Drystack Ledgestone: Ideas and Photos
Ledgestone is short and wide, with a height-to-width ratio as much as 1:5. Sides are flat to aid installation, but the front is jaggedly cut for a rustic appearance. Unless by chance, edges of adjoining ledgestone do not meet up, resulting in its distinctive lippage.
It is redundant to say "drystack" ledgestone as most ledgestone--faux or real--is stacked up dry, meaning without mortar. In fact, this is precisely the look that most homeowners are aiming for when purchasing ledgestone.
On the residential side, you tend to find ledgestone installed as exterior cladding (especially the facade or lower portion of walls, below windows) or interior on fireplaces.
Shown here is Boral's (Cultured Stone) Country Ledgestone, with its unique angled sides. Proprietary color is called Chardonnary.
Jagged-Edge Ledgestone, Great Idea for Poolside Bar
Ledgestone can take on many different appearances, from blocks with four flat sides that look as though they were cut by laser to the one pictured here, with rough sides all around and a rough face.
Boral calls this Southern Ledgestone. Not only are the sides uneven, but stone sizes vary wildly, from tiny 2" wide chunks to foot-long slabs.
The "Everywhere Ledgestone"
When you think of ledgestone, this may be it. This long, linear, flat-sided ledgestone became popular a decade ago, and it's still being installed everywhere. Because it's such a favorite of commercial builders, you might also find it in your local Olive Garden or Starbuck's.
El Dorado's European Ledgestone is the most dramatic ratio you'll find in the realm of veneers, with measurements of 4.5" high x 24" long, nearly 1:5.
Ledgestone Perfect for Interior Applications
This one from Coronado is much like El Dorado's European ledgestone: long, thin strips that are relatively flat-faced. So, in contrast to deeply textured stones we've seen here, this one has low, smooth protrusions. Color is termed White, but on closer examination you'll see that it's a creamy, off-white color.
Interior-wise, it's good for dining room walls, foyers, hallways. I would not recommend installing it for a fireplace surround because over time smoke will discolor the stone.
Weathered Ledgestone on House Exterior
This is miles different from the clean-and-neat type of stone that I earlier called the "Everywhere Ledgestone." It's a very rocky, rugged look that you'll most likely see in house cladding or post wraps. Home interiors need to have soaring, voluminous spaces to accommodate this type of outside-brought-indoors look.
Ledgestone in the Kitchen
I like this one: Coronado's strip stone in a color that they term "Fawn." The color is a mix of light pinks, browns, and tans. I'm not a great fan of the color, but the texture of the face is perfect.
Ledgestone For Fireplace Gives It a Rustic Mountain Lodge Look
Installing ledgestone indoors means either of two things:
Bucktown works well if you do want a rough appearance but not too rough, because it has a smooth face and soft colors.
Rustic Ledgestone Evokes Look of Appalachian Cottage
Appalachia never had it so good. This ledgestone veneer is called Tennessee, and with its rich browns and tans and its relatively smooth face, it can give your home the look of an upscale mountain lodge. From Stonecraft.
Why is it so hard to find a darker, uniformly-colored ledgestone? I can only guess it's because the multi-colored stones, with pinks, light-browns, and off-whites, are so popular. I happen to like this gray ledgestone from Stoneyard.
When installed on a home's exterior, it gives the structure a stately, New England look--as if this were New Hampshire or Vermont, and quarried stone had been cut and brought straight to the house from surrounding mountains.
This is another good interior ledgestone, if you want stone in your house but your house isn't grandiose enough to support massively textured, wildly colored veneers.
Like the previous gray ledgestone, this tan product is a bit of a rarity--a veneer with a largely uniform color. This helps you integrate the stone better in your home.
Ledgestone is short and wide, with a height-to-width ratio as much as 1:5. Sides are flat to aid installation, but the front is jaggedly cut for a rustic appearance. Unless by chance, edges of adjoining ledgestone do not meet up, resulting in its distinctive lippage.
It is redundant to say "drystack" ledgestone as most ledgestone--faux or real--is stacked up dry, meaning without mortar. In fact, this is precisely the look that most homeowners are aiming for when purchasing ledgestone.
On the residential side, you tend to find ledgestone installed as exterior cladding (especially the facade or lower portion of walls, below windows) or interior on fireplaces.
Shown here is Boral's (Cultured Stone) Country Ledgestone, with its unique angled sides. Proprietary color is called Chardonnary.
Jagged-Edge Ledgestone, Great Idea for Poolside Bar
Ledgestone can take on many different appearances, from blocks with four flat sides that look as though they were cut by laser to the one pictured here, with rough sides all around and a rough face.
Boral calls this Southern Ledgestone. Not only are the sides uneven, but stone sizes vary wildly, from tiny 2" wide chunks to foot-long slabs.
The "Everywhere Ledgestone"
When you think of ledgestone, this may be it. This long, linear, flat-sided ledgestone became popular a decade ago, and it's still being installed everywhere. Because it's such a favorite of commercial builders, you might also find it in your local Olive Garden or Starbuck's.
El Dorado's European Ledgestone is the most dramatic ratio you'll find in the realm of veneers, with measurements of 4.5" high x 24" long, nearly 1:5.
Ledgestone Perfect for Interior Applications
This one from Coronado is much like El Dorado's European ledgestone: long, thin strips that are relatively flat-faced. So, in contrast to deeply textured stones we've seen here, this one has low, smooth protrusions. Color is termed White, but on closer examination you'll see that it's a creamy, off-white color.
Interior-wise, it's good for dining room walls, foyers, hallways. I would not recommend installing it for a fireplace surround because over time smoke will discolor the stone.
Weathered Ledgestone on House Exterior
This is miles different from the clean-and-neat type of stone that I earlier called the "Everywhere Ledgestone." It's a very rocky, rugged look that you'll most likely see in house cladding or post wraps. Home interiors need to have soaring, voluminous spaces to accommodate this type of outside-brought-indoors look.
Ledgestone in the Kitchen
I like this one: Coronado's strip stone in a color that they term "Fawn." The color is a mix of light pinks, browns, and tans. I'm not a great fan of the color, but the texture of the face is perfect.
Ledgestone For Fireplace Gives It a Rustic Mountain Lodge Look
Installing ledgestone indoors means either of two things:
- You choose a lower-profile ledgestones, so that the texture does not overwhelm your house; or
- You have a grandiose house that can support a dramatic look.
Bucktown works well if you do want a rough appearance but not too rough, because it has a smooth face and soft colors.
Rustic Ledgestone Evokes Look of Appalachian Cottage
Appalachia never had it so good. This ledgestone veneer is called Tennessee, and with its rich browns and tans and its relatively smooth face, it can give your home the look of an upscale mountain lodge. From Stonecraft.
Why is it so hard to find a darker, uniformly-colored ledgestone? I can only guess it's because the multi-colored stones, with pinks, light-browns, and off-whites, are so popular. I happen to like this gray ledgestone from Stoneyard.
When installed on a home's exterior, it gives the structure a stately, New England look--as if this were New Hampshire or Vermont, and quarried stone had been cut and brought straight to the house from surrounding mountains.
This is another good interior ledgestone, if you want stone in your house but your house isn't grandiose enough to support massively textured, wildly colored veneers.
Like the previous gray ledgestone, this tan product is a bit of a rarity--a veneer with a largely uniform color. This helps you integrate the stone better in your home.