Faux stone is making a better impression
Other Columnists
Ten years ago, Paul Porco never would have considered using
manufactured stone in the construction of his own dream home, a two-story,
7,000-square-foot English tudor in Cold Spring Harbor.
A second-generation custom-home builder, Porco had the same reservations as
many of his fellow contractors when it came to using the man-made product,
also called engineered stone or stone veneer. "For a long time, it never looked
like the real thing," says Porco, owner of Rosewood Custom Builders in
Centerport. In addition to many high-end builders, architects and designers
also frowned on "faux stone."
But during the last decade, manufactured stone has worked to make a better
impression. It's now the fastest-growing exterior siding in the construction
industry, boasting increased use of 15 percent to 17 percent in each of the
past five years.
People just seem to like it. From homeowners to builders to architects,
more remodeling projects and new homes are featuring manufactured stone - which
is made by pouring concrete and pigment into molds - as either exterior siding
or interior accents.
Frame a fireplace. Draw a roving eye to a great-room wall. Or enclose the
built-in outdoor grill. Manufactured stone delivers a combination of color,
durability and style.
"There's a realistic look to the stone today," says Porco, while leaning
against the exterior of a stone-clad turret to his formal living room. On the
rear of his home, a stone fireplace chase climbs the two stories and extends to
the rooftoop, separating two small decks and doorways. Both the turret and
chase are covered in the same manufactured stone as the front of the home and
portions of the concrete porch.
Overall, Porco's new house features about 1,000 square feet of York
Limestone, a manufactured line from Eldorado Stone, a California-based company.
He's thinking about using more stone to highlight the main fireplace in the
great room.
"I just think it looks great," Porco says. "There's a consistency in the
color that you can't find in natural stone."
Appearance is the primary appeal, distributors and manufacturers of the
product say. But there's more to it, says Brent Spann, Eldorado Stone's vice
president of marketing. "The realistic look of the product is No. 1," Spann
says. "But it's also half the cost of natural stone, and because it is lighter
than natural stone, it's a lot easier to install."
Most manufactured stone companies warranty the product for 50 years.
Because it's concrete, it stands up to pounding from the weather, from
Arizona's desert heat to Florida's drenching rain. "When you consider the
durability factor and the impact, it's not a huge investment," Spann says.
Installation, including materials, can range from $15 to $35 a square foot
on Long Island, says Mike Sapio, a sales associate for Allied Building Products
Corp., which has eight Long Island warehouse showrooms. That's about half the
cost of natural stone and nearly double the price of the nation's most popular
siding, vinyl. Once considered more of a low-end "specialty" product,
manufactured stone is now readily available at masonry yards and building
supply stores across the country.
Sapio entered the supply end of the construction business about 25 years
ago, when manufactured stone was first making an impact. "Early on, there were
a couple of companies making the stuff, and there were only one or two styles,"
he said. "Now, there are literally dozens of manufacturers and hundreds of
styles.
"But the most significant improvement is how it looks. The stones and rocks
look real. I've had manufactured stone and natural stone side by side and
people can't tell the difference."
If the copy's as good as the original, it's largely because some of the
leading companies - Eldorado Stone, Owens Corning's Cultured Stone, also from
California, and Pennsylvania-based United Stone Veneer - have put more time and
effort into the manufacturing process.
The early copies lacked depth and texture and were mostly shades of brown,
charcoal and gray. Today's manufactured stone is a mix of concrete, small
stones and color pigments that is poured into intricately detailed rubber
molds. These molds are created from collections of natural materials, like
river rock from Great Lakes streams, stones unearthed from Western prairies,
canyon rubble or limestone quarried from the Midwest.
The results are textures and hues - purples, reds, blues and greens - that
only the weight of slow-moving glaciers or centuries of erosion from a
white-water river are supposed to achieve. Eldorado Stone's Spann says that his
company's coloring technique is a "trade secret."
When Frank Giaquinto of East Islip remodeled the exterior his 1989
two-story, four-bedroom contemporary this year, he wanted a siding that not
only had style but also was maintenance-free. He considered lots of materials,
including synthetic stucco, before choosing manufactured stone, specifically
Eldorado's Charleston Mountain Ledge, a blend of earth tones. "We liked the
color and texture," says Giaquinto, a commercial maintenance contractor. "No
one wants their remodeling concept to look like an afterthought, and there's
definitely a character to the product."
Sapio says while the most practical use of manufactured stone continues to
be exterior siding or fireplace accents, he envisions more uses in the next few
years.
"We're seeing it more in interiors now," he says. "Countertop backsplashes
or highlighting one wall in a room. More people are definitely thinking about
where or how it can be used."
Eldorado's Spann agrees, and he also figures that more professionals buying
into the product is a positive sign.
"In the last decade, a big reason for the rise in popularity," Spann says,
"is because more architects and designers are saying, 'I like working with this
stuff.'"
BEGIN BY VISITING THE SHOWROOM
Thinking about building or remodeling with manufactured stone? Here are five
tips, courtesy of All County Block & Supply Corp. in Bohemia, one of several
Long Island distributors of the product:
See the product personally. "Visit a showroom," says Moses Mulligan, All
County's manufactured stone sales associate. Pictures don't always give you an
accurate reading in terms of color, texture and size, Mulligan says. A
homeowner has to go out and see it.
All the manufacturers make good products; the difference between them is in
the appearance. "We find the largest manufacturers have more success in
creating realistic pieces," All County owner Robert Affenita says. "The larger
manufacturers have trial-and-error experience."
Proper installation is important. "Make sure the contractor knows his
stuff," says All County's Joe D'Attolico. "A homeowner can install the product,
but it takes a lot of skill and some artistic flair to do it right." Get
contractor referrals from a local masonry yard. If installed properly, most
manufacturers will warranty the product for 50 years. Installation instructions
or videos often can be downloaded from a manufacturer's Web site.
A little stone goes a long way. "It is best used as an accent," says
installer Paul Bruton of Emerald Isle Custom Brick Work in Oakdale. "On
exteriors, it looks best when it covers about half the wall. When it's used all
the way up the wall, it's just too much."
Use the right sealer. On exterior applications, use a breathable sealer. "A
breathable sealer will not
trap moisture," D'Attolico says. "If you seal the stone indoors, make sure
the sealer will resist oil and dirt."
- GARY DYMSKI
WRITE TO: Gary Dymski, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747-4250 or e-mail
Gary.Dymski@newsday.com
