We’ve already sung the praises of natural thin stone veneer. With its light weight, unique look, and unbeatable versatility, this building material is ideal for incorporating the beauty of natural stone into any non-structural project, from exterior facades to interior features.
But with so many different colors and styles of stone to choose from, where do you start? How does a mosaic cut differ from a heritage blend? What kinds of thin stone veneer colors should you even expect to find? We have answers in the form of a helpful guide that should serve as a starting point in your search for the perfect specialty building stone for your project. Here’s an overview of Kafka Granite’s natural thin stone veneer offerings.
How We Came to Produce Natural Thin Stone Veneer
At Kafka Granite, we’ve always been passionate about creating high-quality aggregates and paving the way for future applications and innovative new products. That drive and growth mindset led Kafka Owner and Founder Glenn Kafka to purchase a very unique quarry in Northern Ontario. This quarry held an unprecedented, raw material—multicolored, mica-enriched quartzite.
Instead of using this glistening stone exclusively for crushing, Glenn decided to introduce Kafka Granite’s first specialty building stone products. Our line of natural thin stone veneer now consists of stunning granite, marble, and quartz building stone sourced from our network of quarries across North America. The unique features of thin stone veneer, coupled with Kafka’s dedication to quality, create a product that stands apart from anything else on the market.
Thin Stone Veneer in Classic Kafka Colors
In our opinion, you can never have too many colors to choose from—that’s why we’re constantly expanding our selection and searching for the next fierce, fiery red or cool-toned grey to introduce. Our current thin stone veneer collection features some of the classic Kafka Granite colors that designers and builders know and love.
- Chateau Granite: a unique, natural granite blend characterized by grays, blacks, and hints of pink
- Galaxy Glitter: a sparkling stone with tones ranging from deep gray to black
- Gun Metal Marble: a cool-toned, blue-gray marble
- Imperial Gray Granite: a traditional, deep gray granite
- Misty Gray Marble: a light gray marble
- Sedona Glitter: a glistening stone with warm burgundy, desert, and rose tones
- Sierra Granite: a taupe-gray granite
- Starlight Granite: a rich black granite
Available Thin Stone Veneer Cuts
Natural thin stone veneer is incredibly versatile. Not only can it give a project the rugged, beautiful look of natural stone, but this specialty building product can also be cut to fit in with a clean, contemporary style. This means that the kind of cut you choose for your natural building stone can drastically alter the final look of your project. For example, a mosaic cut can give a building facade a casual, irregular look, while the same natural stone in a castle cut would create a more sophisticated style.
While it’s true that cut is typically driven by style, the cost of the product and its installation may also end up playing a role in this decision. Again, take the the mosaic cut. These irregular stones would take more effort—as well as more time and money—to lay than stone with a dimensional cut, which has a perfect 2:1 ratio.
Every style of our natural thin stone veneer weighs less than 15 pounds per square foot and maintains a variable thickness of ¾”-1½”. Here’s what you can expect from each cut.
Castle Cut
The castle cut is an elegant, sophisticated square cut with each stone varying from 4”-30” in length and 2”-9” in height. This cut creates a clean, classic look.
Rustic Cut
With stones measuring between 4”-30” in length and 2”-9” in height, the rustic cut offers a natural seam face that shows off the exterior of the rock. This surface once collected sap, mineral deposits, and other unique features that add a unique color and character to the stone.
Dimensional Cut
Thin stone veneer featuring a dimensional cut has a smooth, clean finish, fitting perfectly into a more contemporary style. For this cut, stones vary in length from 4”-30”, with sawn heights of 2¼”, 5”, and 7¾”.
Sawn Dimensional
In contrast to the dimensional cut, each unit of our thin stone veneer with a sawn dimensional will have a smooth, sawn face rather than a more natural, split face. This added characteristic maintains the clean, smooth finish of the dimensional cut but creates an ultra-contemporary end result. This product comes in consistent, 5” heights, while additional heights may be available with special order.
Mosaic Cut
The mosaic cut is ideal for projects designed to have more of a casual feel. Irregular lengths and heights of 6”-16” create thin stone veneer units that combine for an easy, rugged presentation.
Heritage Blend
Add some country farmhouse flair to your project with a heritage blend, featuring stones with irregular length and height from 2”-10”. This style complements projects seeking to instill some old-world country charm.
Ashlar Cut
The ashlar cut features masonry units with a natural split face, random length of 4”-30”, and random height of 2”-9”. While these dimensions are the same as the rustic cut, the split face of the ashlar cut shows off the interior of the stone, rather than the exterior.
Make Your Project Stand Out with Kafka Granite
At Kafka Granite, we take immense pride in introducing new, innovative products while maintaining the strength and quality that our customers have come to expect. Our thin stone veneer checks those quality boxes. With beautiful, natural colors and a light weight that helps reduce production, shipping, and installation costs, this specialty building stone could be precisely what you need to take your project from solid to stellar. Contact us today with any questions, or to learn more about our diverse selection of natural thin stone veneer products.
