Stone veneer installation in Springfield IL - stone set on a solid wall
Tired siding or a bare block foundation that looks unfinished? We check the wall first, then set stone that looks like it belongs.
Is stone veneer right for your Springfield house?
Stone veneer installation in Springfield puts a thin facing of stone on a wall you already have, so your house gets the look of stone without anyone building a stone wall. It comes as natural stone or as manufactured stone veneer, a lightweight facing made from cement-based materials and aggregate and made to look like natural stone.
Usually the call starts with something you're tired of looking at, like a bare block foundation, a front wall that looks dated or a fireplace that needs a face. What moves the price is how much wall you're covering, whether you pick natural or manufactured stone, how many corners, windows and doors we cut around, and whether the wall needs work first, like brick repair on an older house. The schedule mostly turns on that wall check and on whether the city wants a permit for your job, and the estimate I write after looking at your wall gives you your own number.
How we do stone veneer installation
Before any stone goes up, I check that the wall behind it is solid, because veneer is only as good as what it's stuck to, and if the brick, block or framing needs repair, that gets done first. On a wood-framed wall we put up a water barrier, and the installation guidance calls for two separate layers lapped from the bottom like shingles so water runs out instead of in, then metal lath, a heavy mesh, and a scratch coat of mortar for the stone to grab. Before setting anything, we lay the stone out on the ground and mix colors and sizes so no corner ends up all dark or all small. Then we set it a row at a time, fill and finish the joints, and clean the face before we leave.
Sometimes the wall the stone needs isn't there yet. If you want a stone-faced garden wall, planter or screen wall, we can build it as one of our concrete block walls and face it when it's ready. On an addition or a new basement, we handle the foundation block wall installation too, so the stone goes on block we laid ourselves.
Stone veneer, permits and older walls in Springfield
Springfield's Building & Zoning Department issues permits in the city, and its list names work like building, demolition, roofs, signs, fences and parking lots, but not stone veneer. That list doesn't settle whether your job needs a permit, so that office is the one to ask, and the city's Building Division handles inspections and permit reviews when a job does. We check with the city or village office for your address before we start, and if your job needs a permit, we take care of the paperwork.
A lot of the walls people want faced are on older houses, and if yours was built before 1978 and the job disturbs painted surfaces, the city's permit form says the contractor has to be certified by the U.S. EPA, follow lead-safe practices and give you the Renovate Right pamphlet before work starts. Tell me the year your house was built when you call, so I know to look at painted trim and siding at the estimate. We're based in Springfield and work in the cities around it, and we see the same older foundations and painted trim on jobs in Chatham and Decatur.
How stone veneer installation goes
Call or send the form
Tell us which wall you want faced and roughly how big it is. We'll get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I check the wall and price it
I come out myself, look at the wall where the stone will go and tell you plainly whether it's ready, needs work first or isn't a good fit. The written estimate lays out the stone, the prep and the price, so you know what's in the number.
We check the city and schedule
Once you say go, we check what your city or village asks for at your address and set a date. If the job needs a permit, the date waits on that.
We set stone, then walk it
Our crew does the work and I'm on the job alongside them, from the wall prep through the last joint. Before we pack up, we walk the finished wall with you.
Get a free estimate for your stone veneer and the wall behind it
We reply to every form within one business day. I'll come out, look over the wall, tell you what I see and write up a free on-site estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
Questions before you put up stone veneer
How much does stone veneer installation cost in Springfield, IL?
Installing stone veneer in Springfield usually costs about $2,600 to $10,000 per project. That's the usual range for the work here, not a set price, and a fireplace face lands in a different spot than a whole front wall. You'll get the figure for your own wall at the free on-site estimate.
Can stone veneer go over my existing wall or siding?
It can go over a sound wall, but installation guidance says manufactured stone veneer shouldn't go over a wall that's deteriorating or unsound, or over EIFS, a foam-backed insulation and finish system that looks like stucco. If your wall is getting old, have it checked before you settle on stone. That's the wall check I do at every estimate.
What's the difference between natural and manufactured stone veneer?
Natural stone veneer is real stone cut thin, and manufactured stone is cast from cement-based material to look like it. Not every natural stone is suggested for outside walls, and the natural stone industry advises picking stone with a history of standing up to the weather where you live. I'll walk you through both at the estimate.
Does dry stack stone veneer work on the outside of a house?
One natural stone veneer guide advises against open-joint stone outdoors where walls go through freeze and thaw cycles, and suits the dry-stack look, stone fitted tight with no mortar showing, to inside walls or warm climates where it doesn't freeze. If you like that look on an outside wall, weigh it against your climate. Inside, around a fireplace, it's a good fit.
How do I tell if a stone veneer job was done right?
Ask how the crew gets mortar over the whole back of each stone, because even small gaps behind a stone can collect water and lead to early failure. It's a fair question for any installer, and a good one will tell you exactly how they do it.
What is the best way to keep water from getting behind stone veneer?
One option is a rainscreen, a small drainage space built in behind the stone that helps stray water drain out and shortens drying time. It's optional, and whether it's worth adding depends on the wall. I'll tell you what I'd do on yours when I look at it.
Why Springfield homeowners call Artisan Springfield Concrete and Masonry for stone veneer
I check every wall myself
I come out to look at every job and write the estimate myself, and I'm working alongside our crew when the stone goes up. You hear about your wall from the person who'll be standing in front of it.
Straight answers since 2013
We've been doing this since 2013, and if your wall can't take stone yet or the job can wait, I'll say so. I'd rather lose a sale than sell work your house doesn't need.
Licensed and insured masonry work
We're licensed and insured. That matters on this job because installation guidance for manufactured stone notes that when veneer performs poorly, the workmanship in the field tends to be the main cause, though the stone and the design matter too.
Stone that suits older Springfield houses
On older Springfield houses, I look at the brick, trim and roofline before you pick stone, so its color and size sit right with what's already there. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job, and for me that starts with stone that looks like it belongs on your house.
If you've got a wall in mind, set up a visit and I'll tell you what it needs before we talk stone.
Other wall work that goes with stone veneer
Concrete block walls
A block wall makes a sturdy core for a stone-faced garden wall or planter, and laying both ourselves means the stone goes on something we know is solid.
Foundation block wall installation
Building an addition or a new basement? A block foundation laid straight and level gives your veneer a flat, sound face to grip from the first row.
Get your wall checked for stone veneer
Call (217) 210-0722 or use the form, and include a few wall photos, a rough size and the year your house was built, so I show up already knowing which questions to ask.
