New Realities In Faux Stone

Last month’s International Builders’ Show in Orlando proved an ideal venue for rolling out new and improved lines of faux-stone and brick veneer. Among

Last month’s International Builders’ Show in Orlando proved an ideal venue for rolling out new and improved lines of faux-stone and brick veneer. Among players in the flourishing market segment are Owens Corning, offering expanded Cultured Stone and Cultured Brick options, and Eldorado Stone, with a new namesake faux-brick veneer line.

OWENS CORNING

A growing demand among home buyers for individual expression has prompted the building materials and composite systems fabricator to enhance its product offerings with a new stone texture, an architectural trim collection, and five new colors in the Cultured Brick line of Used Brick motif veneer. According to architectural color consultant Miriam Tate of Costa Mesa, Calif., We’re seeing an increase in clients who are inventively exploring combinations of color and texture to create a personal statement by blending materials and palettes to suit their individual taste.

Five designer-inspired colors added to the Cultured Brick line effectively double customer choice, Owens Corning representatives emphasize. Used alone or blended with a Cultured Stone texture, they add, the colors evoke a range of settings:

  • High Desert comprises burgundy-tinged terra cottas with plum and chocolate accents.
  • Bucks County suggests earthy permanence with grey-gold and tan, plus trace elements found in natural stone.
  • San Francisco incorporates charcoal and brown with moss and plum tones to create a vintage effect.
  • Horton Bay features a combination of russet, soft gray, and plum to complement any surroundings.
  • Chardonnay employs a warm combination of camel and rose to suggest late-day sun on golden wheat fields.

Adding dimension, formality and an old-world finish to any exterior or interior wall, window, door or entryway, product developers affirm, the New Monticello Trim Collection offers a complete line of base/trim molding, watertables and sills, window and door trim stones, chair rail molding and keystones. The architectural trim stone products are lightweight and reportedly less expensive than comparable items made from natural stone. Observes Cultured Stone Marketing Leader Bob Heath, Typical architectural trim profiles made from cut natural stone or custom cast stone must be individually created, so they’re expensive and entail long lead times. The Monticello Collection, by contrast, delivers elegant, architecturally designed trim profiles that are cost effective and readily available.

The Monticello Collection’s two color options, Gray and Tawny, complement other Cultured Stone and Cultured Brick products. Its units are suitable as well for stucco applications and exterior insulation and finish systems.

Providing further design versatility, Owens Corning also introduced its new Cultured Stone Pro-Fit Alpine Ledgestone for styles ranging from mountain rustic to urban sophisticated. Concealed within the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired stacked ledge stone is patented Pro-Fit engineering. Individual stones grouped to form modular components facilitate rapid installation. The 4-in.-high pieces are available in 8-, 12- and 20-in. lengths, with matching corners. Three color choices include Harvest, a fall color mix of gray, brown and subtle red hues; Pheasant, an earthy blend of khaki, olive, golden yellow, and plum; and, Chardonnay, which incorporates rich camel and rose tones.

Besides expanding the range of design options through new product offerings, Owens Corning aims to advance the design process by upgrading its StoneCAD software, said by company representatives to be the most comprehensive CAD application in its category. StoneCAD 5.0 is the only veneer stone visualization program to provide hatch patterns and texture maps of every color and texture in the product line, automatically update via web-based registration, and seamlessly integrate with most current popular CAD applications. Version 5.0 updates include:

  • Hatch patterns and tileable texture maps of new Cultured Stone products for 2006
  • Updated interfaces for all of the most popular CAD applications, including AutoCAD versions 14-2006, ArchiCAD, Chief Architect and DataCA, plus VectorWorks
  • Web-based registration with automated updates
  • Added support for VectorWorks
  • Updated detail drawings
  • Updated literature

More than 100 colors, textures and blends in addition to an exclusive hatch pattern installer, tileable texture maps, and a photo gallery featuring hundreds of examples cataloged by usage and product type make StoneCAD software an invaluable tool for visualizing a wealth of design possibilities. The StoneCAD web site, which can be accessed directly from the program, provides 24/7 technical support as well as a frequently asked questions page and continual product updates to registered users.

In conjunction with the 5.0 launch, Owens Corning offers an enhanced AIA/CES-accredited course that instructs design professionals on the proper use of upgraded tools and information included in the StoneCAD application. Available throughout the U.S., the course enables architects to keep current on new products while earning continuing education units.

ELDORADO STONE

Fully assimilated into the Construction Materials business of Headwaters Inc., Eldorado launched a brick veneer product line of highly textured and atypical units featuring rough and worn edges. Touted as a near-hybrid component that abandons the uniform color, size and shape of traditional brick in favor of varying thickness and size Û no brick is identical to another Û plus a multitude of color blends brought out by deeply textured surfaces, Eldorado Brick comprises what product developers note is one of the most versatile veneer offerings.

Precise molds of actual European bricks specifically selected for exceptional shape, texture and color are used to handcraft the units. Finished manually, Eldorado Bricks are tinted by trained artisans. At the same cost as Eldorado’s national precast stone profiles, with a 50-year warranty, the brick profiles will be available through Eldorado-certified dealers and distributors nationwide. The initial Eldorado Brick offering includes four profiles in 14 colors:

  • RomaBrick is a wider-proportioned, longer profile evocative of ancient Rome. Projecting enormous visual interest, product designers contend, its irregular shape varies in length from 9 in. to 10∫ in. and from 1.5 in. to 2 in. in height. The slightly thicker form of RomaBrick is said to facilitate blending with Eldorado Stone profiles.

  • TundraBrick is a classic shape whose standard-sized profile is approximately 7? in. long _ 2.5 in. high with squared-off, chiseled edges.

  • VillaBrick is a smaller, shorter profile ranging from 7 in. to 7.5 in. long _ 1∫ in. to 1Ê in. high with softened rounded edges and deep surface textures. It is especially suitable for details such as window surrounds, fireplace interiors, and wine cellars.

  • ModenaBrick is another standard-sized brick option, approximately 8 in. long _ 2.5 in. high with soft corners and beveled, rounded edges. It suits virtually any venue, the company affirms.

    During focus groups, architects emphasized the importance of offering accent accessories to heighten a brick veneer’s authentic appearance. In response, main accessory elements were created in the same color range as Eldorado’s stone profiles.

  • Crown detail adds visual interest to taller structures (size: one linear foot).

  • Column caps provide a clean edge detail complementary to the linear dimensions of brick. The surface has been aged and weathered to reflect the hand-crafted look of Eldorado Brick (sizes: 18 in. square, 22 in. square and 25 in. square).

  • Wall caps provide a clean edge detail that often complements the linear quality of brick. The surface has been aged and weathered to reflect the hand-crafted look of Eldorado Brick (sizes: 12 in. _ 24 in., 18 in. _ 24 in., and 22 in. _ 24 in.).

  • Trim molding is suitable for finishing around doors and windows. The deep outside dimension allows for either stone or brick to finish inside the return, providing a clean transition between materials (size: one linear foot).

  • Surround is used for finishing around doors and windows. The deep outside dimension allows for either stone or brick to finish inside the return, providing a clean transition between materials (size: one linear foot).

  • Half rounds serve to accent spaces on a wall. This curvilinear detail enables grout to soften the edges, creating a shadowing effect in different lighting conditions (size: 4 in.).