What type of stone is your material?
Will the stone hold up in severe weather conditions (i.e. frost/thaw)?
What are the benefits of using Natural Thin Veneer (NTV) vs. Full Veneer?
What is the average weight per square foot for Natural Thin Veneer?
Does Natural Thin Veneer need a foundation?
What is the difference between Natural Thin Veneer and a man-made stone?
What is the difference between man-made stone and Natural Thin Veneer as far as cost and durability?
Is Natural Thin Veneer installed in a similar fashion as man-made products?
Do I need to use sills with your stone?
What is the lead time on receiving material?
Do you stock any sizes and/or profiles of cut stone?
What type of mortar should I use?
How many square feet of flats do I subtract for the corners?
What ratio of mortar mixture do I use to install Natural Thin Veneer?
Can you recommend a mason in my area that has worked with your stone?
Does the color of the material fade or disappear after awhile? Do I need to seal it and how often?
Does your stone require a sealer if it is used on the exterior of a home or building?
What type of stone is your material?
Dolomitic Limestone….it is very dense and very durable.
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Will the stone hold up in severe weather conditions (i.e. frost/thaw)?
Yes, our stone is suitable for the most severe weather conditions. Our material is required to go through several tests to be recognized as suitable building stone. One of the tests is for absorption. Our material tests out at less than 1% absorption, which is very good. As long as it is installed correctly, you will not have any problems. See our Testing Data for more technical information.
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What are the benefits of using Natural Thin Veneer (NTV) vs. Full Veneer?
Natural Thin Veneer (NTV) can be installed in as much as half the time as full veneer. In addition, because it has a thinner profile, approximately three times more of it can be shipped per truckload based on legal limits than full veneer. This can produce freight-in cost savings especially on long distance hauling. Another advantage of NTV's thin cut profile is that it can be installed without a brick/stone foundation ledge making it especially good for remodeling projects and zero clearance fireplaces.
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What is the average weight per square foot for Natural Thin Veneer?
11 to 14 lbs. per square foot.
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Does Natural Thin Veneer need a foundation?
No, our Natural Thin Veneer is self supporting. The Natural Thin Veneer needs to be less than 15 lbs. per square foot to be considered self supporting. Our material will weigh from 11 to 14 lbs. per square foot.
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What is the difference between Natural Thin Veneer and a man-made stone?
Our Natural Thin Veneer is natural stone. Man-made stone is produced by pouring a combination of cement, aggregate and color pigments into molds. This mixture is then allowed to cure. Because there are only a limited number of molds and colors for a man-made product, a repeating pattern can result on larger projects. In contrast, every piece of Natural Thin Veneer is unique in color and shape because it is quarried from the earth. It can be custom cut and trimmed to meet your specifications, 90 degree corners are standard although corners other than 90 degrees can be cut to meet your specifications. In addition, because the colors that man-made stone uses are also man-made in dye-lots, colors can vary from manufactured run to manufactured run, resulting in color differences from flats to flats and from flats to corners.
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What is the difference between man-made stone and Natural Thin Veneer as far as cost and durability?
Natural Thin Veneer is a natural stone product, which means that it is very durable with little to no water absorption. This means that it will not be affected by a normal freeze thaw cycle. Man-made stone is a manufactured concrete based product, and is a little more porous than natural stone. Costs are very comparable for both products.
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Is Natural Thin Veneer installed in a similar fashion as man-made products?
Yes, it is installed in a very similar way. Mortar adheres to NTV's sawn back just as easily, and its light weight makes it easy to install. For more information, refer to the Sheer Test section in our Stone Testing data. One difference is that, unlike many man-made installations, we offer a weep system for exterior applications.
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Do I need to use sills with your stone?
A cap of some type is required to cap off the top of the stonework so that water doesn't get behind the wall. This can be a sill or a fabricated flashing.
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What is the lead time on receiving material?
This will vary depending on the quantity you order and the stone type.
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Do you stock any sizes and/or profiles of cut stone?
Yes. See our
Cut Stone section or contact us for more information.
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What type of mortar should I use?
Type S
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How many square feet of flats do I subtract for the corners?
1 square foot equals 1 lineal foot
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What ratio of mortar mixture do I use to install Natural Thin Veneer?
3 to 1. You will want the mortar to be of good working consistency (not too wet and not too dry). This will allow the best contact and adhesion.
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Can you recommend a mason in my area that has worked with your stone?
Please check with a
dealer in your area or call us for more information.
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Does the color of the material fade or disappear after awhile? Do I need to seal it and how often?
It is not necessary, but we often recommend sealing the stone to preserve color especially with our color-rich Rustic or Weather Edge materials. We offer an assortment of quality sealers that will seal the stone without changing the color or appearance as well as sealants that will enhance the color of the stone or even give it a "wet" look.
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Does your stone require a sealer if it is used on the exterior of a home or building?
A sealer is not required. However, we do recommend it on our Rustic and Weather Edge products to preserve the rich colors. Please refer to our Stone Care and Cleaning section or talk to your sales representative for more information.
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