Manufactured Stone Blog | Native Custom Stone

Why You Should Use Stack Stone Veneer for Your Outdoor Kitchen

Whether you’re considering building an outdoor kitchen in your backyard, or you already have one that you want to upgrade, stack stone veneer will help you create a fabulous feature you can use for entertaining and family living. Unlike traditional structures built using natural stone, stack stone veneer is surprisingly easy to install and it is also an economical option.

One of our client’s beautiful outdoor kitchens using Stack Stone!

Traditional stonemasons would stack stone to build walls and structures of various kinds. They would cut the stone neatly to size and either stack it dry – usually for country garden walls – or with mortar to strengthen the structure.

The effect stack stone produces is neat and clean, and reminiscent of centuries-old craftsmanship.

Nowadays, there are very few traditional stonemasons worldwide. Not only is this a highly skilled craft, natural stone quarries are few and far between. Stone is also very heavy (and therefore expensive) to transport and it is hard on the hands.

Stone Stack Veneer

In recent years, stone veneer has become a popular alternative to solid stone. Initially, manufacturers made solid faux stone units that could be laid like the real thing. But today, manufactured stone veneer is relatively light and considerably easier to install. It is readily available countrywide and costs a fraction of the cost of natural stone both in terms of transportation and labor. In fact, some stone veneer products have been customized for the DIY market.

A sample of our Stack Stone Colors – Check them all out here!

The Georgia-based faux stone specialists, Native Custom Stone, produce a range of stone veneer products suitable for indoor and outdoor use.

The company’s thin stack stone veneer is particularly versatile in terms of character, thickness, depth, and color. Stack patterns are clean and surprisingly contemporary in effect while appearing authentic at the same time.

Technologically advanced, stack stone units are manufactured for use in as many architectural applications you can think of. They offer numerous advantages, one of which is that no concrete foundation is required. This makes the stone stack veneer ideal for remodeling walls, indoor features like fireplaces, and backyard structures like outdoor kitchens and seating.

Another advantage is that the faux stack stone can be used as a cladding for almost every surface, including the walls of your outdoor kitchen, old or new.

For more information about Native Custom Stone stack stone veneer and other veneer products contact us today.

Simplify Your DIY Brickwork Project With Go-Brick

Most of us live in timber-frame houses with internal dry walls that can be painted, tiled, or finished with wallpaper. The decorative options are huge, but many of us yearn for walls that have been constructed using stone or brick that look a lot more earthy and substantial than the walls we have grown used to.

The fact that most of us can’t build either dry wall structures or those constructed from stone, blocks, bricks and mortar, is irrelevant. Once we have a home, we can bring in skilled artisans to build brick or stone veneers, or even build additional walls using brick, blocks, or stone. Or we can turn to revolutionary 21^st-century alternatives like Go-Brick that enable us to install cladding more quickly than artisans can assemble their tools!

If you live in a timber-frame house and want brick walls, Go-Brick is likely to be your solution.

How is Go-Brick Different to Brickwork?

In normal circumstances, we use bricks and mortar to build walls. This involves solid bricklaying skills and a basic knowledge of the materials required. But there are easier ways to achieve an effect that looks just like brick. The best is a product manufactured by Native Custom Stone, a Georgia-based company that specializes in manufactured stone and brick veneer.

Made to look exactly like a brick wall, Go-Brick is a thin veneer that can be installed on most vertical wall surfaces. The process involved is even easier than tiling and all you need to do is ensure the “brick” elements are level when they are installed.

Go-Brick’s specifications include seven different colors all of which have a standard grout joint width of 3/8 inch. The depth of the joint is variable and may be full brushed, full tooled, or deep raked. There are also several joint colors including off-white, natural grey, and buff. Accessories include window sills and elements for electric and light points.

If you would like to know more about the products that Native Custom Stone manufacturers, especially Go-Stone contact us today. Our products are equally suited to professionals and DIYers.

