Natural Stone Cladding: advantages and disadvantages

Revestimiento piedra natural - Stone Cross

Natural stone cladding is one of the most commong elements in luxury architecture projects. In the following post we will go over its endless advantages and its only disadvantage, which is its price, that can sometimes be a bit high. It’ mainly used in large commercial buildings or offices and sumptuous houses. Nowadays, natural stone cladding is a strong trend for luxury constructions in places like Miami or Canada. In addition to being the most efficient natural claddings, it is a sustainable building material. Let’s take a look at what it can do for new constructions, renovations or rehabilitations.

Natural stone cladding: resistance

We have just mentioned that natural stone cladding’s only drawback is its price, but it’s actually an investment in the future. It’s a very durable material that stands the passage of time and does not deteriorate, which overall will help us save money on maintenance costs. Its natural formation process confers it certain characteristics that make it ideal for facades, because it can easily withstand adverse weather conditions. Although it’s also commonly usede for columns, interiors spaces,  pavements and even swimming pool coverings.

Natural stone cladding: a sustainable option

Natural stone can be turned into a reusable material thanks to its durability. For example, when an old buiding that hasn’t been renovated it’s going to be demolished, the natural stone can be extracted to be later used in a different project. Therefore natural stone can be a sustainable material to be reused time after time.

Natural stone cladding: natural insulation

One natural stone’s most important characteristics is that it is a total great insulating material. Its large mass prevents sound waves from penetrating. In addition, it perfectly maintains the temperature allowing you to save a lot of money in air conditioning and heat, as it keeps the inside of your home cool during the summer and warm during the winter. Another important advantage is that it is fireproof, which makes your surroundings safer in case of fire. In fact, natural stone cladding can also be used to build heat sources, like fireplaces.

A great variety of uses for natural stone cladding

Natural stone cladding can be used for many different construction purposes. The most typical one are for facades, paving stones, pavements, columns, ceilings, floors and, in general, any place that you want to beautify or that is exposed to tear and weather.

Natural stone cladding: beauty in every room

Besides its great resistance and durability, natural stone’s other amazing and valuable quality it its beauty. It has a rustic appearance that can make an urban space more human and can also achieve a perfect balance between artifical and natural elements, making sure it matches the ambiance of every buildng or room where we place it. We shouldn’t forget  that natural stone, as its name suggests, is of natural origin, that is to say, that it has formed through natural processes during millions of years.

Therefore, each piece is unique, one-of-a-kind. This increases its cost and its aesthetic value. Furthermore, we can find an endless range of natural stone varieties depending on where they formed, under what conditions and on their compounds, resulting in many different colours, textures, shapes and veins.  If you can’t find a natural stone that you like that means that you haven’t looked enough. Now we’ll tell about the most important natural stones so that you can choose the one that better suits your needs.

Paloma Honed Limestone

The Paloma limestone has an intense white color that makes it perfect to combine with any type of construction. Its shade allows many different styles and also adjusts completely to materials such as wood, glass or steel. Its most common use is for facades and exterior veneers.  Its composition also makes it suitable for any type of finish, whether raw, honed or even bush-hammered.

Calacatta marble

The calacatta marble is a white marble of incredible beauty, which is gaining popularity by the day and becoming a trend. Its surface boasts beautiful grey streaks that give it a singular appearance. Calacatta marble is included in the white marbles variety and we can say that it’s the one that stands out the most. It’s a stone with a strong personality,  and a unique look, perfect for kitchens and bathrooms where a pure and clean appearance is appreciated, but without underestimating it, since its elegance is worthy of any room in the home. Furthermore, despite its delicate image, we cannot deny that it is a very resistant material.

Statuary marble

Statuary marble or statuary Italian marble is the most appreciated and valued out of all the Carrara marbles. Its main quality is its beauty, coming from its elegant and heterogeneous veins. People commonly call it simply marble, but Carrara marble has over 150 varieties. Its composition is made up of an elegant white ivory color mixed with a yellowish cream tone that, along with its crystalline structure and its purity, turns this natural stone into an ideal material for facade or sculptures, given as it is very versatile.

Pierre de Caen stone

The Pierre de Caen stone is a unique and limited limestone with ochre shades, which goes well with materials such as wood or any other one that can stand out in a range of warm colours. Reflective materials, such as metals and glass, are also a great combination to highlight a stone that is unique in the world and of limited access.

If you are interested in making a natural stone cladding facade or any other Project using these precious materials, do not hesitate to contact Stone Cross. We are experts with over 20 years of experience in the natural stone industry.

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