The stone archways in this private residence were designed and created by Zach Builders using Chilton Rustic NTV. Photo courtesy of Buechel Stone Corporation

By M. W. Penn

Thin stone: It's what's happening in building stone. It's the latest buzzword, and there are valid reasons behind the excitement.

The fastest growing product of stone suppliers, thin stone is making real stone available to a much broader audience. It's developing a niche in applications where stone previously wouldn't have been considered because of cost or weight restrictions. It's the new solution.

What is Thin Stone?
Beautiful, natural thin stone veneer is a facing product — real stone that doesn't need the ledger, footings or wall ties required by conventional, full veneer products. Instead, thin stone veneer is lightweight enough to be supported by the wall it covers. This means that builders can construct a conventional wood frame or block backup and apply real stone over the surface.

But is it "thin stone," "sliced stone" or "Natural Thin Veneer"? The product has taken off so quickly, even those who produce and sell it don't refer to it by a single name. Outside the business, these interchangeable terms have sometimes led to confusion. Real stone tile is thin, stone panels designed for building facings, as is the stone facing of precast concrete panels. Is there a difference between these products and what the industry refers to as "thin stone"?

Baccio Restaurant in Minnetonka, Minn. was designed by Trellage-Ferrill using Chilton Castle Rock NTV — Full Color/Custom Blend. Photo courtesy of Buechel Stone Corporation

Joe Dellacroce, CEO of Connecticut Stone Supplies, defined his thin stone product this way: "Thin stone is natural or rough-cut stone in an ashlar or a mosaic pattern, fitted together like standard four-inch or six-inch bed depth, rough-cut stone. Because thin stone is cut to a 3/4-inch to 1-1/4-inch depth, it offers the dimensional beauty of natural, rough-cutĘstone to any interior or exterior surface, without the expensive support structures required by conventional full-stone products."

Ron Vetter, president of Vetter Stone Company/Alabama Stone Company, clarified it further: "Thin stone is strictly thin, split-face stone, and not smooth stone adhered to a panelized system; a 'honeycomb' panelized system is another natural stone building product, but quite different than thin split-face stone."

Installation
The weight restriction for thin set masonry applications is 15 lbs./sq. ft.; any stone above 15 lbs./sq. ft. is too heavy for a thin-set application. For this reason, installing natural stone veneers in thicknesses that vary from three to eight inches requires ledges, footings and wall ties. But thin stone veneer is light enough to comply with these restrictions, and therefore does not require any additional structural support — it is truly a facing product.

The main entrance to the Crossroads Mall in St. Cloud, Minn., showcases Fond du Lac Cambrian Blend NTV with vertical installation of some of the stone and a blend of Buff Gray and Mill Creek Castle Rock.
Photo courtesy of Buechel Stone Corporation

Buechel Stone Corporation, a central Wisconsin quarry and fabricator of building stone, has specific "How To" guidelines for the installation of their Natural Thin Veneer. The guidelines state that the stone is lightweight enough to be installed on any structurally sound surface using "a standard mortar mix of good working consistency." Bonding agents can be added to mortar to increase its bond strength, but are normally not required if correct application procedures are followed.

On unpainted, untreated masonry, the mortar and stone facing is applied directly to the surface. On other surfaces, a metal lath or mesh of corrosion-resistant material is first attached to the surface and a thin scratch coat of mortar is applied. Once this coat has set, the stone facing is affixed to the wall by applying mortar to the back of the stone and pressing it to the wall. On dry interior applications, thin stone can also be adhered to the back-up wall using special epoxy adhesives approved for thin stone applications.

From the Lannon Quarry of Halquist Stone Company, Mayfair Blend thin limestone is bedface stone in a full range of colors.
Photo courtesy of Halquist Stone

For exterior surfaces, a moisture barrier must be applied to wood surfaces before the metal lath is attached, and in many instances a weeping material is also recommended. A final joint grouting will also help the wall resist moisture penetration.

Advantages of Cost
Full-depth veneer natural stone is regarded as the premium choice for high-end home and building construction, but its thinly sliced counterpart yields cost advantages that make it the right choice for several types of applications, especially those with tight budget restrictions.

