How Stone Veneer Can Add Value to Your Home
Stone veneer is an excellent option if you’re looking to add something unique and personalized to your home. Indoor or outdoor, stone has a ton of variety and ways to customize the color, style and use to suit your needs.
Outdoor curb appeal is a huge factor when selling your home, and adding stone veneer lends character and sophistication to the exterior of your house. Everyone loves a patio, and putting in something like a stone fireplace or patio kitchen with stone accents adds an upscale vibe to your outdoor living space giving you an element to anchor your patio design.
Indoor improvements/projects
You can utilize stone veneer in many areas of your home to upgrade and personalize your space. Below, we’ll go through some of the main ways you can use stone veneer to create customized and functional areas in your home.
Kitchen
Your kitchen is a great place to add stone veneer, but it has to be done with a few things in mind to ensure your space remains functional and easy to clean. Kitchens tend to be the hub of a home, especially if you’re an avid chef. What this means for installing stone veneer is that you’ll need to ensure that the style you choose can be sealed so that you can easily wipe dust and grease from cooking away. Types of stone with lots of texture and edges mean you’ll have to spend a bit more time cleaning, especially if you choose to put your stone veneer behind your stove or as a backsplash.
A great place to incorporate stone veneer into your kitchen and avoid the extra cleaning steps is to put it on the underside of a kitchen island. This area is easier to wipe or vacuum clean since it tends to catch less sticky cooking grease than upper areas.
Interior walls in social areas
Instead of painting an accent wall in a living room or den, consider the warmth and coziness that a stone veneer wall can bring to your social areas.
Stone adds a great visual and conversation piece in living rooms and family areas, bringing a natural element into your space. Something to be aware of when you’ll use stone veneer is the potential for bumps and bruises. Some styles of stone veneer have sharper edges that may need to be padded if you have small children. Another option is to use it on the upper areas of your wall instead of the entire wall.
Interior walls for bathroom or even bedrooms
Putting stone veneer in a bathroom or bedroom is a bit less conventional but can be a great way to incorporate this design element into your space.
A stone accent wall in a bedroom can lend a rustic, cabin-like feeling to the room, giving you a perfect way to anchor your decor.
Adding stone veneer to a wall in your bathroom is a wonderful way to test this style in a smaller space. Consider using stone veneer on the wall behind your sink and mirror — this is the perfect spot to add interest and texture to your bathroom.
Fireplace
There’s nothing quite as classically cozy as a stone fireplace. Whether you have a gas or wood-burning fireplace, a stone surround lends a warm and luxurious element to your living space.
The styles, colors and patterns for stone fireplaces can be as simple or creative as you like. Contractors that specialize in installing stone veneer can consult with you to create something that reflects your personal style and fits within your budget.
Architectural features
Architectural stone veneer uses stone veneer in larger, more visually commanding ways. This can be on the exterior or interior of your home. When you create an architectural stone veneer feature inside your home, picture a complete stone wall that covers an area like a staircase or a two-story wall with a balcony.
Architectural features are more extensive projects and require consulting with professionals to ensure that your structure and foundation can handle the weight, etc.
Adding stone veneer to the exterior of your home is a great way to add curb appeal to your property. This adds value if you’re thinking of selling and also upgrades the visual appeal you enjoy daily.
Outdoor kitchen
Upgrading your outdoor living space by adding a kitchen area on your patio will completely change how you and your family spend time outside in warm weather.
Stone veneer works perfectly in an outdoor kitchen setting, incorporating a natural element into your patio space. If you want to tackle this as a DIY project, there are a lot of online tutorials that will guide you step-by-step through the process, whether you’re starting from scratch or adding stone veneer to an existing space and helping you avoid the dreaded DIY flop.
Outdoor fireplace
Creating an outdoor fireplace with stone veneer will bring an upscale custom vibe to your backyard or patio. In some ways, this is a simpler endeavor than putting a stone veneer fireplace inside your home because you won’t have to worry about adding weight to your home's foundation. However, you will still have to ensure that you’re compliant with the bylaws and safety codes in your area.
Outdoor firepit
Firepits are best made with natural stone instead of stone veneer. Because firepits are generally created to have your fire directly touching the edges, you’ll need to use real stone so that it can withstand the heat from direct flame.
Landscaping
Outdoor landscaping features like waterfall walls and planters are the perfect way to incorporate stone veneer into your outdoor living space.
If you’re considering using stone veneer in your landscaping, make sure that you work with an experienced landscaper that can ensure the materials used are meant to withstand the moisture that the elements will surely bring.
Outdoor aesthetics
If your home's exterior lacks character or personality, stone veneer might be just the thing to revive the look of your home.
Stone veneer can be a big project, especially on the exterior of your house. If you want to get started in a smaller way to see how you like the look, and spread out the cost, consider beginning with an area like support pillars. Most homes have structural posts — while there’s not much you can do about their location, you can jazz them up with stone veneer. If you’re happy with how the veneer looks on your posts, you can move on to a larger area on the exterior of your home, like your front entry or garage front.
Benefits of using stone veneer
Easy to care for
In comparison to natural stone, veneer is much easier to care for. Natural stone requires cement and mortar to keep it in place — over time, this will need to be repaired and maintained. Stone veneer does not need mortar, so you’ll never have to worry about maintaining this aspect.
DIY
With some DIY savvy and a good online tutorial, you can definitely tackle stone veneer installation.
If you’re not a tried-and-true DIY champ already, choose a smaller area for your stone veneer DIY project. A place like a bathroom wall or the underside of a small kitchen island is a great way to get started while still adding to the visual appeal of your home.
Ecofriendly
Stone veneer comes in many shapes and styles; some are made entirely of manufactured materials and others composite materials. Either way, using stone veneer means avoiding the use of mined stone and the environmental damage that comes with it.
Easy maintenance when applied correctly
If you’re diligent in your DIY research or have a qualified installer put in your stone veneer and it’s put in properly, the maintenance is minimal.
Indoors, you’ll need to make sure you use a cleaner than won’t damage the finish on your stone veneer. This will vary depending on the manufacturer - make sure you know what the recommended cleaning products are and do a patch test first.
You can maintain exterior stone veneer the same as other sidings. Using a garden hose or pressure washer, spray your stone veneer a couple of times a year to get rid of dust and debris that builds up to keep it looking its best. If you’re using a pressure washer, test carefully and start with reduced pressure to avoid damaging your stone veneer.
Wherever you choose to accent your home with stone veneer, you’ll be happy with the upscale vibe this easy addition provides. On the front of your home, stone veneer adds tons of curb appeal and is a great way to update and refresh the exterior of your home. Indoors, stone accents lend a high-end feeling to your space. Stone comes in many styles and can be personalized to suit decor themes from farmhouse rustic to minimalist modern. Regardless of your design leanings, there are stone veneer options for you!
