Whether you’re building a new house, or remodeling your current home, choosing stone veneer as an exterior building material is a smart decision. Stone adds character, curb appeal, and charm to virtually any architectural style – classic to contemporary, and everything in between.
Today’s manufactured stone veneers are available in so many styles and colors, there are endless options when trying to find just the right stone for your one-of-a-kind dream home. Plus leading producers, like Casa di Sassi, use the most up-to-date manufacturing techniques to create stone products that look just as authentic as real stone sourced from a quarry.
Unlike genuine stone that’s heavy and sometimes difficult to work with, manufactured stone veneers are lightweight and easy to install, making them a more sensible choice for residential exteriors with challenging facades or strict building codes.
So how do you choose the best stone for your home's exterior? When shopping for stone veneer siding, simply use the following tips as a helpful guide. Your stone dream home should start taking shape once you consider these important design aspects.
Color
Of all the aspects to consider, color may be the most important one when finding the perfect stone for your home’s exterior. The color of your stone veneer siding should coordinate effortlessly with other colors featured on your home. Wood or vinyl siding, trimwork, window casings, paving stones, roofing materials, and even landscaping all play a big part in determining proper coloration for your stone.
The undertones of your exterior stone siding need to blend well with the tones of these other surfaces, primarily the wood, vinyl, or cement siding. If these surfaces feature warmer tones with a lot of golden, earthy hues, go with stone that ranges neutral to warm in color. Likewise, if these surfaces range cooler, towards silvery-gray or bluish, try stone that has neutral to cool undertones.
Shape
Along with color, shape is also critically important when searching for your home’s ideal stone. The shape of your exterior stone veneer should pair perfectly with your home’s architectural style. For example, a traditional cottage style home will look classically beautiful with rustic, irregularly shaped stones, especially if they are over-grouted. This type of stone will enhance a cottage’s timeless charm, giving its exterior a stunning, centuries-old appearance.
If your home is more modern in style, stone shapes featuring sleek lines, and symmetric, rectangular shapes are your best bet. Contemporary split-levels and mid-century ranches are made for stacked ledgestone’s well-balanced, modern look. These homes have linear elements within their design, so stone profiles that are more geometric naturally blend better with these types of exterior features.
Placement
Another big consideration is deciding where to place stone veneer for optimum curb appeal. The first thing to do here is take a close look at your home’s front exterior. If your home is a new construction in the works, look at the blueprints and drawings.
What types of architectural features could really benefit from a stone makeover? If your house has a front porch with columns, adding stone here is generally a significant improvement. Front entryways featuring dormers or arches are architecturally appealing on their own, but when entry areas are updated with stone, the end result is always more impressive.
How much exterior stone veneer should you install? According to top designers, the best rule of thumb here is to not overdo it, and to maintain a well-balanced aesthetic. Covering 50% of your home’s front facade in stone, then leaving the other 50% vinyl or wood siding, could result in the two materials competing with each other for visual interest. A better option may be covering 25% or 30% of the exterior with faux stone siding for a more welcoming, less awkward look.
Maintenance
No matter the color, shape or style of manufactured stone you choose, maintenance for this material is remarkably easy. If a section of your stone exterior appears dirty after a dust storm, or long, harsh winter, simply spray it with water to clean it off. You never have to power wash manufactured stone (it’s not recommended) and harsh cleaning compounds aren’t required, or recommended, either.
Affordability
When comparing genuine stone to manufactured stone, man-made wins again in terms of affordability. Genuine stone’s quarrying process, transport logistics, and installation fees are three reasons behind its expensive cost. Manufactured stone costs less to produce and transport, so it’s naturally more affordable when it’s time to buy and install.
Casa di Sassi Stone Manufacturer
Looking for the perfect stone profile is easy when you choose Casa di Sassi. We are a leading stone manufacturer with decades of industry experience. Our high-quality stone veneers are made to look like genuine stones found in nature, and they’re all backed by an industry-leading 50-year warranty.
We work with a nationwide network of distributors, who feature our stone products in their showrooms. They can help you find the best Casa di Sassi stone for your home’s exterior makeover. Find the Find the closest distributor near you.
Check out Casa di Sassi’s stone profile collections.