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Stone Veneer vs. Thin Brick Veneer

Walking down the sidewalk of your neighborhood, what draws your attention towards a home? It may be the delightfully manicured front yard, the home’s marvelous silhouette created by its roof shape, or it might be the home’s beautiful façade, which features interesting textured walls!

It’s essential to select the right material that is functionally and aesthetically suitable for your home, so for this blog, we’ll be diving into the advantage and disadvantages between two types of treatments to a home’s exterior walls: Stone vs Brick Veneer!

Stone Veneer

Stone veneer, is known by many names: cast or manufactured stone veneer, architectural stone, or engineered stone and it recreates the elegant look of natural stone. This type of wall siding is made up of concrete, unlike natural stone which is quarried (Lograsso, 2020). Moreover, as per the 2021 study of Remodeling Magazine, manufactured stone veneer’s ROI is at 92.1% for a home’s façade, becoming the leading cladding project out of other cladding materials (Remodeling, 2021 in National Masonry Association, 2021)!

Look at this home’s stone cladded columns! It further provides texture and a rich surface to the home’s facade!

Advantages

  • Range of designs – Manufactured stone veneer comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and color
  • Cost effectivity and Installation – Similar to brick veneer compared to their traditional counterparts, installation for stone veneer is easier since it’s lightweight and requires less labor
  • Durability – Stone veneer is very durable will last for years if appropriately installed

Disadvantages

  • Careful Water Management – If water management is not considered, this may lead to leaks. Thus, a rainscreen system is essential to protect against water infiltrating to the wall if a frame is used (. (Cultured Stone, 2018) When buying a home, make sure that the cladding is installed correctly to avoid problems.
  • Discoloration – Discoloration of stone may happen due to application of harsh chemicals on its surface, so be careful how you clean it!

Brick Veneer

Thin brick veneer offers the same timeless look just like regular brick. It is also known as thin brick veneer, using the same material and process as regular brick, but differs in installation. The various application includes Thick Set Application on Studs, on Construction Masonry Units, Exterior Thin Set Application on Studs with Drainage Mat, and Modular Panel on Studs  (Brick Industry Association, 2014). Moreover, the ROI for brick is still high, at 85% (Remodeling, 2022)!

The contrast between smooth dark grey surface, horizontal wood cladding, and red brick veneer provides a modern yet timeless look!

Advantages

  • Ease of Installation and cost – Similar to stone veneers it is lightweight, plus, installation requires less effort while also saving time compared to its traditional counterpart which is structural brick. Brick veneer is less expensive while achieving the same appearance to traditional brick. An estimated price per square foot of traditional brick is $14 to $30 which includes professional labor, whereas brick veneer is only around $8 to $18 per square foot (Durante, 2021)
  • Range of Design – The wide variety of colors, thickness, size , and patterns offers multiple options for thin brick veneer  to fit your home’s look!
  • Durability – known for its durability, thin brick includes fire-resistance rating of one hour according to the test conducted by the Brick Industry Association in 2018 (The Brick Industry Association, 2018).

Disadvantages

  • Weather protection– compatible mortar and other weather barrier systems are necessary to protect the structural wall from water infiltration (Johnson, 2018). If a installed incorrectly, you might encounter moisture problems.

Characteristics, cost, function, and aesthetics are always important in choosing the right siding for your home. With the mentioned advantages and disadvantages of both, which option do you like best: Stone or Thin Brick Veneer?

Interested in more articles about home features? Check out our Ultimate Real Estate Guide!

Stone Veneer:

Cultured Stone. (Aug. 17, 2018). What is Stone Veneer? A Quick Guide to Faux Stone. Retrieved from https://www.culturedstone.com/blog/what-is-stone-veneer

Cultured Stone. (Aug. 31, 2018). Stone Veneer Installation – A Guide for Architects and Builders. Retrieved from https://www.culturedstone.com/blog/stone-veneer-installation

National Masonry Association. (May 12, 2021). Manufactured Stone Veneer one of top projects in 2021 Cost vs. Value Study. Retrieved from https://ncma.org/updates/news/msv-2021-cost-value-report/

Lograsso, S. (June 6, 2020). An In-Depth Look at Manufactured Stone Veneer. Masonry Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.masonrymagazine.com/blog/2020/06/29/an-in-depth-look-at-manufactured-stone-veneer/

Thin Brick Veneer:

Durante, N. (2021). 2022 Cost of Brick Veneer | Pricing Per Square Foot. Retrieved from https://upgradedhome.com/brick-veneer-cost/

Johnson, A. (March 1, 2018). Thin Brick: Modern Material, Classic Charm. Retrieved from https://www.masonrymagazine.com/blog/2018/03/01/translation-painters-corner-3-2/

Remodeling. (Jan. 28, 2022). Brick Siding Cost, Plus Pros & Cons and ROI in 2022. Retrieved from https://www.remodelingcosts.org/brick-siding-pricing-guide/

The Brick Industry Association. (April 2014). Thin Brick Veneer. Retrieved from https://www.gobrick.com/docs/default-source/read-research-documents/technicalnotes/28c-thin-brick-veneer.pdf?sfvrsn=0

The Brick Industry Association. (2018). Fire Protection. Retrieved from https://www.gobrick.com/why-choose-brick/Fire-Wind-and-Storm-Protection/fire-protection

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