Thin Veneer
Natural stone thin veneer has recently in the past 10 years become more common on construction projects from commercial to residentual. There are many bonuses for choosing to use natural stone thin veneer vs standard builders' grade which is 3" to 5" in diamater.
Thin veneer creates a major weigh loss on the entiraty of a wall. In fact, you will see that it comes out to about one third (1/3) of the weight that builder's grade comes to. For example, 1 ton (2000 lbs) of builder's grade will cover aproximately 40 sq feet while 1 ton of thin veneer stone will cover aproximately 120 to 130 square feet. This makes it a top choice for interiors, above the roof applications and any area where weight is a factor. Natural stone thin veneer will also save on space. This is great for rocking areas above and below counter tops where space can be an issue.
Stone Cladding
Stone Cladding is the actual process where thin veneer is used to reface an existing project. Stone Cladding can also be used in new constructions as well. Stone cladding usually pertains to stone material that is about two (2) inches thick or less.
Making Natural thin veneer stone
The process of making natural stone thin veneer is time consuming. Thin veneer is made out of a builder's grade ("3" to 5" thick) version of the material. The pieces of material is put on a converors belt and taken slowly through a water saw. The face of the material is litterly cut off of the builder's grade product. This is about 1/2" to 1 1/2" thick. The material goes through a wash immediately after the being cut. Right after the wash, the thin veneer stone is processed through quality control. Quality controll will evaluate every piece of material to make sure that it meets and surpasses spec before being palletizing and shipped.
