Even with the many innovative products sold on the construction and DIY market we still see a lot of people using the so-called real stone. Although appealing, the real stone they refer to is not on the market. What we see is almost always concrete, a mix of cement, pebbles, gypsum and painted over.
The only things they have in common with real stone is the fact that they absorb water and stains and, are hard to cut and install and create a lot of dust in a home when they are cut.
As you can imagine by the above statement we prefer to talk about other products, those that don’t take shortcuts when created in the factory. The products that are designed to last and that are geared toward the “weekend warrior” rather than the expensive installer.
Stone veneer can be almost any material. Cast stone is also referred to as stone veneer but it’s really just a cast material that is thinner than other products. It is not necessarily cut down to a smaller thickness, in most cases it is cast in those dimensions.
So, the reason why products like these should be friendly to installers is that many homeowners who want to create or remodel a stone wall or a fireplace do not want to learn to be a mason, nor want to create a lot of dust in their house in the process.
Another reason why they don’t want to use materials that absorb water is that they will create outdoor facades so the material has to be resistant to stains, water and freezing temperatures. These qualities are simply not available to “concrete blocks” therefore they look into synthetic materials.
Using stone and brick made of dense resins allows you to have a variety of accessories to make the projects easy to complete. You can find things like:
Inside or Outside corners
Ledge trim
Outlet trim
And more.
When creating your own walls a homeowner doesn’t want to buy a wet saw and learn to be cut dusty materials to create corners. Polyurethane accessories are ready to install and if you had to cut them to size you could do so by simply using a jig saw.
Making the shift from heavy products to light ones is actually risk proof. You can order a panel or two or a small sample to see what you will be dealing with. Most companies will take that product back if you are not satisfied.
The remodeling projects are becoming easier and easier to complete. Stay up-to-date with the available options!
