Natural Stone vs. Artificial Stone Products

On high-end projects the comparison of natural and artificial stone rarely comes up because artificial stone is simply not an acceptable option. When we are asked about how natural stone compares with artificial stone our honest answer is very simple – it doesn’t. The beauty of natural stone is characterized by the blend of textures, colors and depth for which there is no substitute.  The best ways to judge the difference is to simply touch and look at an artificial stone installation that has been weathered up for a couple of years. You will see the fading of the stone, the exposed cement aggregate from chipping and wear and feel the dry lifeless texture of the surface.

What is artificial stone? – Although it is marketed under a range of different names, artificial stone is essentially just a cement based product that is molded to represent a stone surface and then sprayed, dyed or coated like stucco with a stone like color.  Prices and quality vary dramatically and some artificial stone can actually end up costing more than the real thing!  For installation the thin pieces are stuck onto a wall or structural surface, like tiles. Because the stone appearance is coated on the stone, everywhere fake stones are cut to fit the project the cement aggregate is exposed revealing the true nature of the product.  You’ll notice this especially around openings, even in high traffic areas like doorways.  With exposure to the elements the colors of artificial stone will fade, and if not applied correctly on exterior applications the thin pieces can even fall off when water infiltration causes the thin-set bond to fail. The difference between natural stone and artificial stone is like the difference between a table made of solid mahogany and one made from particle board sprayed with mahogany stain – they simply don’t compare.

What about thickness? – Because full depth natural stone veneer is 3” to 6” thick it can be too thick for some applications such as interior renovations. However, there are many companies today that offer thin sawn natural stone for such jobs so that even a thin application can be undertaken without settling for fake stone.  We’d be happy to recommend you to sources for thin sawn natural stone product for those applications.

When your project requires the highest quality materials, natural stone is the only choice.  Anything else is simply settling for less.

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