Skills Required for a DIY Stone Veneer Project

The skills required for any DIY stone veneer project will depend on the materials and methods used for the job. For instance, if you opt to use natural stone cut for use as a veneer, you will need good building skills even if you don’t cut the stone to size yourself. If, on the other hand, you decide to use man-made stone veneer, it will be a lot easier and quicker to install. And if you choose to use Native Custom Stone’s ingenious Go-Stone Panels, you don’t need any special skills at all.

Generally, natural stone veneer is a job for the professionals. Because of the weight, it will require a foundation, and the cut-stone veneer units will have to be laid in mortar. Depending on the size of the stone used, it might even need steel reinforcing.

Manufactured stone is a lot easier to work with, and it doesn’t usually need any concrete foundation or base. Go-Stone panels are even lighter

Skills Needed for a Faux Stone Veneer Project

Our #21 Aspen Ridge CustomFit Panels

Most faux stone veneer projects require basic building skills including knowledge of how to ensure everything is straight and square, as well as level and plumb. In essence, for any structure to be square it must have right-angled corners, horizontal surfaces must be flat and level and vertical surface must be plumb. All this means is that you need to know how to measure correctly and how to use a torpedo or spirit level since these tools allow you to check both horizontal and vertical surfaces. A builders’ square is useful for testing that corners are at right-angles.

While some faux stone veneer products can be laid dry and stacked without mortar, it is often better to use mortar. You can buy a pre-mixed product that comes in one bag for this.

It might take a bit of practice using a trowel to lay the mortar on the stone veneer, but it isn’t particularly different. If you work systematically, checking your vertical and horizontal levels as you go, there is no reason why you can’t achieve a professional finish.

Go-Stone is a unique product made partially from rubber tires. Because it comes in panels, it is a quicker process than laying a faux stone veneer. Nevertheless, you will need the same basic skills that relate to ensuring the veneer is straight, level, and plumb. Instead of working with mortar, Go-Stone panels are laid using a ceramic tile and stone adhesive.

Whether you opt for a faux stone veneer or Go-Stone panels, Native Custom Stone has products that offer lots of choices of finish and color. You’ll wonder why you ever considered using natural stone!

How to Avoid Weather Damage to Manufactured Stone Veneer

Good quality manufactured stone veneer looks great, lasts a lifetime, and is incredibly easy to maintain. But it must be installed correctly to ensure moisture doesn’t affect it adversely.

The problem is that most manufactured stone veneer products are porous and so will retain water if they get wet. And if moisture is trapped between the veneer and your drywall or wooden framing it stands a good chance of causing water damage and might even destroy the materials it comes into contact with. Another issue is that you won’t normally be able to see what’s happening behind the manufactured stone. In reality, the veneer will probably continue to look great while the materials behind it deteriorate and may even rot away completely.

What You Need to Know About the Installation of Manufactured Stone Veneer

Unfortunately, the reality is that most manufactured stone products – especially those installed on exterior walls – need to be installed by a professional with the right skills and experience. Enthusiasm is not enough to make a DIY project succeed. For example:

Cement-based stone veneer products must be laid on a base or foundation of some kind and the installer will need some building skills to do this. For instance, the right concrete mix must be used and it must be placed correctly and allowed to set for enough time before the veneer is laid.
There must be proper drainage away from the base to prevent any water from seeping between the wall of the house and the new veneer, or worse still pooling between the two layers. You might also need weep-holes.
Flashing is often installed to lead water away from the wall of the house at the base constructed to support manufactured stone veneer. This must been done properly, preferably by a qualified plumber. The principles are the same as those used for flashing around a chimney that prevents water from seeping into the house. A plumber needs to do this work too.

How to Protect Manufactured Stone Veneer Surfaces

Even when manufactured stone veneer has been correctly installed, it faces the threat of all kinds of weather-related and other damage. These range from water and freeze damage to the accumulation of dirt as well as fungal and algae growth that can stain the surface.

