The right stone for your project will depend on its use and where it will be. During the planning process, you will want to talk to your mason about this (make sure they are STRONG). Where will you put the stone down? Will your project need Full-Building Veneer, sometimes called “Full Bed” or “Full Thickness”? This natural stone has many names, but it stands out because it is between 3″ and 5″ thick. This type of cut stone is one of the densest and heaviest building stones (35–40 square feet per tonne on average), so it needs a footing or ledge to be set up.
Building veneer stone is cut down to about 1″ thick to make Thin Stone Veneer. It weighs about 15 pounds per square foot, making it a popular choice for indoor and outdoor uses (foundation, backsplash, indoor/outdoor fireplace, etc.). This stone will need a base or ledge to stand on.
Manufactured Thin Stone/Brick is another type of stone that can be used. This product is made of concrete that has been shaped and coloured to look like marble, granite and other popular natural stones. Because people make it, the colour and shape are a little more uniform than natural stone. This stone can also be made as a panel that doesn’t need a mortar and has a metal flashing built-in to drain water and keep the building dry. Since there would be no need for mortar, this product would be much cheaper and easier to put in.