Why, because the end use consumer is getting a better deal. The final cost of installing natural stone on personal residence or commercial building is the cost of both the stone and the labor combined. That cost equation has pushed the market from installing full bed depth natural stone in years gone by, to the majority of the market being the installation of natural stone thin veneer.

The big picture is this: the cost of labor has come down for installing “thin veneer” stone products as the knowledge and familiarity has risen on how to do it. Labor, in most markets around the United States, is a greater portion of the overall cost of installation than the actual stone product. Full bed stone products normally cost less than most real stone thin veneer products, and they are normally sold by the ton or pound. On average, most full bed products will yield 30-45 square feet per ton of coverage. You’ll have to make a cost conversion for what you paid per ton to how much it is costing you per square foot [i.e. If you paid $350 per ton for the stone, and it yields 40 sq. ft. per ton, your cost for the stone only, is $8.75 per sq. ft.]. Real Stone thin veneer is normally sold by the square foot for “flats,” and by the linear foot for “corners.” In most cases the cost per sq. ft. or linear foot may be a bit higher than the converted cost of full bed product. This is logical as the cost of the thin veneer is the cost of the full bed stone plus the labor to convert it into thin veneer. However, for the consumer, the savings is in the installation labor. We have surveyed many markets around the USA as we cover a wide area of distribution. It would be a fair statement for me to say that the cost of labor to install real stone thin veneer is, at a minimum, (only 1/2) as expensive as the cost to install full bed real stone. In many markets that differential may be as much as 80%; in other words, the cost of installing natural stone thin veneer may be equal to paying only 20% of the cost of installing full bed natural stone in that market. The more expensive the labor in your market, the more true this is.

You’ll have to do your own due diligence about finding the right mason for your job and estimating how much labor will cost you. However, no matter how much homework you do, I can almost guarantee the final cost of your project will always be less costly installing real stone thin veneer than real stone full bed material.

Many communities with higher standards of building requirements may require natural stone versus “fake” or man-made stone products. Natural Stone thin veneer will meet almost any discriminating body, and will save the owner of the project money. With a high quality natural stone thin veneer, and a decent mason installer, no-one will ever be able to tell the difference between a full bed versus thin veneer job.

Natural stone thin veneer is is the real deal. It is just fabricated REAL STONE, either in a “processing plant,” or occasionally “on the job.” Unlike fake (aka “cultured,” or “manufactured”) stone, which is made of concrete, plaster and paint products – real stone “thin veneer” is a sawn off portion of the real version of the full stone (100% made by nature). It has all the properties of the full bed stone; including its hardness, color and natural beauty. It will not fade or deteriorate like the man made imitations. If fabricated in a high quality environment, the “processor” will normally saw off the the front and rear “rise” of the natural ledgestone. Picture taking a brick shaped piece of a full size stone and sawing off the front and back “faces” to yield a natural face, and natural surface top, bottom and ends. The normal specification is for the stone to have a new thickness of approximately 1″ – 1 3/8″ and a maximum weight of under 15 lbs per square foot. Natural looking “corners” are achieved the same way – however more waste is involved if the product is high enough quality to be sawn to have all natural ends. Again, imagine a brick shaped piece of natural ledge stone, look down at it from a top view, and imagine cutting one “L” shape corner out of it. The rest of the piece is scrap if it is to have all natural exposed surfaces.

At our company, as a quarrier of real stone, and also a fabricator of natural stone thin veneer, we don’t really care which product is being sold – but the reality is that the consumer has pushed the market towards natural stone thin veneer because the total job cost is less expensive doing it that way. It all makes perfect sense, dollars and cents!

As a final thought, I will say that the cheapest installer may not be the one you are looking for. Ultimately, the final look of your job comes down to the guy or crew that is doing the installation and you need to evaluate your desired outcome with your budget. Just like you may not choose the most expensive nor the least expensive stone, you may not want to choose the most expensive nor least expensive installer. It is very unlikely a non-professional could successfully install full bed natural stone. However, it is possible that an average “handy-man” can install real stone thin veneer, and may really enjoy the process and reap great satisfaction.

Best of luck with your project!

Michael Coleman is the National Sales Manager and one of the principals of Stone Direct. The Thin Veneer Store has been designed as a place for the general public, home owners, contractors, and builders, to purchase real stone thin veneer directly from the source. Our parent company, Stone Direct International, LLC has been supplying stoneyards and building material companies for over a decade. Our main business model has not changed and we will continue to protect our valued dealers. However, we realize that there are a lot of consumers in the USA and Canada, and possibly beyond, that we do not reach with our current dealer network. The internet has certainly changed the reach of conventional marketing. There may be some individual people, that inquire because of this website, that we will have to decline to sell to directly due to a conflict with our loyalty to dealers. However, if you are serious about your project with natural stone thin veneer, and your job is at least 500 sq. feet and/or linear feet, we encourage you to inquire through e-mail or phone.

