactured product." He installed more than 5,000 sq. ft. of Silver Shadow Alabama thin stone at the Curtis residence in Madison Lake, Minn. The grand home was originally designed using manufactured stone because of cost and ease of installation until the owner was introduced to the thin stone produced by Vetter Stone Company. The material finally selected for the home was furnished with a split face and split top and bottom edges; and it was competitive with the original cost budgeted for the manufacture stone.

The stone fits the home's natural lake surroundings so well that it was brought inside to adorn feature walls and the entrance to an old world wine cellar. Architectural details such as framed archways were replicated in thin stone.

In the Southwest, the very same Natural Stone Veneers International Sydney limestone thin stone used on the Traverse City Condo is given a completely different look when set with an appealing over grout. The over grout yields a rustic, old world feel to the veneer.
Photography courtesy of Natural Stone Veneers International

A Total Remodel of This Old House
Natural Stone Veneers International (NSVI), a natural stone fabrication company, fabricates natural thin veneer stone for interior and exterior building applications. In less than three years, NSVI has emerged as a leader in the stone industry with its diverse natural thin veneer stone products, distribution and marketing. It has developed patented equipment that allows stone to be cut to approximately one-inch to a 1-1Ú2-inch thickness. The company also has designed a plastic corrugated box that can stand up to the outdoor elements and improve transport; they have developed a crate for larger orders, too, to make shipping more convenient. NSVI fabricates 50 different types of stone, quarried nationally and internationally, and continues to add to their product line.

Three thousand sq. ft. of NSVI Virginia Ledgestone was used in the total renovation of a 1950s Frank Lloyd Wright-style house in Cambridge, Mass., featured in This Old House Magazine. The quartzite stone was chosen for texture and color; its softly varied earth tones modulate from brown to gray, and also include some shining silver stones in its natural color range. The renovation made the most of the home's small lot by incorporating the veneer in the landscaping and bringing it into the interior on both the staircase and on the fireplace.

This 10,430-sq.-ft. private residence includes $600,000 of exterior masonry, including 400 tons of Silverdale and Cottonwood limestone.
Photo courtesy of Spencer Brickwork, Inc.

Condos on the Bay
Traverse City, Mich., has a striking new condominium complex on Grand Traverse Bay; and Natural Stone Veneers International's Sydney limestone in a random ashlar pattern adds to the beauty of the waterfront property. Eight thousand sq. ft. of the buff-colored stone covers much of the exterior of the building. A unique feature of the design is 18-inch deep door and window recesses. The recesses were a simple construction because of the use of thin stone veneer. Corner cut stone was used at the turn into the recesses, which were then framed with flat pieces of thinstone.

In another section of the country, in the Southwest, the very same Sydney limestone thinstone is given a completely different look. Instead of each stone being defined to its edge, in this part of the country the stones are often set with an appealing over-grout. This yields a rustic, old-world feel to the veneer.

A combination of mortar and thin cottonwood stone transforms the appearance of what were once bright, siding-clad chimneys on villas at Meadowbrook Country Club.
Photo courtesy of Spencer Brickwork, Inc.

A Private Residence of Baronial Proportions
John Spencer of Spencer Brickwork Inc. frequently uses thin stone in combination with full thickness stone veneer. In a new 10,430-sq.-ft. residence in Missouri, the owner wanted "stone everywhere: dormers, gables, bays." On this project, $600,000 of exterior masonry included 400 tons of Silverdale and Cottonwood limestone and two trailers of carved Silverdale trim.

Some areas of the exterior couldn't support the load of full thickness veneer without the construction of additional support systems, but the presence of stone was needed to maintain the integrity of the design. In these areas, the walls were plastered in a complementary shade and thin stone was blended into the mix.

Robert Srote, AIA, a partner in Dick Busch Architects, the firm that designed the residence, had this to say of thin stone: "We encourage the selection of building stones, which are not brittle so that in instances where it isn't practical to structurally support the stone via steel beams or other means, such as at dormer sidewalls or suspended gables, we can utilize the same building stone. We slice it and attach it directly to a mortar setting bed with little or no additional structural support required below. This allows us to continue the use of the same stone veneer on areas of the home where we would have traditionally switched to other materials such as stucco or siding."

