Stone veneer siding is becoming exceedingly popular, as it is a fairly easy renovation project that adds lasting value and curb appeal to a home. In addition to exterior siding, stone veneer can also be used for interior accent walls, kitchen islands, wainscoting, and a variety of other creative applications.
What is Mortarless Stone Veneer?
Mortarless stone veneer is faux stone that does not require any mortar. This means no mixing, grouting, masonry tools, or metal lath in the installation process. The stones are dry-stacked tightly, minimizing the joints between them and eliminating the need for grouting. These stone veneer options offer many advantages for both installers and homeowners.
Advantages of Mortarless Systems
1. Curb Appeal
It’s no secret that a home derives a lot of its value from the way in which people see it. That’s why curb appeal is so essential for home owners to take into consideration—whether they’re in their forever home or looking to place their home on the market. According to REMODELING magazine’s 2019 report, the most impactful return on investment when it comes to cost vs. value is, in fact, manufactured stone veneer. It’s important to note that this impact doesn’t rely on remodeling an entire house with manufactured stone veneer but can be something as simple as a front elevation water-table or entryway makeover to add that extra ‘wow factor’.
2. Versatility
Manufactured stone veneer, especially mortarless options, is typically much easier to install than traditional stone siding, which requires mortar and lath. Easy installation leads the way for a lot of design options and creativity when it comes to your project. For example, Evolve Stone’s proprietary material allows stones to be quickly cut or scribed using standard woodworking tools. This allows the installer the ability to work around existing site conditions, such as ornate fireplace mantels that can’t be moved or a wall outlet that might be in the way. Evolve Stone’s ‘workability’ is a major advantage compared to other products in the market.
3. No Mess
Unlike traditional stone veneer, mortarless manufactured stone veneer doesn’t create the mess mortar brings. Installing with some form of fastener like screws, clips, or in the case of Evolve Stone, finish nails, eliminates the need for mortar. This means no mixing, scratch coat, masonry tools or metal lath in the installation process.
4. Less Labor Intensive & Cost-Saving
As mentioned above, mortarless stone veneer doesn’t require mortar or metal lath in any fashion. In addition, mortarless stone veneer has easy-install options, meaning that in many cases, specialized labor isn’t needed. Not only does this drastically save time during the installation process, but it also can reduce total project costs. This is a huge advantage for the industry with labor shortages and can save professional installation crews time and money.
Common Misconceptions
With the rise and popularity of manufactured stone, there have been many questions that arise, as well as misconceptions. One of the most common misconceptions out there is that mortarless easy-to-install stone veneer is more expensive; however, this misconception is based purely on price per square footage of the product. It’s important to note that there is a difference between material price and on the wall cost during the installation process—overall, mortarless easy-to-install stone veneer, like Evolve Stone, will save both time and money for installers and homeowners when it comes to installing the product. Another misconception is that manufactured stone veneer looks fake; however, this isn’t always the case. Whether a style looks fake or not can depend on if it’s panelized, as well as the manufacturer and the process that they use.
The Evolve Difference
It can be tricky to install any kind of stone veneer while maintaining proper drainage/drying and protecting the home like siding should. This is one of the key problems Evolve set out to solve. In addition to engineering an easy-to-install product with simple and adaptable styles, we created an installation system that protects the substrate beneath it. If installed properly, Evolve Stone is proven to weather a wide range of temperatures, precipitation, freeze/thaw cycles, wind loading, UV exposure and other regular natural obstacles that threaten other siding products.
Evolve Stone is the most intuitive stone product on the market. The workability is similar to wood products, as it cuts like balsa wood. No specialty tools or training are required. The material is totally color-throughout and texturable—allowing the installer to disguise exposed cuts and blend them into the installation field. The customizable nature of the product allows for open-ended use cases, while only being limited by the creativity of the installer. Other stone veneer products require wet saws and dust collection systems in order to make cuts, increasing the cost and hassle of installing these products.
Lastly, the speed of install is unbeatable. Evolve Stone can be face nailed in the same fashion as traditional siding, using 16-gauge stainless steel finish nails. The average installation time is faster than traditional stone—providing an industry-leading system in the mortarless stone veneer space. If you are looking for an easy-to-install mortarless stone veneer, Evolve Stone provides you with an unparalleled solution that looks and feels like real stone.
