Masonry Magazine December 2006 Page. 29
INSTALLATION TIPS FOR MANUFACTURED STONE
Veneerstone Company President Mark J. Muratore offers the following tips for installing manufactured stone:
* Have complete mortar coverage on the back of the stone.
* Bonding agents are relatively inexpensive insurance when applying manufactured stone to pre-existing masonry surfaces or installing dry stack stones (mortarless joint applications).
* Crew members new to manufactured stone tend to make the mortars too dry. Add enough water to get the mortar to the consistency of thick cake batter to aid in the adhesion of the stone to the wall.
* Try installing the manufactured stone from the top of the wall down to the bottom; it makes for a cleaner installation and cuts back on job cleanup.
Expanding Technology and Innovation
MANY COMPANIES continue to innovate this popular material. Veneerstone Company, L.P., of Plano, Texas, a subsidiary of Pavestone Company, has several new products being prepared for introduction to the market in early 2007. Veneerstone President Mark Muratore said: "Several of these products are conceptually new to the industry and we feel will create an exciting new avenue of opportunities for designers, architects and professional masons to expand the use of veneer stone products on projects where our products were not typically considered in the past."
For the benefit of mason contractors, Veneerstone's business model emphasizes maintaining large, on-hand inventories to permit mason contractors to complete projects quickly, according to Muratore. Further, Muratore added, "Our packaging allows more product to be delivered at one time, lowering freight costs and minimizing damaged product in shipment."
Similar to Veneerstone, Cultured Stone is carving a new niche market for its manufactured stone products. Bob Heath, Cultured Stone's marketing leader, said of the company's new Monticello Trim collection: "We've created our own myriad of detail products. We've taken care of the details with a masonry product that is easy to install, that you can use to actually add architectural impact to your design." Heath said that it is installed as an adhered veneer, but gives end users the look of dimensional, natural stone.
Today, the manufactured stone industry is going well beyond just replicating the look of natural stone. Companies, such as those mentioned above and many more, are creating products that the market demands - new sizes, designs, shapes, colors and more.
Heath said, "With the constant flow of new products over the years, we've been able to allow people to come up with a fresh look, a fresh design, and keep adding to that." Heath said. "If you wanted to look back a couple of decades, the product offering is probably ten times what it was back then." He stated, "there is actually more manufactured stone veneer being used in the marketplace than there is natural stone thin veneer."
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