Natural Thin-Veneer Stone: Thin and Real
The stone’s lighter weight doesn’t require the same level of structural detailing that the use of a full veneer would require. And, Knauer adds, when time is money, it goes up quickly.
“We have, of course, learned over the years some about how to deal with inside and outside corners,” Knauer says. “There are some differences to dealing with a 4” stacked stone. Fortunately, the mason (DTM Masonry Inc.) did a great job.”
Dan Mesch, owner of St. Charles, Ill.-based DTM, agrees that thin veneer can be a bit, as he says “tricky” in the corners. On the other hand, he says he’s becoming a fan of thin veneer products.
“We love using it because it’s lightweight,” he says. “It’s easy on our bodies.”
In this case, he says the job – which the company earned through its low bid – was a fairly straightforward one that required no mockups before work began.
“It’s very simple as long as you keep it level,” Mesch says. “That’s the biggest challenge. We’d do snap lines every 16” so we knew we’d be on the money, and it resets itself if you get off a little with the varying heights.”
There was a little concern about the proper coloring for the end product, though. The Virginia Ledgestone utilizes a blend of dark, light and silver ledgestones.
“We’d try not to put all of them in one spot so you’d have a silver section here and a brown one over there,” he says. “We inter-mixed the base colors fairly easily and it pretty much laid itself.”
Not that Mesch’s crew didn’t stay busy. DTM also laid the brick used in the project, and the company employed up to a dozen different masons at the site off-and-on for six months.
“We started in October and did all the major rough-in stuff during the warmer months,” he explains. “Then, when winter set in, we were able to go in and do the interior brick work and the interior stone veneer. We finished the exterior after it warmed up again in the spring.
“It was quite a project for us.”
A concern for both the architect and the mason involved the project’s structurally soundness.
Mesch says the building envelope is a mix of construction methods. Some areas have block backup, but others have steel studs, plywood and a vapor barrier covered with metal lathe.