First, there is the advantage of not requiring structural support; builders can install thin stone on a conventional frame or block structure. Then there is the element of time. Following the guidelines from Buechel Stone, thin stone can be installed in about half the time as full veneer, cutting this expense in half; it's also easier for masons to handle. Shop drawings are not necessary, eliminating another costly step. And shipping costs are reduced; because of its size and weight, more thin stone can be shipped per truckload.

Ocean Pearl Split Face thin stone veneer from K2 Quarries helps create the face to this zero clearance fireplace.
Photo courtesy of K2 Stone Quarries Inc.

Kevan Busik, CEO of Delaware Quarries/Pebble Junction, said, "Masons historically can install about 35 sq. ft. of four-inch full veneer in one work day. In comparison, efficient installers can install in excess of 100 sq. ft. of our Tru-Stone® thin veneer in one day. Since the most costly part of any installation is the labor, a big benefit of thin veneer is that a masonry crew can produce three times more installed footage in the same time. This translates into more jobs that same crew can take on in the same period of time. Builders like the fact that they can complete the structure faster."

The transport savings are important, too. In the present global economy, stone is often quarried on one continent, fabricated on a second, and used in a construction project on still a third, so transportation costs have become an increasingly significant part of the formula when selecting stone. Depending on distance, the cost difference in transport is often dramatic. Joe Dellacroce gave the following example: Connecticut Stone bid a distant job that required 120,000 sq. ft. of stone. The weight of four-inch depth veneer for the project was 3,400 tons. With a shipping cost of $140/ton, the cost of shipping alone was $476,000. When the same job was quoted using thin stone, the weight of the stone required for the job dropped to 800 tons, and the shipping cost was reduced to $112,000.

A home exterior featuring K2 Quarries' Ocean Pearl
natural ledgestone veneer.
Photo courtesy of K2 Stone Quarries Inc.

K2 Stone Quarries Inc., Nanaimo, British Columbia, ships much of its beautiful Ocean Pearl natural stone products to markets in California. Mike Crape of K2 Stone Quarries provided the accompanying cost analysis of a typical distant installation of their stone, which demonstrates savings of more than $25,000 on a modest 2,000 sq. ft. installation.

Production Costs
Though major savings result from both transport and installation, production costs of thin stone are comparable to full-depth veneer. As Crape explained, "The primary reason that thin stone costs more to produce per square foot is the amount of work that goes into cutting the stone, both in labor and machinery costs. At K2, we utilize basic mason hand saws to cut the corners, as well as a thin stone TXS Stone Veneer Fabrication System from Park Industries to cut the product."

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

Dellacroce added that the cost of production varies with the type of stone being cut. "The hardness of the stone is a factor in thin stone production cost. Saw blades wear out much more quickly when we're cutting granite."

Waste is not a major factor of the production figures for thin stone. At both K2 Quarries and Connecticut Stone, any remaining stone is fabricated into a number of other products with very little waste resulting from the original cut piece of stone. The other products might include cobble stones, stepping stones, pond rocks or wall stone — in fact, any product dictated by the type and dimension of the stone.

Thin Stone vs. Manufactured Products
Kevan Busik said, "We have been producing full veneer for 60 years and thin veneer for 30 years. It became apparent to us that we needed to offer a product that would compete head to head against the various concrete veneer suppliers. This product would have to meet stringent building code seismic requirements; in addition, we also needed to offer corner pieces that would meet those same building codes."

A private residence featuring a rustic yet elegant look created with Chilton Heritage Blend NTV. Designed by Whiteford Associates, Inc.
Photo courtesy of Buechel Stone Corporation

Natural thin stone veneer is installed with the same simplicity and ease as manufactured stone but has advantages over manufactured products in color, durability and versatility.

First, natural stone is colorfast. Since it is quarried from the earth, natural stone has qualities of color and texture that can never be reproduced — each piece is unique. Unlike manufactured products, there is never a risk of natural stone developing a repeating pattern, which is unavoidable on large installations of manufactured products. And, because thin stone is natural stone, it's available in all the colors and blends of full veneer, an important point to remember when there is the chance that both stone dimensions will be combined in the same project.

