I'm the resident cultured stone cheerleader! Nice to meet you! LOL!

I love my stone but I can absolutely understand what you are going through. We went around in circles for months before making our decision. The key is to find real houses with the stone because neither the samples or the brochures are accurate. Then, to add to the confusion, the appliction and grouting can change an entire look. Often the Dealer will give you an address list of where there stone has been installed. Drive around and really take a look at it. Do you know what style you like? Do you have a particular color scheme in mind? Take lots of photos and lay them all out for comparison.

We ultimately ended up with El Dorado Fieldledge. The color is Veneto. We love it. We also did our two fireplaces with this color but altered the grout color slightly on each one.

I live in Portland where Cultured stone is the norm so I have lots of examples if you want to see.

Lindy

Hey Lindy. Nice to meet you too. :o)

And thanks so much for the prompt response. You know, I know one of the dealers I've been to said they had an address list if we needed one but I don't think it was the Eldorado (which is actually where I'm leaning). The problem I have with that is that our application of the stone will be indoors in our basement. I brought a sample (well I've brought tons of samples :o) home Friday that they had covering the back of a desk in one of their offices and I just loved (Sierra Mtn. Ledge). I was impressed with the Eldorado so much because their sample boards seemed to most resemble what they had on the showroom floor. Anyway, due to lighting differences I suppose, the sample I loved in the showroom just doesn't look the same in our basement (we actually get a LOT of natural light where this stone will be).

So I guess this week I'll go for more samples, but they just seem to look so dull compared to the displays. Is that just a trick my mind is playing on me....or have their displays been treated with some type of sealer/enhancer or something to make them appear richer?

Anyway, thanks so much for the reply. I might just have to start driving and see what I can find....

Thanks for the info. scwren. I checked it out and it looks great too! I shot them an email to see if they have a dealer in our area. I can see this process is going to take a little longer than I originally planned. I don't have a problem picking out something I like in the brochures, online or on the showroom floor. The problem comes when they bring the sample board to take home and I think "huh?". LOL

We went through the same thing and I am still worried about it (it will go on our indoor fireplace, floor to ceiling, and our outside porch pillars shortly). Keep in mind that if there is a particular rock or particular color in the shipment, you can keep it off the wall. Of course, this means you should be there when it is installed or at least give your installer an idea of what colors you would not want to see so much of. Another caveat to that is that you can't take too many of them out, because you might run out of product.

What was said about getting addresses of installations is the best way to choose stone. Another option is checking to see if the dealer has large mock-up walls done (not just sample boards). We distribute Cultured Stone and our main supply house has large walls made up outside so you can get a good feel for the color and shape you are choosing.

Another option is to buy a small box of the stone and make a mock-up wall yourself. That way you can make it in the basement so you will see how it looks there.

Hi minnt. Thanks for the response. And you're right. The hubby keeps reminding me that we can somewhat pick and choose the stones we want once we get the shipment. I'm fine with that as long as he lets me order enough to do that properly ;o). I guess we are fortunate because it's probably not going to end up being a huge space we're stoning and being an at home mom, I can have a lot of creative control over the job. Muahhahaa...:o) I hope yours turns out the way you planned. Would love to see pics. when it's done.....

Thanks to you too Gardenchick. I'm going rock shopping again today and I think I might do that....ask for the address lists. A lot of these places have just gorgeous displays of stone, but I literally held a sample board up to a display of the same stone and it just did not match and that's where my frustration comes in. My husband had mentioned buying a box of rocks too. I might end up doing that. I feel like Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin when he keeps getting rocks in his trick or treat bag. LOL...

Thanks again for the help everyone. This place is great!;o)

We have used Cultured Stone, Ledgestone Chardonnay on two homes (previous and current). All the vertical stone on the front of our house is Cultured. All the horizontal (flat surfaces) are PA Flagstone (real).

Hope this helps.
Cameron

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Cameron your stone (and your home) is so beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing the picture. I think we are getting very close to making a decision. After stone shopping ALL day again today we are starting to zero in on a few particular stones and one of them I believe is the Chardonnay Ledgestone. It's a very nice choice.
Thanks again for the picture.;o)

Thought I'd show you an upclose picture of Cultured Stone's chardonnay color. Our stone is called Cobblefield, but the color is the same as wonbyherwits above.

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Hey thanks Gardenchick. I really like how the red of your windows tames down the pink of the Chardonnay. Maybe it's just me, but when I look at the Chardonnay samples, I see pink. My husband really likes the Chardonnay...and I do too. Just not sure if I can get past seeing the pink when I look at it. But your red trimmed windows really makes a difference with that doesn't it? Beautiful! Thanks for the pic.
You guys have a great day. I might be stone shopping again all day. The people at these stone dealers probably think I'm a permanent fixture now. LOL

Well, there are those us who think everything goes better with red windows, and gardenchick1's home proves that.

sandyponder

And to think my DH and architect had to talk me into those red windows. I was afraid they would be too bold but I am thankful they both had a vision. It's one of my favorite things about the exterior of our home.

