Natural Stone Veneers International Inc. stone product will be featured on "This Old House" on December 4, 2008, Channel 10 at 6:30pm. Also, check your local PBS schedule for additional air times on other PBS channels.

The NSVI sales and mason teams traveled to Boston in August to install natural thin veneer on the Weston House.

This Old House
"West Project, Part 9 of 16"
Thursday, December 4th, 2008 - 6:30pm

Host Kevin O'Connor arrives in Weston and finds a busload of masons just in from Wisconsin to help with the exterior stone veneer, while general contractor Tom Silva shows homeowner Amy Favat the new synthetic slate roofing material made from 80 percent recycled content. On the outside of the building, Jason Buechel and his crew install a New England fieldstone natural stone veneer that goes up with dark grout and deeply raked joints to give it a dry-laid look. Meanwhile, in Brookline, New Hampshire, master carpenter Norm Abram meets third generation lumber and paneling expert Tom Bingham to see how he is making custom wainscoting, chair rail, and horizontal wallboards for the Weston home. Back in Weston, Tom shows homeowner Pete Favat the new custom garage doors and how they are installed and operated.

By Dean H. Wild

Natural Stone Veneers International, Inc. of Fond du Lac has supplied beautiful stonework to countless clients in the U.S. and abroad including homes which have been showcased for their breathtaking design and long-lasting beauty. A unique opportunity arose, however, when Falcone Homes of Omaha Nebraska, announced they were building Woodsview Estate, a showcase home with a benevolent side. Proceeds from public tours of the 7000 square foot Mediterranean-style home would go to Angels Among Us, an organization developed in 2006 to financially assist families caught up in the battle with childhood cancer.

The home, which now stands in the hilltop Sanctuary development near the Elkhorn River outside of Omaha not only needed to present the latest techniques in home construction and décor but it would require unique and expertly crafted features to make it a stand-out piece. Enter Natural Stone Veneers International, Inc. who offered a generous deal on their Concord veneers and donated the time and workforce to meticulously install the product.

“We are proud to have been part of this project,” says Renee Buechel, who co-owns Natural Stone Veneers International, Inc. with her husband Dennis. “It’s a noteworthy effort that will touch a lot of lives.”

Woodsview Estate was sponsored by KETV Channel 7 out of Omaha. The home has already been sold.

By Dean H. Wild

Stone facing is an age-old architectural element that adds lasting beauty and an air of durable refinement to any home. This look was once achieved by using inches-thick chunks of stone and tedious methods which took up inordinate amounts of time and materials. A much newer concept in the implementation of stone facings, interior or exterior, is the thin natural stone veneer. As recently as a decade ago, only million-dollar homes had stone facing, but technology has made the production and affordability of natural stone veneers an option for homes on many budget levels. Gone are the ancient stone-cutting practices of feathers and wedges. Diamond saws, robots and computer technology now contribute to the quarrying and fabrication of thin (1 inch to 1-1/2 inch thick), lightweight slices of natural stone for use in a variety of home features. Veneer “slices”, custom shapes and corner pieces are created in a fraction of the time it once took to cut traditional stone facings. What’s more, scraps and rubble, once unusable waste, can be cut down and used as well, thanks to the technologies at hand.

Not as heavy or cumbersome to install as traditional stone products, and more durable than artificial or manufactured stone, the natural stone veneer shows a stronger presence in today’s homes than ever before. And sales continue to grow. Not only are costs saved by the streamlined production of the product, but the lightweight character of the veneer speeds handling and masonry time, shipping costs and the expense of extra materials. No additional structure supports are needed when a thin stone veneer is applied since the added weight is simply not that great. Thin veneers, unlike conventional full veneer stone products, do not require ledgers, footings or ties as part of installation. On average, a skilled mason can install 30-35 square feet of 4-inch stone veneer in a day. In comparison, a capable installer can put up nearly 3 times the square footage of the lighter weight product in the same amount of time.

From exterior projects to interior walls and fireplaces to water features, a thin natural stone veneer is a versatile and appealing addition to any builder’s plan. Its reliability and durability speak for themselves. Unlike artificial stone products (often made from a mixture of Portland cement, pumice and mineral oxides to give them color) natural stone is colorfast and resists scratching and fading. Because it is a natural product, the randomness of nature eliminates a repeated pattern in any given layout. Man made products inevitably present the problem of pattern-repeat, especially in large surface areas. Stone veneers open up the possibility of architectural flair since they can be cut into the shapes of corbels or keystones with the same high-tech, precision instruments used to cut the quarried stone to veneer thicknesses. The finish of natural stone is also highly durable- and why not? What weathers better than a stone it took nature eons to create? A small chip in an artificial stone can mean disaster, visually and in terms of integrity of the surface. A chip in natural stone will cause no harm—it may even add a spark of welcome character, or it may barely show at all since the color of natural stone is through and through to the core, not an oxide overcoat. Another point to consider—natural stone is virtually unchanging. Depending on climate and overall composition, however, artificial stone has been known to shrink over time, causing cracks and mortar gaps.

A stone veneer surface, due to its durability and natural beauty, is sure to increase the value of a home, as well as its curbside appeal. Natural Stone Veneers International of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, invites you to contact them and discuss how their innovative process and broad selection of natural stone veneers and patterns can help you bring the element of lasting beauty home. Their product can be shipped anywhere in the United States. Visit their website at www.nsvi.com. Set your commitment to value and your pride in a prestigious home in stone.