Stone veneer installation in San Leandro CA - a stone face sealed at every opening
Tired of looking at a plain block, brick or framed wall? We check it's sound, then face it in stone with every opening sealed.
What's involved in stone veneer installation?
Stone veneer installation in San Leandro sets a thin facing of natural or manufactured stone on a wall you already have, so a plain block, brick or framed wall gets a stone face without anyone building a solid stone wall.
Most calls start with a wall you're tired of looking at, like a bare block wall along the yard, a brick wall by the patio or the front of the house. Before any stone goes up, I check that the wall underneath is sound and bare, because stone holds only as well as what it's stuck to. Planning a new wall? Concrete block walls make a good base for stone, and so does the exposed part of a foundation block wall.
The price mostly follows the size of the wall, the stone you pick, how much prep the wall needs and how many windows, doors, outlets and corners we have to seal around. The schedule turns on the base coat of mortar, which has to cure before stone goes on, and on the weather. Your written estimate spells out each part, so you can see where the money goes.
What goes into a stone veneer wall
Most of this work disappears behind the stone once it's up, so it helps to know what's back there and what to ask before anyone starts.
Natural or manufactured stone
Natural thin stone is real stone sawn thin, and manufactured stone is cast to look like it. Both go on with mortar, and you'll see samples before you choose.
Upright walls only
The usual method for adhered stone covers walls that stand straight up. Stone under a roof overhang or on a slope needs an engineer's design, so it's planned as a separate job.
Framed walls need more layers
A wood-framed wall needs sheathing before any stone goes on, and where a water barrier is required, one guide calls for two separate layers lapped like shingles from the bottom up.
Every opening sealed
One stone maker calls for flashing, caulk or a weather shield wherever materials meet and around windows, doors, outlets and fixtures. We seal each of those spots, because that's where water sneaks in.
Ask about the details
How a veneer wall performs comes down to how it's detailed and built, so ask any installer to walk you through their plan. I'll go over ours with you.
Stone veneer questions we hear
How much does stone veneer cost per square foot?
Across the US, stone veneer installation usually costs about $25 to $40 per square foot. That's the going rate nationally, not our quote, and where your wall lands depends on the stone, the prep and the openings we seal around. I'll measure on site and write up your number.
Can stone veneer go right over my brick or block wall?
Often, yes. One stone maker's guide says natural thin stone can go straight onto new or existing concrete block or brick, as long as the wall is sound, free of defects and not painted or sealed. That's the check I make first, and if your wall is painted or sealed, I'll tell you what it needs before stone can go on.
How long does stone veneer installation take?
Plan on two days at the very least, whatever the size of the wall, because the scratch coat of mortar that goes on first needs 24 to 48 hours to cure before the stone does. Weather can stretch it too, since one trade spec calls for protecting new stone at 40°F or below and shielding it from fast drying above 100°F for two to three days after the work.
Do I need a permit for stone veneer in San Leandro?
That's the city's call, so ask at the city's permit center, which takes building permit applications and notes that bigger projects can need more than one permit. The city also asks you to check whether a zoning permit comes first. If your job needs a permit, we take care of it with the city and don't start until it's issued.
Who can install stone veneer in California?
A contractor holding California's masonry license, which covers installing both natural and manufactured stone. The state does let someone without a license take small jobs, now capped at $1,000, but only when the work needs no permit and that person has no one working for them on it. Once a veneer job needs a permit, you want a licensed contractor doing it.
What causes water problems behind stone veneer?
Most trouble in these walls shows up at the spots where pipes, vents and fixtures pass through, at the water barrier, at the flashing and at the slope of the ground against the wall. Those are the places I look at before stone covers them, because a leak is a lot easier to find on a bare wall. A patch over the stone later tends to fix the look and not the leak.
Why San Leandro homeowners call Liberty San Leandro Concrete & Masonry for stone veneer
I'd rather tell you a wall can wait than sell you a job you don't need, and most of our calls come from neighbors who've seen our work.
The owner comes out
I look at your wall in person, and I'm on site with our crew while the stone goes up.
Licensed and insured
That's what you want on any veneer job big enough to need a permit, as the license question above explains.
Full time since 2021
I started on weekend jobs for neighbors in San Leandro and have run this business full time since 2021.
Water traced before stone
I find where water's going before the wall gets covered, because stone over a wet wall just hides the problem.
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job
It's the promise on every job we take, veneer walls included, and I'd rather earn it than print it.
Get a price on your stone wall
Have the wall type, whether it's painted or sealed and its rough size in square feet handy when you call (510) 264-7154, so we can start sizing up the job right away.
What happens when you call about stone veneer in San Leandro?
Every veneer job starts with the wall you already have, so we plan around that wall and your schedule, and nothing starts until you've seen it in writing.
You get in touch
Call or use the form and tell us which wall you want faced in stone, and I'll set up a time to come look.
I look and measure
I come out myself to look at the wall, measure it and take photos, so the estimate matches the wall you've actually got.
Your written estimate
You get a written estimate that spells out each part of the job. If a permit's involved, we handle it before we start.
Work and walk-through
Our crew does the work with me on site and cleans up after, and then I walk the finished wall with you.