Natural Thin-Veneer: The Real Deal

Besides providing an organic look attractive to the community, Cassil says the thin-veneer stone offered the project another feature: speed of installation.

“Time was definitely a factor in our construction, and this went up very quickly,” Cassil says. “The stone mason had a large crew on the project and one of the big advantages of a veneer like this is that it can be phased into the rest of the construction more conveniently.”

Click image to enlargeCraig Child of Child Enterprises, the Springville, Utah-based masonry contractor for the project, calls the new medical center, “a pretty building that fits into the mountain atmosphere and culture.”

“They wanted the look of natural stone, but they were limited on the weight,” Child says. “The thin-stone veneer provided a lot less weight for the construction, but it still gives the look of natural stone.”

From his perspective, the natural stone offers a pair of other advantages. Child says his experience shows that it’s more durable than a concrete product; by installing it with a poly-modified mortar, there’s less likelihood that it will detach from the underlying surface over time.

He also agrees with Cassil’s contention that the installation of the thin veneer is easier to do around other aspects of a project than a full veneer. And, in this case, the veneer stone was used quite extensively; not only was it incorporated into the landscaping, but Cassil says the stone was also featured in the lobby and carried into the food service area.

“It was important for the stone to look right and for it to have nice, straight, even lines and good craftsmanship from the masons,” says Davis. “We went through several iterations of mockups to make sure we were all on the same page and the aesthetic that we desired came across.”Click photo to enlarge

Child explains that the project was done in a random ashlar, with pieces ranging from 4”-12” in height.

“The lower 30’ of the building has a lot of stone on it,” he says. “There are some areas that go full height, but there are other areas where it’s just wainscoting.”

The only installation problem, he notes, resulted from some of the piers being battered on one angle.

“This stone was made to have a corner, and so to match that batter we weren’t always able to get the joints as straight as we’d like,” Child says.

Child praises the overall look of the medical center, and Cassil says he believes Intermountain Health may be interested in expanding its supplies selection on future jobs Architectural Nexus does for the company.

“This may be a one-of-a-kind project,” Cassil concludes. “But, I think the project expanded Intermountain Health’s thinking beyond its typical palette of materials.”

CLAD ABOUT THE HOUSE

SPOKANE, Wash. – When Ken Warren and his wife decided to sell their 23-year-old family home and build something new, all the options now available in construction materials provided a number of surprises.

Among the ones they chose to incorporate into their new abode: plenty of thin-veneer natural stone.