Interior Decorating with Stone Veneer

Stone veneer is a way to add raw, natural beauty to the inside of your home. No matter what your style, there is almost certainly a stone veneer to suite it. Whether you have a cozy cabin in the woods, a beach-side villa, or a glamorous mansion, adding stone veneer to a part of your home will give it an unrefined, yet distinctive look that is impossible to achieve any other way. There are a few different options you can choose from for your stone veneer, but they all have a few things in common. A three dimensional effect is characteristic of all stone veneer-this is what gives it the beautifully unrefined appearance. Stones are available in many colors, ranging from a dark black to almost white, with colors such as red, tan, brown, gray, and cream in between. They can also come in a variety of shapes: broad rectangles, smooth, round stones, or narrow rectangles that appear neatly stacked.

The traditional method of applying stone veneer is also the most difficult, but allows the most options for personalization and unique personality because you place each individual stone yourself, and can add accent pieces if you wish. With this method, you purchase a bunch of stones and pattern them individually on your wall, much like putting together the pieces of a detailed puzzle. The first step to installing your veneer using this (and any) method is to determine the total amount of square footage you wish to cover. This will give you an idea of how much stone you are going to need.

Once you have your stone ready to go, you will need to prep your wall area. This is done by applying a weatherproof vapor barrier, and lathing the surface, overlapping the side edges by 3/8″ and the bottom edges by one inch. Be sure that you use a non-galvanized lath for interior veneering. Next you will need to apply a Ã?½” thick scratch coat made of mortar, and go over it with a comb to create grooves and allow better adhesion when you begin to put the stones on.

You will probably want to lay the stones out in their pattern on the ground first, to make sure that they fit together nicely. When applying the stones, work from the top to the bottom of the wall, applying mortar Ã?½” thick to the back of the stone and pressing it into place. Cover any corners first, before you begin the flat surfaces. If you need to cut the stones for any reason, this can be done with a hand grinder or table saw.

There are three basic styles that will greatly alter the appearance of your stone veneer. Dry stacked veneer requires you to absolutely dry fit the stones before installation, because you must place them as close together as possible. This creates a tightly fitted, free-standing look, and although mortar was used to secure the stones in place, you will not be able to see it. The standard style requires the stones be approximately a finger’s width apart from each other, and once they are set on the wall, you must go back and fill the gaps evenly with mortar. This creates a neat, clean look. Overgrout, in contrast, results in a more rustic and earthy appearance, and is accomplished by filling the gaps with excess mortar that spills over onto the faces of the stone. Once it is almost firm, you must go back and scrape over it with striking tool to remove any additional excess and flatten mortar to the desired depth. Stone and details to be used for this method of veneering can be found at http://www.eldoradostone.com/, as well as a list of distributors in your area, and numbers you can contact for pricing information.

A much easier method of veneering is the use of faux stone paneling. These panels look like actual stone, and come in many of the same colors, but they are made in two by four foot interlocking sections that are much easier to install. They can go onto any flat surface, and installation is as simple as placing construction glue on the back of each panel and pressing it to the wall, screwing in each corner. Each panel interlocks, and you simply repeat the gluing and screwing until you have finished covering your desired area. Then go back and caulk all of the seams with caulk that is color-matched to your stone. These faux panels can be found at http://www.fauxpanels.com/.

A good compromise of these two methods is the use of Norstone rock panels. These panels can be found at http://www.norstoneusa.com/, and come in twenty-four by six inch panels that weigh eleven pounds each. The benefit of choosing these panels is that they are made from real stone, and so can get wet without incident and have less potential for damage or wear, compared with artificial stone. However, they are much simpler to install than the individual stones used in the first method.

Any of these three options will give you a unique result that can take your interior decorating to a whole new level. Evaluate each option to decide which will be the best for you, and take a Saturday (or two) to create the beautiful, daring room of your dreams.