As the natural and textured home trends continue to rise, many building pros and homeowners alike are gravitating more toward exterior stone cladding. Not only are stone effect panels more durable and water impermeable than wood panelling, it also adds character and texture to a home. For a range of applications, exterior stone cladding provides a multitude of options that will complement virtually any home style and boost curb appeal.

Advantages of Stone Wall Cladding

While adding stone cladding to the exterior of a home use to cost a small fortune due to the labour-intensive work that came with masonry and heavy natural stone transportation, there are now more options on the market than ever that are budget-friendly. Stone effect wall cladding is growing rapidly in popularity since its lightweight nature and easy-to-install systems are cutting installation time down immensely. Plus, there isn’t a need for specialised labour skills when installing mortarless faux stone tiles.

With a wide range of colour, shape and pattern options, stone cladding is becoming more and more commonly found on the exterior of the home for panelling, columns, accent walls, fire pits and fireplaces. The texture and colour blending capabilities of stone tile products on the market now allow them to seamlessly elevate the natural elements of a home and outdoor living space.

Exterior Stone Effect Wall Cladding Options

1) Traditional Stone Cladding

Primarily cementitious, traditional stone wall cladding is most comparable to the installation of natural stone cladding. Similar to the natural stone, traditional stone tiles rely on a chemical bond and requires WRB, an added weather layer, lath, scratch coat, mortar and sometimes grade beams or lentil to carry the weight of the heavy stone. Although, traditional stone cladding does slightly vary from natural stone cladding in that it is more modular, and it doesn’t have to be worked as much to fit the right size. This style will require more skilled labour and due to its need for mortar, the installation time will take considerably longer than some other stone panelling alternatives.

2) Mortarless Easy-to-Install Faux Stone Tiles

Offered in two overarching categories, mortarless easy-to-install faux stone tiles comes in both panellised systems and individualised systems.

Panellised Systems: Cementitious and Polyurethane-Based

With a panellised system, there are two types, including cementitious-based and thermo-formed or polyurethane-based. Panellised systems typically connect through the use of an attachment flange and can have a spacer or built-in rainscreen. It is common that you are required to hit structural studs during instalment, which can prove challenging. While stone tiles for exterior purposes are great for covering large amounts of square meters at a time, they are not as workable and have proven to be more difficult when it comes to hiding exposed cuts and cutting the product around obstructions or construction details. Another thing to take into consideration with panellised systems, is that once someone can see the pattern of the panels, this style may appear more fake or repetitious compared to traditional stone cladding or individualised systems.

Individualised Systems: Composite and Concrete