Masonry Magazine January 2008 Page. 40
THIN STONE
Mueller says available colors from Siloam Stone range from tans and buffs to light grays, golds, browns, rusts and other earth tones. "These are great for fireplaces and exteriors," he says.
Through thick and thin?
WHY THE OVERWHELMING and recent popularity of stone? "The popularity is based on a timeless look," says Joe Buechel, sales manager for Fond du Lac, Wis.-based Natural Stone Veneers International. "It's what we saw in history." Natural Stone Veneers International was formed five years ago to specialize in the natural thin stone veneer industry. "Stone is oldest building material on earth, 2 to 4 million years old," says Buechel. "It's a class above." Masons may be slow to change, but at least stone is now mixed into projects like fireplaces and entranceways. In addition to the forethought to consider thin stone, Thin stone is a perfect way to dress up and add class to the interior of any building, as shown on the hallway of Hyu which uses thin stone veneer from Natural Stone Veneers International. Photo courtesy of Brian Dresser. There is a difference between a true brick mason and a bricklayer. True maso
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Kem-Ο-Κίεεen application and skilled labor are important. "The mindset needs to change from full-bed stone to thin stone veneer," says Hambleton. "The biggest issue with thin stone veneer projects is to install the material correctly," he says. "Typically, installation error is what can make a thin stone project fail, if an instance is created where water penetrates through the mortar and creates mold." Another example Hambleton gives is regarding freeze/thaw issues. Particularly with dry stack projects, where mortar is
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Apple Hill Farms development in Appleton, Wis, has Natural Stone Veneers International's Chandler-Farmington thin stone veneer from the Blends collection
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