Benefits Of Manufactured Stone Veneer

By: Roger Wilcox

Manufactured stone veneer is a popular item for both exteriors and interiors. When you see homes with beautiful stone facings, you don't know if it's real stone or manufactured, which is the point. Manufactured stone is virtually indistinguishable from real stone because of its top quality design and craftsmanship. It's created through a process that gives it the look and feel of real natural stone. But manufactured stone veneer comes without all the headaches that using real stone can give you.

Real stone is the heaviest material you can use for things like house exteriors and interior design, too. All that weight creates problems. First of all, you can't just slap real stone up on the outside of a house or an interior wall. A concrete base is necessary to support the weight of the stone and create the right surface for it to adhere to.

The concrete base adds even extra weight, so for use on an interior wall or accent you have to make sure the wall and the floor can withstand that weight. Even just using natural stone on a fireplace can mean reinforcing the floor or worse--discovering that it's simply not safe to do so because it can't be reinforced properly for some reason.

But you can use manufactured stone veneer without those worries. The manufactured veneer weighs far less than natural stone. Using it on a fireplace shouldn't require any structural changes at all. And it's non-combustible, just like real stone, so it's perfectly safe to use, too. You also don't need a concrete base or backing to use manufactured stone veneer inside or outside. It can be installed on almost any surface. That cuts down the weight and the prep time, so installation takes less time and costs less, too.

Despite the lower cost, you'll end up with the look of real, natural stone that can fool anyone. You won't have to worry about your facing, fireplace, interior wall or accent looking fake or cheap. With the different colors and styles of manufactured stone veneer that are available today, you can have the look of almost any type of natural stone you want for a fraction of the price.

Rough-hewn stone, smooth river stone and several other options are available in various shades to fit into your décor and work with your sense of style. You can design around the beautiful manufactured stone veneer you choose, or choose one of many styles that will work perfectly with your current décor.

The look of stone is the look of quality, and will raise the perceived value of your home as well as its actual value. And stone isn't a fad or just a trend. It's been used in home design since ancient times and will never go out of style or look old and dated. Manufactured stone veneer really does supply all the beauty of natural stone without the cost, weight and installation problems, so it's hard to imagine why anyone would use anything else.