Pros And Cons Of Manufactured And Natural Stone Siding
APPEARANCE
Manufactured Stone Siding: In today’s day and age, manufactured stone sidings/veneers are more realistic than ever–especially from further away. Manufacturers offer a wide variety of styles, patterns, and colors for homeowners to choose from, which makes matching existing siding a breeze. However, when you get very close to manufactured stone siding, the repeating patterns of stones do become more obvious.
Natural Stone Siding: Since natural stone siding is a quarried product, no two stones are the same on the siding. This means, you obviously won’t see repeating patterns of stones of any sort. It also means the textures, colors, and striations you get are rich and beautiful. This means that the appearance of natural stone, siding, up close, simply cannot be matched by faux brands.
COST
It would seem that the difference in cost between natural and manufactured stone is huge–since one is quarried and one is made. However, you will probably find the cost to be rather close. This is because, as man-made cultured veneers begin looking more and more realistic, the high-quality manufactured costs more. Over time the costs of two have been creeping closer and closer. However, the maintenance cost of natural stone is usually less because it can be pressure washed from time to time, as opposed to manufactured stone siding needing to be hand scrubbed regularly.
DURABILITY
Probably the most important consideration between man-made and natural stone siding is how durable each of them are. Happily, both products are considered to be durable, however, they do have slightly different performances in the durability arena.
Natural Stone Siding: Since natural stone siding is less porous, the stone itself is more durable. It won’t fade or rot and stands up to sunlight quite well. The issues with natural stone siding almost always arise with the materials with which it is bonded and secured,
Manufactured Stone Siding: Since manufactured stone cladding is usually tinted with paints and dyes, you do run the risk of fading. Especially here in Colorado where the UV index is high. Also, manufactured stone can deteriorate in short order outside when exposed to natural elements such as rain, sunlight, dirt, and wind. While this doesn’t exclude manufactured stone siding from outdoor applications, one should consider it’s vulnerability to elements outside before having it installed.