Has anyone ever used this porduct as a backsplash? I am really considering it for my kitchen backsplash (also my fireplace.) So far I've looked at lonestarstone. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of different suppliers here where I am so I'm gonna have to take what I can get.

jeannekay: like it in theory, but it would be tough to clean. Even if you use a grouted stone with little texture, you might have to scrub really hard to get off the proverbial spaghetti sauce disaster, and I'm not sure how much scrubbing this stuff would take before the pigment started to come off.

It's made to stand up to weather and sunlight, not sure if it can take that kind of abrassion.

jeannekay, I'm afraid I have to agree with oruboris. I started to wipe down one of the samples the other day thinking maybe the reason it appeared so dull was because it was dusty and the coloring started to come off on the washcloth. So of course, I stopped. But I did an inconspicuous test spot on all of the samples I had (and I had about 7 different brands all total), and they all did it. The Owens Corning guy here said that theirs is the only stone that was colored all the way thru. Not sure if that's true because another dealer told me that too.....I also asked several dealers if there was a sealer or enhancer that is put on the stone after it was applied. In my case I thought it might help to make some of the stone colors pop. They all said no.....
I really like your idea though. It would be lovely.

IMHO, I wouldn't use cultured stone as a backplash. I have it around a fireplace and there's no way to easily wash it down like you would tile. It's too rough and it's very thick for a backsplash. Keep it on the outside or as a fireplace surround inside.

Cameron

jeannekay-

Have you considered real stone as a backsplash? Someone on the FKB has one and it's stunning. If you do a search of the FBK at Kitchens it should come up (can't recall the name of the poster, sorry). It's a white, farmhousey kind of kitchen IIRC, and I think it's in PA.

sandyponder

Thanks Sandy I'll check that out.

The company I asked about it didn't bat an eye at me asking about a backsplash and gave me the name of a certain type sealer to use. I'm just thinking the only place I have this rock is around my fireplace surround so I'd like to use more of it somewhere in my house, as well I'll have plenty left over even if I just order a small box. That's good to know about the Owens Corning that it possibly is colored all the way through as I was looking at that brand too. I guess I think of my current house and I have just wall behind my stove (I'll have a slide in range so I will have a little bit of cover from the control panel) and I can't say I've ever needed to scrub it down. Could be b/c my stove rarely gets used. LOL

What exactly is FBK?

Cultured Stone is not colored all the way through. We had plenty of broken stones during installation to attest to the fact. They are concrete-colored inside. Slight chips will show that gray color so if a pot accidentally chipped it, you would be in for a messy fix. The mortar would have to be drilled out which causes an incredible dust problem.

jeannekay, I don't know what FBK is either..??? And like you, lately my stove isn't getting much use either. We've got to get through some of this home improvement before I forget how to cook a real meal.;o)

gardenchick, thanks so much for your honesty concerning the stones being colored all the way through. That was a real selling point for me and I'm a bit ticked that the guy here told me that....and he said he's been in construction/masonry for 30 years so I trusted his word on that. Don't get me wrong, it won't keep us from purchasing their product if we so choose, I just don't know that we'll be getting it from him.

By the way, I'm still on the fence about what we'll be purchasing in case you guys were wondering. Have decided to step away from it for a bit and work on something else. Sometimes that is the best way for me to make a decision. Just need a break from it ya know?:o)

FKB stands for Finished Kitchen's Blog. Some Gardenweb members have their kitchens posted together on this site. You can click on Backsplash slideshow and see lots of pretty ideas. I believe the one Sandyponder was referring to is Sutton's kitchen. She used the original stone that was on the exterior of the house for her backsplash. (I think I got the story right??)

Here is a link that might be useful: Sutton's Kitchen

Thanks Lindy. I'm off to check it out.

Homefires,
did you ever do the cultured stone fireplace? which color did you choose? I would love to see pictures.
we have looked at aspen country ledgestone in a display and also at sample boards and they look different. I think they may have picked the colors they wanted to use on the display.

I have a blend of Owens Corning Aspen and Bucks County, and I really love it. My only complaint is that there's a certain shade of purpley-brown in the Bucks that tends to repeat a bit too often. I may actually take a wire brush to a couple of them way up high, see if I can knock it back a bit.

If you visit a decent sized dealer, they should have several boards of a given color to look at, and may be able to give you the addresses of homes in your area with a particular color as well.

Most important is that the mason should be willing to come out and do an actual sample on your wall: that made all the difference for me. My first choice took on an awful salmon/pumpkin color when placed in the context of my siding and trim. The Aspen tends to look boring and homogenous in OCs own promo material, but has a great range of colors and shades in person.

We used a natural stone for the hearths, color matches, and doesn't scratch the way the cultured can.

Can you tell it's not 'real' stone? Yeah, probably. While there's a great range of colors, textures, and shapes of the stone, in larger areas it still tends to develope a certain rhythum that signals that this is a man made product. I don't think the casual veiwer will identify it as such, and I don't think it will be the sort of thing I notice more and more over time.

I'd caution that the skill of the installers makes a huge difference.