Renovating your home with stone veneer has countless benefits. It creates curb appeal outside, it adds character inside, and it helps increase your home’s overall value. If you love the way manufactured stone veneer looks, but you’re concerned about how easy it is to maintain, you can stop worrying right now.
Stone veneer is an extremely low-maintenance building material. Aside from being durable, long-lasting, and beautiful, it's surprisingly easy to clean. If it does accumulate a slight coating of dust or dirt on its surface, you don’t need expensive cleaning equipment, hard-to-find cleaning agents, or a lot of time to properly clean stone veneer.
Basically all you need is water and a little bit of mild detergent to remove excess dirt or debris. That’s it! No harsh chemicals or labor-intensive power washing ever.
Cleaning Stone Veneer
If simple and easy is your thing, especially when it comes to cleaning, then manufactured stone veneer is the building material for you. It is such a low-maintenance, stress-free product, you’ll most likely only have to give it a quick wipe-down or rinse every now and then to keep it looking like new.
If you’re wondering how to clean your stone veneer accent wall or porch columns, we’ve got you covered. Just follow these helpful tips and basic guidelines for years of long-lasting beauty.
Professional vs DIY
Whether you decide to hire a professional team to clean your stone, or do it yourself, it’s completely up to you. We honestly feel that cleaning stone veneer is so simple to do, you can probably handle doing it all by yourself.
If you have a slight fear of heights, however, it may be best to call a professional to clean veneer surfaces that are high up and require an extension ladder. For instance, if your home has exterior stone veneer that extends to the roof, or an interior stone fireplace wall that climbs up to a cathedral ceiling, a professional team may be your best bet.
Indoor vs Outdoor
The process of cleaning manufactured stone veneer, whether indoors or outside, is basically the same regardless of placement. Here’s what you’ll need to clean your stone veneer surfaces:
- Clean water
- Mild dishwashing detergent
- Soft nylon-bristle brush
- Sponges or soft cloths
- Bucket
- Hose (outdoors only)
After getting the stone surface slightly wet, use a soft nylon brush, sponge, or cloth with mild detergent to gently wash away dust, dirt, or other surface debris. Use another damp cloth or sponge to rinse excess soap from the entire stone surface area.
The only difference between indoor and outdoor cleaning is that you can use a hose to rinse off stone surfaces that are outside. Since you probably don’t want to drench the inside of your home, a bucket with water is best for cleaning indoor stone surfaces.
Here’s another good-to-know pro tip for indoors – you can remove surface dust using a vacuum and soft-bristled attachment.
Should I Seal My Stone Veneer?
Whether or not to use stone veneer sealer is a common concern among homeowners. Once again, it’s all a matter of personal preference. Sealing the stone surface after installation may help prolong its durability and appearance for an even longer period of time.
If you’re still on the fence about what to do, here’s some good advice. Stone that’s used indoors is not exposed to severe weather or temperature changes. Interior stone will typically look great for decades without sealing.
Exterior stone veneer can benefit from a breathable silane or siloxane sealant, especially if you live in an area that experiences extreme climate fluctuations. This may help protect against scratches, fading and discoloration caused by the elements.
Limitations of Cleaning
Now that you have a good idea of how to clean your stone veneer, here’s what you should never do:
No Pressure Washing
Stone veneer is made of cement, aggregate materials and pigments. Yes, It’s extremely durable, but a power washer is never recommended for cleaning. The high pressure that’s associated with power washing can erode delicate surface features, and wash away pigmentation details. You definitely run the serious risk of damaging your stone veneers if you clean them with a pressure washing technique.
Avoid Harsh Chemicals
Using harsh, abrasive cleaning agents on manufactured stone is another big no-no. Never use any products that contain acid, ammonia, or bleach. Mild soaps or detergents are the only products we recommend. Anything harsher, especially acidic compounds, can severely damage the stone surface and strip away pigments, causing a dull, drab appearance afterwards.
Casa di Sassi Stone Profiles
With over 20 years in the business, Casa di Sassi is a leading manufacturer of high-quality stone veneer profiles and accessories. Every stone we produce looks like a genuine stone found in nature. They’ll last for decades, both indoors and outside. And yes – they’re remarkably easy to clean!
Here’s another amazing benefit. They’re all backed by an industry leading 50-year warranty. No one else comes close to this. Want to learn more? Check out Casa di Sassi’s stone veneer profiles.