Stone Faced

By: Max Alexander, This Old House magazine (Page 4 of 4)

Photo: Russell Kaye

Enlarge this image Photo: Russell Kaye

Step back, and it's clear that the clean, rectangular stone face on the Cambridge project house's walls and chimneys is in keeping with its Modern style.

a large array of stone pieces for Cambridge project house facade

Enlarge this image Photo: Russell Kaye

A large array of stone pieces to keep the pattern random and varied

Enlarge this image Photo: Russell Kaye

A pointing trowel and a ready supply of thinset mortar for buttering the back of the stone

specially cut pieces for corners of Cambridge Modern project house

Enlarge this image Photo: Russell Kaye

Specially cut pieces for outside corners

Roger Cook varies the stonework's pattern

Enlarge this image Photo: Russell Kaye

TOH landscape contractor Roger Cook carefully lines up a sliver of natural stone veneer to continue his running pattern on the foundation wall. He keeps his tools and materials close at hand.

Enlarge this image Photo: Russell Kaye

Every few rows, Roger stops and marks a new level reference line, to keep his stone rows straight and neat.

A finished wall section in the Cambridge house shows the rustic beauty of stonework

Enlarge this image Photo: Russell Kaye

The nearly finished product recalls the artistry of rural dry-stacked walls.

Enlarge this image Photo: Russell Kaye

Natural Stone: (clockwise from left) Cobblestone Fieldstone, Virgina Ledgestone, Olympia Ashlar from Natural Stone Veneers international.

Enlarge this image Photo: Russell Kaye

Manufactured Stone: Mackinac River Rock from Cultured Stone

Enlarge this image Photo: Russell Kaye

Manufactured Stone: Romana Old Country Fieldstone from Cultured Stone

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Veneer Options

A true fieldstone wall has strength, charm, and costs only $3 to $8 per square foot. But the price doesn't take into account the thick footings needed to support it—nor the slow installation, requiring constant chiseling and shaping. One skilled mason with an assistant can lay only 15 to 20 square feet per day.

That's why natural stone veneer—real stone that has been carefully split and sawn into thin sheets—is a growing segment of the billion-dollar stone-veneer industry. The price per square foot can be double that of full-size rocks—$8 to $14—but it goes up twice as fast, meaning real savings can be had.

More popular "manufactured" stone veneer—a mix of Portland cement, lightweight pumice, and mineral oxides for color and texture—is even cheaper and easy to install. Cast in thousands of molds and color schemes, the best manufactured stone is hard to tell from the real thing—until you pick it up and notice how light it is. Pieces can be easily cut and trimmed with a hatchet or wide-mouth nipping tool. Prices are generally in the range of $5 to $7 per square foot, uninstalled. The only drawback: With just a 30- to 50-year warranty, nothing you build with it will be quite set in stone.