Incorporating terraces and a new front patio of Lompoc Quarries' natural thin stone veneer created space for entertaining on a steeply sloping front yard with space limitations.
Photo courtesy Dave Hardison, Lompoc Quarries

Golf Course Villas
In fact, thin stone is becoming the optimal way to continue a beautiful, unified appearance in natural stone. Spencer provides another example:

Barry Simon, builder of the Villas at Meadowbrook, a golf course community situated on the sixth and ninth holes of Meadowbrook Country Club in Ballwin, Mo., was heading down the fairway when he noticed bright, siding-clad chimneys on the homes. Aside from the chimneys, the exteriors of the gracious homes facing the course were a combination of brick and stone, and the siding "stuck out."

The solution used to blend the chimneys into the landscape was both effective and cost-effective. Without need for additional support, an application of mortar and thin cottonwood stone was applied; the thin stone enhanced the appearance of each home and preserved the beauty of the view from the links.

Alabama Silver Shadow thin stone, part of Vetter Stone Company's Calyxo thinstone line, adorns this stately lakefront home.
Photo courtesy of Vetter Stone

An Ocean View
The owners of a charming 2,200-sq.-ft. ranch home in San Pedro, Calif., used Lompoc natural thin stone veneer, supplied by Sepulveda Building Materials Inc., to create a patio and landscaped terraces on a steeply sloping front yard that also had space limitations. The incorporation of the terraces and a serpentine stairway leading up to the front patio gives the homeowners access to their front door and, as a bonus, a beautiful view of Catalina, Newport Beach and the Los Angeles Harbor.

It was the advantages of weight and depth of the thin stone application that allowed them to create a place for relaxing and entertaining in a restricted terrain that had formerly denied them the advantage of the spectacular ocean view. Complex, three-tiered walls were architecturally designed and approved to hold natural thin stone veneer in the area where full-dimension natural stone would have been out of the question. The use of space saving natural thin stone veneer also allowed them to incorporate a wider driveway, decorative planters and lighting fixtures.

Lompoc Mountain Ledge Gray Blend thin veneer and Lompoc #1 Premier Cut thin veneer laid in an ashlar pattern were used on the walls — topped by Lompoc's 10-inch wide, two-inch thick wall cap — and cut into in random lengths. To blend with the natural stone on the walls, the paving on the patio and stair treads is Lompoc Oatmeal Flagstone.

In areas of the exterior that couldn't support a full thickness stone load without additional support, the walls were plastered and thin stone was blended into the mix.
Photo courtesy of Spencer Brickwork Inc.

Some Considerations in Specifying
Thin Cut Stone
The production of denser granite thin stone versus thin stone cut from sedimentary rocks such as limestone or sandstone is simply a matter of the stone supplier compensating for varying degrees of hardness during the cutting process. Once the stone is cut, thin veneer retains all the characteristics of its source stone. All natural stone is inherently durable, but there are so many varieties and densities of natural stone that not every stone is suggested for exterior use in all climates. For best results, in areas of severe weather conditions, specify stone and masonry materials that have been tested for proper performance in these conditions.

Natural stone is stable and will not move of its own accord. But in character with all adhered applications, stone veneer will move with its backup wall as the structure responds to loads, vibrations, temperature variations and foundation settlement. All veneer applications are relatively stiff and well matched to a concrete block or poured-in-place concrete backup system. Wood and steel framing, on the other hand, are more flexible. Wood framing is particularly susceptible to movement as the wood swells during damp periods and shrinks when it dries. Choosing a stiff backup structure and incorporating movement joints into the design always help prevent future cracking of any adhered surface.

Thin Stone
If you want the look of full veneer and the pride in knowing that you have chosen natural stone without many of the associated costs, thin stone veneer is the perfect choice. It's another solution to the universal desire of builders to use natural stone, a solution limited only by imagination.

References
Buechel Stone Corporation
Chilton, Wis.
(920) 849-9361
www.buechelstone.com

Connecticut Stone
Milford, Conn.
(203) 876-7525
www.connecticutstone.com

Dick Busch Architects
Chesterfield, Mo.
(636) 530-7787
www.dickbuscharchitects.com

Mark Deichman Construction
Mankato, Minn.
(507) 625-7861
www.deichmanconstruction.com

Halquist Stone Company
Sussex, Wis.
(262) 246-9000
www.halquiststone.com

Natural Stone Veneers International
Fond du Lac, Wis.
(920) 923-2800Ê
www.nsvi.com

Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute
Denver, Colo.
(303) 893-3838
www.rmmi.org

Spencer Brickwork Inc.
Ellisville, Mo.
(636) 391-0517
spencerbrickwork@aol.com

Vetter Stone Company/Alabama Stone Company
Kasota, Minn. / Russellville, Ala.
(507) 345-4568
www.vetterstone.com

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