The Art of Transforming Outdoor Spaces With Stone Veneer 

Montana Canyon Stone

Applying plaster, fiber cement or a fresh coat of paint are fine ways to dress up hard features around a property, but none of them have the transformative power of stone veneer. Whether you’re cladding an accent wall, seating ledge or a mailbox, Toro Stone can take landscapes and building exteriors to the next level.

“Masonry elevates the look and feel of an outdoor space, and Toro’s product line can be complimentary to any setting,” said Instone Chief Operating Officer Rob McKay. “We’ve got styles, colors and textures that will fit just about any design and match well with any project you’re working on outside.”

And that’s true in perpetuity. One advantage of using manufactured stone veneer (MSV) products like Toro Stone is that it keeps your options open in the event you need more in the future. Natural stone quarried from the same place at different times may look different and not perfectly match the original pieces. That’s a problem if you decide to do an addition to your house, expand an outdoor wall, or repair a feature that was damaged in an accident. Manufacture stone veneer (MSVs) are created through a concrete mixing and pigment coloration process that is totally repeatable.

Plus, Toro’s detail-oriented manufacturing process makes its products so realistic that it can be tough even for installers to tell they’re artificial. They can therefore be paired with natural stone products like Aura Natural Landscapes pavers to complete beautiful patio and pool projects.

Cream Canyon Stone

Make Your Work Faster, Less Expensive

Thin veneer products like Toro Stone save time, labor and ultimately the total cost of any project. This is especially true when you compare the process of applying one of Toro’s thin brick veneers vs. using actual bricks.

The phrase “a ton of bricks” exists for a reason. Full-depth traditional bricks that are affixed to building exteriors can be anywhere from 3-6 inches deep. Supporting that heft requires considerable preparation and materials. The outside of a building needs extra concrete footing for the bricks to rest on, and windows and doors are typically wrapped in steel to stand up to the extra weight.

“Doing a full brick wall in the traditional style is great, but thin veneer was made to eliminate all the extra steps and extra concrete around a building,” McKay said. “If you think about a commercial building, all of the concrete you need on a perimeter just to hold up brick can get pretty expensive, in addition to the time and labor that it takes to do the job. A brick veneer can be applied directly to a wall substrate and support itself.”

Cafe Reclaimed Brick, Intense Red Vintage Brick, Queens Vintage Brick, New Jersey Vintage Brick, Studio Vintage Brick

Toro Stone carries a wide variety of thin brick veneer styles that can emulate the character of your project’s environment. If you’re building in a traditional industrial city with brick buildings that are a century old, the weathered appearance of Toro’s Reclaimed and Vintage Brick lines can match their historical charm.

Stand the Heat

Toro Stone products are non-combustible and hold up perfectly when applied to hot surfaces. You can apply the veneer to outdoor kitchens to give them a brick oven look, fire pits to give them a rustic natural stone feel, or modernize a drab concrete chimney.

“Putting Toro Stone wrapping on chimneys can be a great accent to the home.” McKay said. “If you’re doing the front of the fireplace, because it’s a thin veneer, you don’t have to worry about all of the extra masonry steps and you can even apply it directly up on the roof.”

Explore Online

Wondering how Toro Stone products would look on your next project? Try Instone’s Visualizer tool to create instant digital renderings. It’s easy – just upload an image of your job site and click away to simulate Instone products in the area. Mix and match styles of Toro veneers and Aura hardscaping products to create ideal backyard getaways.