To prevent this, what you need is a product that can be painted onto the surface to repel stains, water, and even oil.

Native Custom Stone, established manufacturers of manufactured stone veneer, has developed a product that does just this. Called Natural Shield, it bonds both mechanically and chemically to a number of substrates including manufactured stone, stucco, brick, paving stones, and even natural stone.

If you are thinking of installing or having manufactured stone veneer installed make sure you take these steps to avoid weather damage to your new wall.

You can also call Native Custom Stone for more information and advice.

How to Build a Brick Wall With No Bricklaying Skills

Bricklaying is hard work that takes muscle, learned skills, and practice. It is also messy because you’re working with bricks and mortar, which has to be mixed from cement, sand, and water.

Additionally, you need a good, solid foundation for a brick wall, which is even heavier work, because it entails mixing structural concrete. The foundation must also be constructed to the correct dimensions for the width and height of the wall it is going to support.

Bricklaying skills are also essential when building brick walls. All brick structures should be straight, level, and square, and a number of specialized tools are required including a spirit level and square, various trowels, mallets, hammers, chisels, bolsters, and lines and pegs. While the skills can be learned, bricklaying doesn’t fit into the realm of most do-it-yourselfers.

But all this changes if you are building a brick wall with Native Custom Stone Go-Brick.

Brick Walls Built With Revolutionary Go-Brick

Go-Brick is a lightweight brick veneer that will make any vertical surface look just like a solid brick wall. Many professional bricklayers and masons work with the product, but it is also ideal for do-it-yourselfers wanting to transform internal or external walls.

The beauty of this product is that it doesn’t require any type of foundation or structural support and installation is quick and easy. While the lightweight brick units must be installed so that they are flat, level, and plumb, all you need is a chalk line to mark the position of each row.

Go-Brick tumbled brick units are 2¼ inches high and 7⁵/₈ long, and they are about a ½ inch in thickness. A gap of ³/₈ inch should be left to form a mortar joint between each brick.

Packs of brick flats contain 58 pieces that are enough to cover 8½ square feet. Corner pieces are packed per linear foot with 10 linear feet in each box. Window sills pieces are also available. These measure 18 x 2 x 3³/₈ inches.

Molded to look just like clay bricks, tumbled brick Go-Bricks are available in seven standard colors:

Antique Red
Old Dixie Grey
Orchard Blend
Savannah Beach
Schoolhouse Red
Sunset Rust
Vintage Atlanta

There are also a variety of grout joint colors.

Installing Go-Brick Walls

Start by marking a chalk line on the wall where the bricks are to be installed. Remember to include the joint width.

Instead of using mortar, Go-Bricks are installed using tile adhesive and an ordinary notched trowel. Regular mortar can be used for grouting between the units, but it is even easier to use tile grout and a grout applicator.

The mortar/grout joint may be deep-raked, full-brushed, or full-tooled, in which case you will need a jointing tool. Alternatively, you can just scrape out the excess grout and wipe clean carefully with a cloth.

There is no need to seal the brick veneer unless the surface is going to be in a particularly wet environment or exposed to excessive run-off water. Native Custom Stone does have a product, Natural Shield Sealer, that is made for purpose, and doesn’t alter the appearance of the Go-Brick surface.

Increasing Your Home’s Curb Appeal With Manufactured Stone

It’s long been acknowledged that curb appeal can increase the value of a home and decrease the time it takes to sell. Curb appeal is simply the art of making a home’s exterior look nice from the street. A few shrubs here, a splash of color there, and your home could be made beautiful in a matter of just days.

For a home that needs a siding update, however, the process for improving curb appeal can be a little more complex. Old or uninspired siding can make a home look forgotten, unkempt, and dirty. Improving siding can boost curb appeal by making the home look newer and more modern. One attractive option that homeowners and sellers turn to is manufactured stone veneer. Here’s what you need to know.

