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Faux Stone Panels: What to Know Before You Buy
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Nothing conveys the feeling of solidity and tradition in a home more than stone, often found in the form of fireplace surrounds and walls. At the same time, few house elements are as expensive and difficult to fabricate as real stone. This leads many homeowners to look for alternatives such as faux stone panels, a substitute for both natural stone and manufactured veneer stone.Get more news about Artificial Stone,you can vist our website!
What Are Faux Stone Panels?
Faux stone panels greatly differ from natural stone and even from manufactured veneer stone. Faux stone panels are made of lightweight foam. While easy to cut and apply, faux stone panels are not durable against impact. Natural stone and manufactured stone are heavy, mineral-based products and are more durable.
Faux stone panels' greatest advantage is that they are easy to apply, requiring no mortar or grout. Faux stone applies with glue. On the downside, faux stone is impermanent, especially in high-traffic areas.
Natural Stone
Real, natural stone is the real stuff: 100-percent actual stone quarried from the earth. Few homeowners possess the masonry skills needed to work with stone, and even having previous experience with ceramic tile does not help much.
Plus, real stone is very heavy, with limestone tipping the scales at over 170 pounds per cubic foot. Interior stonework often requires additional bracing beneath.
Manufactured Veneer Stone
Manufactured stone, represented by brands such as Cultured Stone, El Dorado, and Coronado Stone, feels very close to real stone. Cement and aggregates give manufactured stone its heft and feel; iron oxides and other pigments give it a stone-like look.
Manufactured stone usually comes in individual stones that fit together with mortar, though sometimes it is available in panels. While not as heavy as real stone, manufactured stone is about 30-percent lighter than the real stone. Finally, the thickness can be an important issue when installing any veneer, thinner being better. Manufactured stone can run from several inches thick down to 3/4-inch.
Faux Stone Veneer Panels
Faux stone panels are made of low-density foam with a durable impact-resistant plastic layer on top. Faux stone never has mineral content.
Faux stone veneer panels are often as large as 2-foot by 4-foot, even ranging up to 4-foot by 8-foot in some instances. Large format panels make the installation go faster.
Being made only of foam, these panels weigh only a few pounds per panel. In contrast to manufactured stone's several inches of thickness, faux stone panels are always thin, sometimes as thin as 3/4-inch.
Installation is easy, with most panels applying with construction adhesive. Some faux veneer panels can be used in exterior applications..