What You Need to Know About Stacked Stone Panels
Industry sales of stacked stone panels have been rising steadily each year for the last five years. While we cut and split individual natural thin stone from New England – all day every day – we see customers from every region of the country choosing stacked stone panels. Here are the pros and cons of these panels.
PRO: Stones are cut, fit, and glued together into an interlocking panel with no mesh backing. This significantly reduces onsite cutting and allows for a much quicker install.
CON: The panels still have to be handled carefully during installation to avoid breakage.
PRO: The panels fit together without modification. The seams are offset and disappear when you stagger the panels by 1/3 of their length.
CON: If you don’t stagger the panels, you will see a stepped stairway seam.
PRO: Panels have matching corners that interlock perfectly with one short, and one long side. This allows for weaving back and forth to stagger the joints.
CON: to shorten a corner, you’ll need to make stepped cuts using a wet saw. The same applies to flat panels.
PRO: Panels install much faster than individual stones. A stonemason can install 100 square feet a day.
CON: For larger vertical walls it is best to install three vertical feet, then let the mortar adhere for 24 hours prior to installing the next section above it.
PRO: You don’t have to worry about selecting individual stones.
CON: You can’t create a custom mix of stones or colors but there are plenty of beautiful colors to choose.