How Stone Veneer Boosts Curb Appeal

There are many things that stone veener can do to improve the appearance of a home. Stone is a natural product that harkens back to the days when houses were built by hand from the raw materials found in the earth. By grounding the house in natural beauty, and by adding visual interest to the house, stone veneer gives every home a sense of elegance and grace.

Variety of Texture

Stone comes in a variety of textures, from the round, bold beauty of river rock, to flat, sharp pieces of slate. This variety of texture contrasts nicely against other types of siding, like wood and wood look-alike products.

Stone looks its best when it is able to echo the textures found elsewhere in the environment. Homeowners who wish to link their stone veneer to the other visual elements found in the environment can pave their walkways and even their driveway with similar stone.

Variety of Color

Stone comes in many different colors. Even the same type of stone quarried from the same location will have some variety of color that gives the exterior of the house an ebb and flow. Some types of stone have a wide variety of colors. For example, slate comes in shades of gray, red, green and even blue.

Variety of stone color can even give homeowners a theme to draw upon when planting flowers and other types of landscaping around their house. Matching the flowers to the stone makes the home seem more visually unified. For homeowners who think this is important, sampling different types of veneer and shopping around for different colors can help.

Where to Place Stone on Your Home’s Exterior

Stone can be placed in a variety of places on the exterior of the house. A traditional place to position stone on siding is on the lower half of the house, like a knee wall. In cases like this, the stone veneer meets the siding less than half way up the side of the house.

There are many other places where stone veneer can be found. Another common place to see stone is on the chimney, starting at the foundation and moving all the way up. Sometimes, veneer is found on the exterior accents only, in place of trim around windows and doorways. This helps the doorway and windows stand out, making them pop visually.

Finally, veneer can be found at the base of many porch columns, where it appears to support the porch, roof, and the weight of the house itself. Using stone veneer in this way gives the home a well-grounded appearance. Stone is strong, mighty, and capable of enduring years of harsh weather. Installing stone veneer in a position where it appears to hold up the house makes the house itself look timeless and as strong as a mountain.

Which Type of Stone Veneer is Right For You?

When the time comes to pick the right stone for your house, contact a reputable stone veneer vendor who knows how to properly install stone on your home’s siding. Working with a professional helps ensure that your home’s siding will look its best when the time comes to sell your house.

Lauren Schneider is the owner of militaryhomesearch.com, helping military members and their families navigate the unique challenges they face when buying or selling their homes.

How to Repair Cracks in Manufactured Stone

Manufactured Stone | Custom Stone Veneer Repair

Manufactured stone has become the go-to material for any homeowner that wants to add a little extra pop to their home. It looks exactly like natural stone but it is lighter, easier to work with, way less expensive, and tends to last a long time without deteriorating.

Nothing lasts forever though. Even manufactured stone will pick up the occasional crack or chip through normal wear and tear. It can’t be avoided but it can be easily fixed, unlike a natural stone veneer.

If you want to fix the cracks that are starting to show in your manufactured stone veneer you will need to gather a few supplies:

Mortar mix
Grout bag
Hammer
Wire brush
Cold chisel
Trowel
Broom

Once you have everything you need, just follow these easy steps:

Locate the first stone that you want to replace. You will use the cold chisel to carefully chip away the grout so that the stone comes loose. The best way is to hold the chisel at a 45 degree angle, pointing inward toward the stone you are removing. Once you have removed the grout, lightly tap the hammer around the edge of the stone to loosen it. If it still won’t budge, you may need to start chipping away at the stone itself.
Once the stone is removed you should see the wire mesh it was attached to. Carefully use the wire brush to remove as much debris as you can without pulling the mesh away from the wall.
When the hole is clear, measure it. If you have another stone of the correct size then you are ready to move on. If you don’t, you may need to rent a wet saw to cut one to size.
Mix the mortar in a bucket until it becomes a paste.
Put a thin coating of the mortar directly onto the wire mesh then apply a thicker coat, about a half inch, onto the back of the stone. Press the stone firmly into place and use the grout bag to fill in around the edges.
Move on to the next piece.

