ebuild Guide to Manufactured Stone Veneer

Manufactured stone veneer is a Portland cement product that is cast in molds to replicate almost any type of natural stone. Iron oxide pigments are used to color the product, giving it a natural appearance. The veneer can be created in various configurations, with almost any type of texture and profile.

For most manufactured stone veneers, the key generic specifications are:

Application Type, which captures whether the product is designed for interior or exterior use. Generally, an exterior product can be used indoors but the converse is rarely true.

Generic Design Type generally corresponds with the common, traditional terms used to describe natural stone for building applications. Brick is made to replicate clay brick in running bond pattern. Castle stone replicates blocks of smooth squared stone of any type with varying dimensions. Cobblestone replicates rock fragment with a rounded or semi-rounded profile usually measuring between 3 and 12 inches across the face. Coral replicates coral reef stone cut and sized to expose fossil patterns and other surface characteristics. Driftstone replicates rock outcroppings from the desert floor of the southwestern United States. Fieldstone replicates rounded stone that is usually undressed structural stone. Ledgestone replicates square and rectangular stone from natural outcropping of irregular length and height, and is usually longer than it is tall and can be applied to appear as though it is drystacked. Limestone replicates quarried stone roughly hewn to square and rectangular shapes. River stone replicates larger rounded naturally occurring stone taken from moving bodies of water where it has been subjected to shaping due to erosion. Stream stone is similar to river stone but generally of a smaller scale.

Profile is the extent to which the product projects relative to the plane of the surface to which it is applied. High-profile products project farther than low profile.

Texture is the measure of the feel or look of the product, including such quantitative properties as smoothness, coarseness and regularity. A smooth texture refers to a surface which is free of ripples or outcroppings and may be the result of erosion, quarrying, or finishing methods. Rough generally refers to a surface which is jagged and/or pockmarked and used in its natural condition. Split face may be similar to rough in appearance, but is the result of breaking rock or stone to expose the inner surfaces.

Tone refers to the intensity or gradation of color from lighter to darker colors.

Manufactured Stone Veneer Specifications Resources:

Portland Cement Association
http://www.cement.org/index.asp