7 Reasons You Don’t Want Stone Veneer Siding

Stone veneer siding consists of thinly cut pieces of stone that are applied to the side of a home. The stones themselves come in a variety of colors and shapes, and they can be arranged in multiple different patterns with a choice of grout colors in-between.

This creates a mosaic of natural or man-made stone on the outside of a house. Stone veneer is available in two different styles: natural stone veneer and manufactured stone veneer. Natural stone veneer is comprised of quarry stone whereas artificial or manufactured stone veneer is typically made up of concrete or other cost-effective materials that emulate the look of natural stone.

While stone veneer siding does give off a beautiful effect to the passerby, is this siding style truly beneficial for a home? Stone veneer comes with its own set of issues. As a homeowner, you know that choosing the right siding is crucial to protecting the exterior of your home, and this is a project that you don’t want to invest money into without getting worthy results.

Stone Veneer Siding is Expensive

One of the main reasons why you don’t want stone veneer siding is the sheer expense. Compared to other styles of siding, stone veneer resides on the high end of the cost spectrum. Vinyl costs about $3 to $8 per square foot while stone veneer costs upwards of $36 to $42 per square foot.

Homeowners know to choose their big projects wisely. For many of us, it’s a question of which project or upgrade will add to the resale value of our home, while at the same time, make for better living conditions.

For a stone veneer siding project, you’ll be shelling out an average cost of $100,000. This seems like an awful lot of money to make the outside of a house look good, and for this much cost, you could have a couple new roofs to boot.

The Value Doesn’t Equate the Cost

Aside from looks, the actual value of stone veneer in terms of an investment doesn’t match or exceed the amount of money you’re putting in to installing this type of siding.

According to remodeling.com, the trend of stone veneer siding demonstrates that homeowners are seeing a decrease between the actual value of the stone veneer in comparison to the cost of the project to begin with.

Yes, the look of stone veneer siding is unique, but with this lessened value and expensive cost, it just doesn’t add up.

Potential Moisture Issues

If you aren’t an expert mason, you’ll most likely need to get your stone veneer siding installed by someone, but even the best professionals can’t prevent all of the potential moisture problems that come with stone veneer siding.

If installed improperly, stone veneer siding can have major issues when it comes to moisture, and this can go unseen and unnoticed until the problem has ruined your siding.

When proper gaps aren’t left to ensure that the moisture can be safely directed away, rot can form from the bottom of the stone veneer and make its way up. This is a devastating issue that can ruin your exterior walls.

It Could Lead Your Roof to Ruin

Stone veneer is tricky to install and also has a tendency to attract and retain moisture. Because of this, it must be installed a few inches up from the ground and also a few inches past the roof. Unfortunately, many contractors install the stone veneer right against the roof shingles and this can cause a lifetime of problems.

Moisture can lead to a faster rate of deterioration of the stone veneer and the roof itself. The lifetime of your roof’s shingles will be cut dramatically short, not to mention if water gets beneath the shingles, it could leak inside of your attic, leading to costly repairs to fix the roof and the damages the leak caused.

Leaks in Windows and Doors

Because of the way stone veneer must be installed, there is a requirement to leave a gap around windows and doors, but many installers neglect to do this because they chose looks over proper functioning and diversion of moisture.

This subsequently leads to an insufficient amount of caulking around the doorways and windows, and in turn, results in leaking because of the water not being kept out. If the stone veneer siding isn’t properly installed around windows and doors, no amount of caulking can really help save them from springing leaks.

Issues with Vents

Siding needs to accommodate for the vents inside of your home, like your bathroom and kitchen vents. Normal siding uses sealant for vents while stone veneer presses the vents directly into the mortar.

The mortar isn’t as flexible as sealant and this can be a huge problem, so any settling your house does naturally over time can break or crack the vents that are set in the mortar.

There’s a great difficulty to replace a cracked vent in stone veneer, and if you cannot do so because it’s set in the mortar, this broken vent can become an access point for critters and rodents to set up camp in your home.

With Moisture Comes Mold

Stone veneer is very absorbent and this property is the main root of problems caused by this style of siding. When moisture is present, mold follows. Mold can be disastrous to any home and is a costly problem to have to fix.

Stone veneer siding isn’t the ideal choice for places that have high humidity for the majority of the year, as it absorbs the moisture in the air. Snow and rain are also not good for the stone veneer, as it absorbs these elements too, and offers a perfect place for mold to grow.

Mold growth may go unnoticed because the formation sometimes begins underneath the veneer. This is an even bigger problem, because without killing the mold early on, it’ll spread amongst the exterior of the veneer and worse yet, to the inside of your home. Mold inside your home means health problems, putting both you and your family at risk.

The Bottom Line for Stone Veneer Siding

Stone veneer, while beautiful to look at, isn’t all that it’s chalked up to be. Expensive and absorbent, this siding tends to do the opposite of what exterior siding is designed to do.

Unless you live in an intensely dry area that’s not prone to much rain, stone veneer will harbor moisture, and this can lead to detrimental issues with your home. Possible problems with your roof, leaks in windows and doors, and the potential growth of mold can all happen because stone veneer absorbs whatever moisture the surrounding environment has to offer.

For the sheer cost alone, the value of stone veneer does not justify this major expense. In comparison, vinyl is an entirely more capable material without the price tag of stone veneer.

Other siding materials don’t absorb water and lead to many of the issues that stone veneer tends to have. For looks alone, all of the problems your home could have just doesn’t seem to be worth the frustration that is stone veneer.

For a siding material that’ll last a long time, protect your home and increase value and curb appeal, you can count on vinyl to do the trick. Where can you get the best vinyl siding in the Midwest? Feldco.

We’ve been serving the Midwest for nearly 50 years and over 500,000 homeowners have trusted us for their home improvement projects. Get a free quote online to start your siding project with the best.