How Fake is Faux Stone?

By definition, faux stone is fake or false, or more kindly, it isn’t natural made stone. However, because it is deliberately made in imitation of real stone, it doesn’t have to look fake at all.

So, perhaps the question should be: How can I prevent faux stone from looking fake? But first, it pays to get your head around the concept of faux stone.

What is Faux Stone?

There are different types of faux stone, the most common being cast in molds using a fine-aggregate concrete. Molds are made from different types of naturally occurring rock and stone so that both surface finish and size mimic what is found in nature. The concrete used depends on the preference of manufacturers, but it is commonly made with a mixture of cement, suitable building sand, and very finely crushed stone rather than the coarse aggregate used for the concrete used for foundations and footings.

Traditionally, faux stone was only available in single units in imitation of the individual units a stone mason would prepare for building. Faux stone veneer is considerably thinner than full-scale rocks or stones.

Native Custom Stone produces several manufactured stone veneer products, including a range of Custom-Fit faux stone panels that interlock, simplifying the installation process for DIY enthusiasts.

Native Custom Stone also produces an eco-friendly variant of faux stone veneer made with recycled materials including rubber tires. Lightweight and easy to install, they are sold in a panelized form.

How to Prevent Faux Stone Looking Fake

When a stone mason builds a wall, he will choose his bonding pattern based on the stone used and the look required. Also, he will decide whether to lay the stone dry or to use mortar to bond it as bricklayers do when they build brick walls. Since no one individual rock or stone will look identical to another, there is no risk that the stone elements will look fake. But, the skill of a stonemason is to make the wall itself look natural!

If you’re going to build a faux stone wall or have one built, here are a few tips to help ensure it won’t look fake.

Choose a product that looks natural.
- If using individual stones make sure you buy a good selection of different stones to be able to create a more random impression.
- Faux stone panels are manufactured so that adjacent stones are not the same, making them a good option for DIY.
Choose a product that looks reasonably similar to natural stone found in your region and install it so that it looks like walls typically built with these materials.
Take care not to install faux stones and panels that are the same right next to or above one another. A repetitive pattern is a dead giveaway, and if a faux stone wall looks fake so will the faux stones it is built with.
Make sure that the design of the installation is something that could genuinely be built with natural stone. For instance, if it’s used above a wide opening and covers the lintel, it’s likely to look very fake.

Whether you want to use faux stone for a DIY project or have a contractor do the work for you, contact Native Custom Stone for more information. Alternatively, Go-Stone and Custom-Fit faux stone panels, and other simulated stone products are available from Home Depot online or from Build Direct.

Can I Build a Stone Wall Without a Concrete Base for Support?

Stone is a heavy, labor-intensive material that was commonly used for building centuries ago because it was so cheap. That was in the days before anyone ever dreamed of the day when simulated stone would be an alternative option.

Today, building with stone is a very expensive option that generally requires the services of a skilled stonemason.

While dry stone walls built outdoors don’t require a concrete foundation of any kind for support, the wall itself needs to have a wide base. As building progresses, the width of the wall decreases so that the finished structure has sloping walls. Whilst this type of structure is not suitable for the walls of a building, it could be used for a perimeter or garden wall.

A structural wall built with natural stone should be built on a solid concrete foundation designed to take the weight of the wall. The mass of the planned structure will be spread over the width of its foundation, in this way distributing the mass over a greater area. The actual size and design of the concrete foundation will, therefore, depend on the size and design of the house. Additionally, the load-bearing capacity of the soil will also be a factor.

While people do still build with stone, veneer, that is laid against a wood- or metal-framed wall is a cheaper, more viable option. But if natural stone is used, a concrete base will be needed, as will the services of a stonemason.

