Stone Cladding: The Pros and Cons of natural Stone

There are advantages and disadvantages of every building material dependant on your individual application. Here, we take a look at some of the pros and cons of natural stone cladding to help you decide if it’s a suitable material for your project.

The pros of natural stone cladding

• La beauté naturelle et inégalée
• Son extrême durabilité et sa longue durée de vie
• The extensive range of stone types, colours and formats
• Complémentaire à d'autres matériaux tels que le béton et le bois
• Offers various finish options to suit applications and can therefore be used in a wide range of projects
• Provides a high level of insulation, which can therefore keep heating and cooling costs down
• Peut être utilisé pour une variété d'applications, à l'intérieur ou à l'extérieur
• Il est résistant aux intempéries et au feu
• Peut être résistant aux rayures et à l'abrasion
• Peut augmenter la valeur de votre maison
• Facile à entretenir à long terme

Le cons of natural stone cladding

• Requires a structural substrate, which can then add an extra cost
• Can be labour intensive and time-consuming to install
• A more expensive material than some other cladding products
• Doit être scellé pour la protection
• L'utilisation de produits de nettoyage puissants peut endommager la surface
• Can trap moisture behind the material if poorly installed which therefore could damage the stone
• Mieux installé par un professionnel plutôt que par un projet de bricolage

As you can see, there are both advantages and disadvantages of natural stone cladding. The two main advantages driving people to choose natural stone cladding are its aesthetics and durability. Each piece has its own unique textures, colour tones and imperfections making no two stone feature walls the same. A quality natural stone wall will weather well and last many years to come.

The main disadvantage of the stone for some is its heavy nature demanding a structural substrate and in some cases, additional fixtures. Constructing a structural wall for the cladding to adhere to may not be feasible in every situation. This can also increase the cost and the installation time.

For more advice and inspiration about natural stone and feature walls, take a look at our Learning Library.