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We are trying to decide whether to use real stone or cultured stone on our new home. We have been told that material cost between the two can be a wash or that real stone is generally cheaper but the labor costs of cultured stone is much less. I’m concerned about whether cultured stone will look fake. I would appreciate opinions about the difference between the two both as to cost and looks. Thanks.
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Are you refering to counter tops?
You have to go to the showroom and see for yourself. No one can decide your preferances for you but I have seen some very nice cultured stone. I've also seen some pretty cheezy stuff. It depends on your taste/budget.
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Ted,
I'm referring to using stone on the outside of our home and inside for fireplaces and at least one wall in our study. This is our dream home, so while cost is a factor, we want something that will please us for a long time. Thanks for your response.
*We used cultured stone for our fireplaces and are thrilled by the results. One contractor told me that another contractor, thinking it was the real stuff, asked him where we got the stone. The guy pointed to the box, and the other guy almost fell over in surprise.I agree w/ the advice to see it for yourself. We visited a showroom and decided against some really unnatural looking stuff. Our distributor then had Cultured Stone, Inc send us a sample of their stuff and we were sold. The detail and variety are amazing. But ya gotta see it to see if you feel the same way.
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I'm no stone mason but I've used Cultured Stone twice, on small projects.
I think the stuff looked great. If I hadn't done it myself, I would have believed it to be the real thing.
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I'm sold on the cultured stuff. I can't wait to see it one day. But then, maybe I already have!
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Just to be different here, I would certainly consider using real stone. I agree that the quality of cultured stone is remarkable, and if you don't see a difference for yourself, cultured stone might be the ticket. Personally, I love stones and notice if it's real stone or cultured. (I posted a similar note last year, so you might want to check the archives for a similar discussion.) We did an interior wall behind our cabin wood burner out of limestone, and while it's true that the cultured stone is very attractive, when compared to the real item side by side, there's virtually no comparison unless you're at a distance. (The nice thing about cultured stone is that if you choose it, you never see the cultured stone and real stone together in your application.) Now that our wall is done, I love looking at each stone and the unique characteristics it has just as much as I enjoy gazing at the unique grain patterns in our wood ceilings and floors. (OK, I admit I might need to get a life.) We used stone veneer so that we not need additional footings in our application. However, we are planning a chimney chase in the distant future, and for that we will use the lighter, cultured stone. But the distance from ground level will make little difference. Some friends of ours are in the process of tearing out and replacing their woodburner hearth with real stone, because they are not happy with the cultured stone and its appearance. Just some thoughts..............
*I recently took several photos of real stone and cultured stone projects, trying to distinguish which I liked better and why.I came onto something fascinating. It's common here in Western Washington to use CMUs to build a wall, or chimney, then face it with cultured stone. And I agree that it can look great. What really matters though, is not so much which material, as how it's installed.The most common rock used around here is what I'd call "glacial till". These rocks are what I've heard other folks refer to as "river rock" but I always think of "river rock" as having flatter sides from the erosion on water passing over them. This "glacial till" I'm talkin' about has slightly rounder sides, making it a little harder to stack.Anyway, as I took photos and scouted out projects, both old and new, I started to realize that many times the cultured stone looked MORE natural than real stone because they were installed the way you'd have to stack the stones if that CMU wall wasn't behind them. And the real stones are often laid up on edge, so as to show more of the face of the stone, but if it were a real wall, they would topple over. So what I'm sayin' is, even if you decide that cultured stone looks just as good (I certainly think it does) what makes as important a difference, is the craftsmanship and the way it is installed. At least, to me. You might check the yellow pages and locate the nearest masonry supplier and go look at their sample boards. This cultured stone comes in all many many different types of rock. I like it.
*Who makes a good cultured stone product? I'd be interested in seeing a sample. Do manufacturers say to use in wet applications?
*Mary, I've rarely seen real stone jobs that I like. And I've liked every cultured stone job that I've seen. The cultured stone just seems to have a better balance of color, size, and uniformity. The real stuff can almnost accomplish those features but I'm often disappointed by the overall appearance.I wouldn't even consider real stone instead of cultured.blue
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We are trying to decide whether to use real stone or cultured stone on our new home. We have been told that material cost between the two can be a wash or that real stone is generally cheaper but the labor costs of cultured stone is much less. I'm concerned about whether cultured stone will look fake. I would appreciate opinions about the difference between the two both as to cost and looks. Thanks.