If a synthetic stone veneer is used, there is normally no need for special concrete foundations, irrespective of whether the simulated material is used on interior or exterior walls.

Stone Walls That Don’t Require a Concrete Base for Support

Native Custom Stone (NCS) produces a variety of stone veneer products, none of which require a concrete base or foundation for support. This is because the products weigh much less than natural stone or even manmade bricks and blocks.

Even the innovative, panelized Go-Stone veneer and interlocking Custom-Fit stone panels are simply applied to any surface that is structurally sound and clean. Absolutely no special foundations or structural alterations are necessary.

While standard manufactured stone veneer and Custom-Fit panels are installed using mortar, Go-Stone, which is made from mostly recycled products including old rubber tires, is installed using regular ceramic tile and stone adhesive.

Native Custom Stone specializes in simulated stone veneer products including faux stone panels. These products are available from NCS, Build Direct, or from Home Depot online.

Go DIY with Go-Stone Manufactured Stone for Interior Walls

Looking for a really exciting DIY project that will transform your living room walls? Well, here’s a challenge you won’t be able to resist: Go-Stone manufactured stone for walls. An ingenious faux stone veneer, the product is light, durable, realistic, and, best of all, it’s super-easy to install and relatively inexpensive.

Created with DIY enthusiasts in mind, Go-Stone is an environmentally friendly product manufactured by Native Custom Stone LLC. Supplied in the form of panels, it requires very few tools to install, and minimal preparation. Even though the finished surface will look like a hefty rock face, there is no need for any form of foundation to support the system. Unlike solid rock, it’s quick and easy to cut, and no special stonemasonry skills are needed to install it.

About Go-Stone Manufactured Stone for Walls

Launched in 2013, Native Custom Stone’s Go-Stone system is made primarily from recycled rubber tires using new age, crumb rubber technology, taking the concept of manufactured stone for walls to a completely new level. Not only is the product light in weight, it also helps to relieve the huge problem of discarded tires sent to landfills.

Go-Stone panels are supplied in boxes, each of which contains varied panels that will cover a total of five square feet, providing a total of 40 inches of vertical edging. Corner pieces are packaged with four linear feet in each box. Additionally, there are accessories in the form of surrounds that accommodate plug points and light switches.

Available in nine color combinations, it can be used to clad any interior wall, enabling you to create a feature and add a unique character to your room.

Installing Go-Stone is Easy

Go-Stone manufactured stone for walls is incredibly easy to install, and DIYers are sure to have all the tools required for the project:

Measuring tape (preferably a retractable steel type) to check the size of the area and to measure any cutting lines on panels
Torpedo or spirit level to make sure the panels are straight and level
Notched tiling trowel to apply the adhesive to the wall
Drywall or wet-cut saw to cut panels if necessary (to make them fit the area you are covering)
Painter’s drop cloth or rosin paper to protect your floor

In addition to the panels, you will need ceramic tile and stone adhesive. That’s it! No grout is needed!

And installation couldn’t be easier:

Prepare the work area by covering the floor with cloth or paper, and wiping the wall surface down to ensure it is clean. Allow it to dry thoroughly before proceeding.
Starting at a corner and from the floor, use the notched trowel to apply adhesive to the wall. Don’t try and cover the entire wall, rather work in small sections.
Position the first panel and push it firmly into place, moving it gently from side to side. Use the level along the upper horizontal surface, and on the vertical edges, to check that it is level. Never rely on existing floor and wall surfaces for this.
The packaging shows how you should alternate the different sized panels to achieve a natural look. Lay a full row along the base of your wall first.
When you install the second and subsequent rows, make sure you stagger the different sized panels for a natural appearance and to avoid the impression of seams. Keep checking your levels.

Go-Stone manufactured stone for walls is available throughout the state of Georgia as well as from select Home Depot stores, and online from BuildDirect.com