Find the Perfect Rustic Stone for Your Design

by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for Direct from the Designers

Selecting the perfect stone for your home means identifying your needs and finding the product(s) that deliver the right aesthetic. That’s easier said than done in many cases! Given the diversity of stone products out there, it can seem even more difficult to choose stone for a rustic design. Why? Because rustic elements take a variety of forms depending on things like location and history while contemporary design tends to hold to the same principles across the board. Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re on the search for stone to complete your rustic home!

Look for Naturally Inspired Shapes

Before we invented powerful stone-cutting tools and developed extensive shipping infrastructure, people used whatever was readily available to them. Homes would be built with stone taken directly from the surrounding environment, so you could expect to see smooth river rock used near water and irregular fieldstone incorporated inland. Now, we associate these natural stone shapes with rustic designs, as homes built in the past would inherently fall under this category. One of the best ways to put a rustic spin on new construction is to replicate materials of olden days, so put a focus on natural shapes that match your architecture’s history and your building location.

Consider Rugged Textures & Colors

Whether you go for naturally shaped stone or not, texture and color each play a big part in a product’s overall impression. So, things like ledgestone—which come in roughly to perfectly rectangular pieces depending on the type—are perfectly suitable for many rustic designs! Rugged surface texture is sure to give a rustic vibe, but you may not need as much as you think depending on the color you choose. Pair even subtle texture with darker hues and you’ll be surprised at the depth of the overall effect. On the other hand, if you’re drawn to a lighter color, you might need to invest in more texture to compensate and hit the right balance. Look through the colors each product comes in to see what we mean!

Factor Grout into the Equation

Stone is only part of the puzzle! Some stone profiles—like clean-cut ledgestone—work well in dry stack applications, where mortar attaches each piece to the wall and everything fits together tightly. Many rustic stone profiles don’t stack as neatly, so you need grout to fill the gaps. You can apply grout in thin or thick lines between the stones or use an overgrout technique that extends over the edges to partially cover the pieces for an even more rustic appearance. As far as color goes, the choice is yours—you can match it to the stone for uniformity or opt for contrast to really make the different shapes stand out. Grout adds so much to your design beyond everything that the stone brings to the table, so don’t overlook its effect! It’s a good idea to find some inspirational images to key in on the style you have in mind and help communicate your goals to your installer.

Try Mixing & Matching Stone

If you can’t seem to find the perfect stone in a single product, don’t worry—you can always create your own combination! One of the many advantages of stone veneer is that you can find the same colors across multiple profiles, allowing you to combine different shapes and textures without interrupting the hues across the application. Conversely, you may want to create your own color blend by selecting different colors from within the same or similar product types. Whichever way you go, you can come up with something truly unique for your home. And as always, an expert can help you make the final decisions—they have plenty of experience doing so!

Check out Cultured Stone for all your stone veneer needs! They offer a wide range of profiles to suit every type of home and homeowner, no matter their aesthetic tastes. You’ll find plenty of color options, too, making it possible to tailor the final look for different architectural styles and locations. Find a local dealer to start discussing your ideas today!