Stone Veneer Installation Tips For Professional Installers

You’re a contractor, mason or professional installer of stone products. You’ve built your reputation by bringing hard-earned experience and top-quality materials to your professional installation services.

We probably don’t need to outline to you all the benefits of hiring professional stone veneer installers to achieve the best results — but even the most seasoned pros are open to the occasional offer of insightful installation tips.

The stone-cold pros at Casa di Sassi are proud to partner with you in delivering the best possible experience to your clients. We’ve cobbled together some talking points you can use when advising homeowners on a manufactured stone veneer installation. Read on for reasons to include Casa di Sassi products in your next stone veneer installation, as well as a few tips and tricks for accomplishing an efficient installation that exceeds your clients’ expectations.

Benefits of Using Casa di Sassi Stone Products

Outlining the benefits of purchasing top-quality stone veneer from Casa di Sassi should be one of your easier tasks. After all, you’ve had experience as a professional installer of various building materials, so you know more than most how cheaply made products end up looking, well, cheap.

As you lay out your reasons for partnering with us over other manufactured stone veneer companies, consider these value-added points:

50-Year Warranty

Our 50-year warranty against blistering, peeling, flaking, delaminating and excessive cracking adds serious value to your professional installation services. These guarantees only apply to projects installed in accordance with the standards and instructions developed by the National Concrete Masonry Association — and a professional installer such as yourself is likely well-versed in those standards. Improper manufactured stone veneer installation voids all guarantees. You can assure your clients of a high ROI on their project because this warranty transfers to future owners of the property.

Made in the USA

All Casa di Sassi products are handcrafted in the USA. Our Apple Creek, Ohio, facility puts our headquarters in the country’s heartland, allowing us to quickly and easily distribute our products across the nation. There aren’t many manufactured stone veneer companies left that offer an American-made product, and this fact alone can be a big selling point for many homeowners.

Appropriate for Indoor and Outdoor Projects

Part of your expertise is knowing where to install stone veneer and where to avoid using it. For example, you can assure your clients that you know how to install manufactured stone veneer on existing retaining walls, in covered outdoor living spaces and around indoor fireplaces. Whether they’re dreaming of an interior accent wall that soars to a cathedral ceiling or an exterior siding upgrade for the entire home, the versatility and lighter weight of our quality stone veneer is worth the investment for a polished look on both indoor and outdoor projects of nearly any scale.

Stylish Authenticity for Every Aesthetic

Casa di Sassi offers an array of stone veneer profiles to complement any design aesthetic. From the timelessly traditional look of Brick to the mid-century moxy of EZ Ledge to the rustic beauty of Fieldstone to the contemporary sleekness of Yorkshire, you can offer your clients a variety of gorgeous options to elevate their home’s look and feel. And thanks to the meticulous stone veneer mold design process our craftspeople have developed, each one delivers authenticity to rival Mother Nature herself.

Tips for the Best Manufactured Stone Veneer Installation

We’re proud that professional installers and contractors like you partner with Casa di Sassi to give homeowners a high-end finished product without breaking the bank. And we’re not about to tell you how to manage your professional installation services! However, if you’re looking for insight to support the most efficient installation possible, check out our manufactured stone veneer installation guide for professionals. It covers everything from waterproofing for outdoor applications to avoiding unsightly corners on indoor projects.

But even those experienced in how to install manufactured stone veneer can benefit from a few tried-and-true installation tips. Here are five things we’ve learned from seasoned pros on the stone pathway to success:

Be Mindful of Ambient Temperature

You already know that when you’re installing exterior stone veneer, durability and climate in the region have to be compatible. Elements like wind, rain and humidity affect your choices for substrate and waterproofing the manufactured stone veneer installation. But indoor projects need some atmospheric attention, as well. No matter what’s going on outside, it’s a best practice to allow stone veneer panels and adhesives to get used to the inside temperature for 24 hours before installing them. Taking this time to acclimatize ensures a better performance from both our products and the mortar and adhesives you’ve chosen.

Use Premixed Mortar

Your masons know a lot about mortar, and they may want to mix their own concoctions from recipes they’ve used in the past. But for the most efficient installation of manufactured stone veneer, counsel them toward a premixed Type S mortar that’s already got polymers blended in that are specifically formulated for use with stone veneer products. All your crew has to do is add water, mix thoroughly and get down to the nitty-gritty of stone veneer installation.

Suggest Stone Accessories for an Elevated Effect

In your experience as a contractor or professional stone installer, you’ve probably seen your share of bad DIY manufactured stone veneer installations. From water damage to crumbling mortar to exposed corner cuts, the devil is definitely in the details when you’re working with manufactured stone. Show your clients that you know all the ins and outs of professional installation services by suggesting the use and benefits of manufactured stone accessories. It might be stone wall caps to protect outdoor columns from the elements or a fireproof mantel to add safety and beauty to an indoor fireplace. It might even be the addition of keystones and trim stones to make an accent wall or exterior siding look more authentic. Your expert advice adds value to your professional installation services, which your clients will appreciate and crow about to their friends.

Butter Up Your Stones

Want your manufactured stones to stick like suction cups on the first try? Give this method a chance and watch your stone veneer installation go like clockwork:

• Swipe the trowel across the entire stone back, leaving behind a nice layer of mortar.
• Wipe mortar from the trowel at an angle on every side of the mortar bed, creating a hollow area at the center. This hollow will provide “suction” to hold the stone in place as the mortar dries.
• Press your mortared stone against the scratch coat until the mortar between the two is at a depth of about half an inch.
• Use the trowel to knock off any excess mortar that oozes out from beneath the stone.

Get Great Grout Lines

Because manufactured stone veneer is not natural stone, many homeowners struggle to understand how and why to grout stone veneer projects. You can educate them on the ways grout color and thickness affect the overall appearance of a project. Whether it’s the historic look of over-grouting, the nearly invisible effect of dry-stack joints or the modern look of grout that contrasts with the stone color, keep the tip of the grout bag pressed firmly into the joint to make sure it’s filled completely from back to front. Filling just the front of the joint leaves a hollow space that makes it easy for the dried grout to fall out — leaving unsightly gaps.

Partner With Casa di Sassi for Efficient Installation and Happy Clients

Ready to level up your next stone veneer installation with the beauty, authenticity and durability of Casa di Sassi products? You’ve built your reputation on a solid foundation of knowledge and trust, and building with stone veneer materials from Casa di Sassi paves the way for continued excellence. Achieve the most efficient installation and create happy clients by partnering with us today!