Thin stone can be cut in the shape of corbels, lintels, keystones and other architectural details, such as this arch at the entrance to a wine cellar attests. Thin stone is from Vetter Stone Company.
Photo courtesy of Deichman Construction

Also, natural stone is more durable than manufactured stone; it resists chipping and scratching to a much greater degree. In addition, if a piece of natural stone should chip, the inner core presents the same color and texture as the surface of the stone. This isn't the case with manufactured products, which are only pigmented on the surface; when manufactured stone is chipped or cut, the edges have to be re-colored.

Natural Stone Veneers International's Virginia Ledgestone faces a dramatic fireplace. Photo courtesy of Natural Stone Veneers International

Over time, other problems often develop with an artificial stone installation. The material could shrink due to drying and carbonation. This isn't the case with natural stone, which has been cured to perfection; eons have elapsed since its production. Manufactured stone will also wick much more moisture than natural stone, eventually causing an installation to deteriorate; in fact, it is recommended that manufactured stone applications begin four inches above soil or two inches above concrete to keep moisture from being absorbed into the surface.

Natural thin stone can be custom cut to an architect or builder's specifications. As long as building code size and weight guidelines are followed, thin stone can be cut in the shape of corbels, lintels, keystones and other architectural details and applied to a wall using the same masonry techniques as flat wall stones. Also, corner returns can be cut at odd angles of other than 90 degrees. Finally, thin stone can also be cut or trimmed on the job site to exacting measurements.

In the important area of shipping, thin stone also has an advantage. It can be boxed and shipped using the same size and weight structures as manufactured stone — five-, 10- and 100-sq. ft. shipping containers. Using this method, shipping costs remain in line for both natural and manufactured products.

Beautiful, natural thin stone veneer is a natural facing product that doesn't need the ledger, footings or wall ties required by conventional full veneer products. Halquist Stone Company of Sussex, Wis., supplied the thin stone for this soaring wall.
Photo courtesy of Halquist Stone

Thin stone can also be shipped on pallets. In the case of manufactured stone, which will chip and weather, this more economical and convenient shipping method is not an option. For instance, Connecticut Stone uses 100 sq. ft. and 240 sq. ft. pallets to ship its thin stone products, and Delaware Quarries packages its products in 10 sq. ft./ln. ft. cartons, 100 sq. ft./ln. ft. packs and 250 sq.ft. pallets.

Because thin veneer is often stored outside and because the weight of the product requires a package that won't buckle from boxes stacked above them on the master pallet or deteriorate from the sun, rain or snow, Busik created innovative packaging for his company's thin veneer. "We looked in the market and did not find anything that had the structural integrity necessary for the harsh environment of the construction industry. Working with our supplier we designed our own unique package."

This private residence in Michigan featuring Chilton Kensington Blend NTV, designed by JA Janiga.
Photo courtesy of Buechel Stone Corporation

Busik also thought it important to print graphical installation instructions right on the box in both English and Spanish. He said it's "an added touch that makes a positive difference in how our customers view our products."

Increased Production
Because cost is almost always a factor in choosing a building material, the cost savings derived from both transport and installation of thin stone should exponentially increase the use of natural stone, and this increase should occur quickly. In fact, some stone suppliers are already experiencing phenomenal growth.

Stone Company's Calyxo thin stone adorns this lake home and feature Silver Shadow Alabama Stone in a Spring Pattern.
Photo courtesy of Vetter Stone

Crape of K2 Stone Quarries Inc.: "Based on the amount of Natural Thin Veneer (NTV) that we produced last year and the demand that we see for the products in the coming year, we would expect to have to more than triple our production of NTV in the coming year. We see our sales skyrocketing by as much as 1,000 percent in the next 12 months, and growing from just 25 percent of our total sales last year to better than 50 percent this year. We expect this amount to increase as a direct result of NTV being utilized by more and more consumers as awareness grows of its advantages over manufactured products."

In the words of Joe Dellacroce, "We can't even begin to estimate the growth thin stone will bring to our industry. It's breathtaking."

This Colorado residence achieves beauty and distinction through architect Thomas Epps' use of Fond du Lac Heritage Blend NTV on the home's exterior and landscaping.
Photo courtesy of Buechel Stone Corporation

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

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

Delaware Quarries, Inc.
New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-1670
www.delawarequarries.com

K2 Stone Quarries Inc.
Nanaimo, British Columbia
(250) 754-2444
www.k2stonequarries.com

Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute
Denver, Co.
(303) 893-3838
dianet@rmmi.org

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

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