Expert: Joan Miller - 8/13/2010

Question
Hi,

My dear wife and I own a 1-story ranch from the mid-forties
with yellow brick on the front porch only.

Some of this cultured or hewed flagstone "tiles" has caught
our attention recently and we thought it would look terrific
instead of the brick.

What we'd like your help with is:

One, would the brick need to be removed and replaced or
would the new stone veneer be applied directly to the
surface of the brick?

Two, I can bring myself to apply a stone veneer, but I can't
being myself to apply a veneer of concrete masquerading as
stone. So, do you have any recommendations for real-stone  
products in kind of a sharper-edged 1/2" to 3/4" (or so)
flagstone?

Thanks very, very much.

Answer
Thank you for your question Mike.

If you wish to not use the concrete "imitation" stone, the traditional way would be to tear down your clay yellow brick and have that replaced with the flagstone that you desire.

The flagstone that I would like to recommend to you is silica stone. Colors are offered as they are available from the quarries themselves, such as ranges of light and dark grays to the sand cream warm colors.

The natural look will "travel" through time and will add extra value to your home. These stones, not being "pre-fabricated" are of the highest quality on the market. These are available either via a brick and stone distributor in your area, or if accessible, direct at a stone quarry.

Although you may want to look into this information, I have heard about a company that transforms natural stone into a thinline series that can be glued directly to your brick wall, considering that a veneer panel be installed at first over the brick. This company is called Technoprofil. They are located in Quebec City in Canada. They do sell in the U.S.A. You may contact them at 1-888-653-2222 they will be more than happy to give you proper references for these types of products. Please have a look at their website: http://www.pierrestechnoprofil.com/

I had participated at a local homeshow last year and when I had visited his stand, I was amazed with what this company can do with natural stone.

I highly recommend that you look into this and hopefully they can give you access to the product you are looking for.

Hoping this helps!

Joan Miller