Michael Coleman
National Sales Manager
http://www.thinveneerstore.com
sales@thinveneerstore.com

Natural stone has always been an integral part of building structures. It has a strong participation in the history of architecture. Ever since then it is ruling the tile market. Their natural charm and magnificence never failed to capture eye balls and still they are a brilliant way of decorating home. Their demand in market has never seen bad days. Demand of Natural tile has increased further more due to the introduction of several competent tile manufacturing companies. With the participation of so many companies in the competition has made it easier to find variety in tiles.

There are varieties of natural stone like, Granite, Limestone, Slate, Porcelain etc. Each of them takes millions of years to form. They are formed under extreme pressure and temperature. After remaining in such condition for years we get them as a very beautiful stone to decorate our house. Granite has a unique gorgeous look that suites any commercial areas, like offices, multiplexes, malls etc. These Natural stone tiles encompass a look that fits exactly in to any commercial area. However, they are also preferred for living rooms where lovely ambience is required.

Similarly, natural stone tile Limestone and Slate are favored for bathrooms and kitchen area. This is due to the fact that these tiles are non-slippery as well as water-proof, making them ideal for wet areas. Moreover, Slate is thermal resistant which means it can be ideally used on the walls near burner area. But, above all Porcelain is a very suitable tile for your home. Porcelain is a type of Ceramic tile but better than Ceramic. As compared to Ceramic these tiles are much stronger due to their hard surface and dense structure. Also, there are endless designs and color combination available.

Their creative designs can be used anywhere including bathroom walls, kitchen walls, kitchen backsplash etc. So choices are infinite, all you need is to select a tile design that can suite your taste and your home interior. Unlike Ceramic, Porcelain tiles can be also used on floors as they are strong floor material. Moreover, they last long with their original charm. Using your own creative mind by combining different tiles together to get fresh designs can bring you a satisfactory interior.

Often, border tiles are taken of different designs or install totally contrast designed tile in the middle of the plain tiled wall to bring out opulent style in your home. Natural stone tiles are costlier but posses elegance that any other tile material can ever posses.

About the Author:-

Jason Colling is a renowned writer who has written articles on various interior designing techniques related to floor decor. His articles focus on various uses of laura ashley erin tiles, laura ashley wiston tiles and natural stone.

All natural stone floors exhibit different style and characteristics. However, all of them are beautiful and elegant in their own ways. Travertine is very common and offers minimalistic designs, limestone is the choice for property developers, slate is the choice for people who are looking for rustic look and distinctive colours. The list goes on with granite, quartz, basalt etc.

Marble is one of the most durable materials of all natural stone products. It can be used in commercial applications and high trafficked areas without any problems. As people are getting to know more about marble, it is worth mentioning below the most common marble floor tiles that are commercially available:

1) Crema Marfil Marble: The world renowned Spanish marble is commonly known as Crème Marble. Depending on the selection, Crema Marfil marble tiles can either have very limited veining or variation (which is very expensive) or have distinctive veining going through the tile (which is more cost effective). Property developers or DIY enthusiasts mainly prefer this marble as they are beautiful in colour and available in bigger sizes for large areas. Also they come in honed or glossy finishes.

2) Nero Marquina Marble: Originated from Italy, these marble tiles have black background colour with very stylish white veining within the tile. The source material is scarce and also very fragile which results in high consumer price. This is the choice of professionals and the ones with no budget constraints.

3) Carrara White Marble: Carrara is a city in Italy and this stone originates from Carrara region. Normally the tile has very pure white background colour with limited veining. One important rule in natural stone is that if the tile exhibits limited variation, the consumer price must be very high. Therefore, budget options of this stone are also available with blackish and greyish veining. Some designers use this product with Nero Marquina marble to create checkerboards.

4) Bluestone Marble: Originates from Turkey, this marble tile has dark blue colour with different shades. Also the edges are tumbled for a rustic look. It can be used with a white tumbled marble (mainly Carrara marble or similar) to create a checkerboard effect.

There are many other types of marble tiles available in the market. The important message here is that marble comes with different colour choices; black, white, brown, cream, blue, grey. Contrast colours give limitless ideas to design professionals. Even 10mm thick marble tiles are more durable compared to other types of natural or man made flooring. Therefore if you decide to choose marble flooring, we guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

John Giles is an expert in flooring materials. His main interests are travertine floor tiles and marble floor tiles for which he regularly writes articles about.