What is Stone Veneer?

You’ve seen and admired manufactured stone veneer, even if you haven’t realized it. That beautiful home on the next block with the handsome stone entryway. The amazing stone fireplace on the gorgeous patio pictured on your favorite home design website. While you might be asking yourself “what is stone veneer,” you’ll likely find it’s all around you.

In many ways, manufactured stone veneer is exactly what it sounds like: Portland cement and aggregates mixed with oxides for color and poured into hand-crafted molds designed from natural stone to create pieces that look like real stones but are easier to set into a wall because they have flat backs.

Of course, the word “veneer” can be tricky. It often brings to mind furniture covered with a laminated “wood-grained” plastic or an ultra-white layer that can be added over teeth. But in this case, “veneer” is used in its most basic sense, to mean a decorative covering on a wall.

And decorative hardly begins to describe some of the amazing ways homeowners use this versatile product. Aside from entryways, patios and home facades, they’re also using manufactured stone to enhance:

• Firepits
• Gazebos
• Retaining walls
• Gathering areas
• Sheds and outbuildings
• Outdoor water features
• Grilling pavilions
• Accent fencing to match the home’s exterior

Stone veneer also is finding its way indoors to produce stunning focal points like a master bath garden tub, a kitchen island, a living room fireplace or beautiful accent wall.

Its decorative value is just one of the many benefits of manufactured stone. Others include:

Consistency of color—It’s difficult, if not impossible, to find enough natural stones of the same color to complete a project. Just the time to look for and gather natural stones makes the process impractical. ProVia manufactured stone is available in many color palettes to match any décor.

Consistency of profile—Finding authentic stones with complementary shapes and trimming them so they fit your design can be an insurmountable task. ProVia’s stone, however, is engineered to provide a cohesive, pleasing profile across all types of wall patterns.

Ease of installation—The time, skill and equipment needed to prepare and mortar natural stones in place is an obvious drawback. But natural stones also present a building challenge when smaller pieces need cut and shaped to complete the edge of a wall. Those instances require modifying individual stones to the right size, a time-consuming task. But ProVia stone is designed specifically for ease of installation and the perfect corner fit.

Durability—Natural rocks can chip or crumble, but ProVia’s product is so strong and durable that it comes with an industry exclusive lifetime limited warranty: pieces will be replaced at full, rather than a pro-rated, value for the original homeowner. The next person to own the home enjoys a 50-year limited warranty.

High ROI—In Remodeling Magazine’s most recent Cost vs. Value Report, manufactured stone is ranked third for best value project overall, returning 102% of your investment.

Dramatic curb appeal—The wide range of profiles and color palettes, the natural contours, and the inherent beauty of manufactured stone combine to give home exteriors the handsome and timeless appeal of natural stone.

With a variety of stone profiles and colors to choose from, ProVia offers a great range of stones to complement any interior or exterior home décor.

Learn more about all the possibilities with ProVia stone:

• Home exteriors
• Stone fireplaces
• Interior accents
• Firepits and landscaping

To get started with your stone project, visit our Design Center for ideas and examples of how other homeowners have used ProVia stone veneer or to use one of our design tools to envision your stone veneer project.

With our online 2D Visualizer, you can see how our manufactured stone veneer dovetails with different home styles. You can also upload an image of your own home for a more realistic personalized experience. Once you find a stone profile you like, use our grout color visualizer to make the right impact.

Also, be sure to stop in and visit with an authorized ProVia distributor in your area. These experts can show you actual samples of different stone veneers and provide useful advice on the best way to use manufactured stone around your home.