Stone Veneer Installation in Gilroy, CA - stone walls built to keep water out
Got worn siding or a bare block wall you'd like to cover? We set natural or manufactured stone over layers that keep it tight to the wall.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What does stone veneer installation involve in Gilroy?
Stone veneer installation in Gilroy means setting thin pieces of natural or manufactured stone in mortar on your walls, over a scratch coat, which is a rough base layer of mortar the stone grips. Done right, it gives a house front, a fireplace or a yard wall the look of solid stone, and the layers behind it keep water away from the wall.
We're Quality Gilroy Concrete and Masonry, based in Gilroy and working in the cities around it, from San Martin and Morgan Hill up through the South Bay and over to Hollister, Watsonville and Salinas. Most people who call about stone are looking at a plain block wall, tired siding or a fireplace face and want the look of stone, and they want someone to explain the wall before they spend money. The price moves with the size of the wall, the stone you pick, what the wall is made of and how much prep it needs, plus corners, edges and height. The schedule turns on curing time between layers and the weather more than on how big the wall is. I'll put your number in writing after I've walked the wall with you.
How do you know it's time for new stone veneer or a repair?
White streaks below stones
White, powdery streaks running down from the joints usually mean water is moving through the wall and leaving salts behind as it dries. A brush takes the white off, but if the water keeps coming it can soften the base behind the stone and loosen it over time.
Loose or hollow-sounding stones
If a stone rocks when you push it or sounds hollow when you tap it, its bond to the wall has let go, often because water got in behind it. Wait too long and the stone can fall, and the wet layers behind it can start to rot the wood underneath.
Worn siding or a bare wall
Cracked stucco, tired siding or a plain block wall are the most common reasons people call us to add stone. We look at what's under the surface first, because covering rot or a wet wall with new stone only hides the problem for a while.
How we handle stone veneer installation
I'll tell you what I tell everyone standing at the wall. Most stone veneer trouble starts with water getting behind it, so we take as much care with the layers under the stone as with the stone you see. We start by finding out what the wall is made of, because a stud wall, a block wall and a poured concrete wall each need a different base, and an industry installation standard calls for sheathing on a stud wall before any stone goes on. Over wood sheathing, one stone maker's guide recommends two separate water barrier layers, so ask about that part of the wall in every bid you get, ours included. Then the scratch coat goes on, and once it's cured our crew sets each stone in mortar, fills the joints and cleans the wall down. If you're torn between natural and lighter manufactured stone, I'll set samples side by side and explain how easy each one is to match if a piece ever needs replacing.
A lot of our stone goes on walls we build ourselves. A new concrete block wall along a yard or patio can be faced in stone to match the house, and when an addition needs a new base, foundation block wall installation gives the stone a solid, square wall to sit on.
Natural stone veneer
Real stone cut thin, for owners who want the color and texture to change from piece to piece the way an old stone wall does. It suits a front entry or a fireplace, where people see it up close.
Manufactured stone veneer
A lighter, flat-backed stone cast to look natural, for owners covering a big wall or a whole house front. The pieces run consistent, so the finished wall reads even from one end to the other.
Accent bands and wainscots
Stone across just the lower few feet of a wall, called a wainscot, or around columns and a front step, for owners who want stone where it shows without covering the whole house. It's a smaller job, but it still gets the same care behind the stone.
Get a written estimate for your stone veneer wall
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, look at the wall with you and give you a free written estimate, with no obligation.
(669) 205-6449- Based in
- Gilroy, CA 95020
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call about stone veneer in Gilroy?
Here's how a stone veneer job runs from your first call to the last walk around the wall, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send a message
Call or use the form and tell us about the wall and how you use that side of the house. Photos and a rough size help me show up ready to talk about your wall.
I walk the wall with you
I come out, check what the wall is made of and where water reaches it, and walk you through what I'd do. Your written estimate spells out the stone, the layers behind it and the price, so you know the cost before any work starts.
Our crew builds the wall
Our lead mason and crew prep the wall, put up the layers and set the stone, and I check in while the job is going. Curing and weather set the pace, so if we hold off a day we'll tell you why.
We walk the finished job
When the wall is done, I walk it with you and point out what to keep an eye on. Mostly that's the early signs of water, like white streaks or a stone that starts to move.
Why Gilroy homeowners call Quality Gilroy Concrete and Masonry for stone veneer
I write your estimate myself
I come out, walk the wall with you and write the estimate, so the person pricing your job is the one who looked behind the trim. You get your questions answered on the spot, not passed along to someone else.
Our own crew sets the stone
Our lead mason runs the crew that sets your stone, and I check in while it's going. If you're also getting a bid from a general builder, ask who holds the specialty license, because the state contractor board lets a "B" contractor take a specialty job if it holds that classification or hands it to a licensed specialty contractor.
Five years in business, since 2021
We've been in business since 2021, and before that I sold brick, block and stone at a supply yard and kept hearing what went wrong after it left. That's why I'd rather explain your wall than rush you into a price.
Licensed and fully insured, every job
We're licensed and fully insured, so an accident on your property isn't yours to pay for. Every job also comes with our promise of your satisfaction, guaranteed.
On a stone wall, the part that decides how well it holds up is the part you won't see once the stone is on. When you want someone to look at yours, send us a message or call (669) 205-6449.
Stone veneer and block walls in Gilroy
In Gilroy, the code that applies to your house has the last word on the wall behind the stone. One maker's guide calls its water barrier advice recommended minimums and says that where the code asks for more, the code governs, so a bid built only to a maker's sheet may fall short. We find out what your wall needs before we price it, and we build to whichever asks for more.
Around Gilroy we see a lot of stucco houses where owners want a stone base or stone columns out front, and plenty of block yard walls they'd like to dress up. We set stone on the same kinds of walls on jobs in San Martin and Morgan Hill, and the first question is always what's behind it.
Questions about stone veneer in Gilroy
(669) 205-6449Across the US, installing stone veneer usually costs about $25 to $40 per square foot of wall. That's a national market figure, not our price, and the size of your wall, the stone you choose and what the wall is made of decide where your job lands. I'll give you a written number after I've seen the wall.
For most walls, lighter flat-backed stone is the easier choice, because it goes on without structural changes. Natural stone is heavier, so it needs more support and skilled setting, and in return every piece is its own. On the visit I'll tell you whether your wall can carry natural stone.
Any stone veneer job takes at least two days, because the scratch coat needs 24 to 48 hours to cure before stone goes on. Weather can add time, since a trade group's guide calls for protecting fresh work for 48 hours after work at 40°F or colder and for 72 hours after work in heat over 100°F. We plan the days around cold snaps and hot, windy spells.
A contractor licensed in the masonry classification can, because the state contractor board says that classification covers installing natural and manufactured stone. Ask any contractor bidding your wall what license they hold before you sign.
Yes, if the block is clean, sound and has no paint or sealer on it, one maker's guide says stone can go right on it. Poured concrete is different, because the release agents used when it's cast keep mortar from bonding, so that guide calls for corrosion-resistant metal lath and a scratch coat first. We check which kind of wall you have on the first visit.
Clean it gently with water and a soft brush and skip acid, because one maker's guide says to clean its installed stone without acid. Check the instructions for your stone before you scrub, and if you don't know which stone you have, ask us.
Related services for walls you'll face in stone
Concrete block walls
A plain block yard or patio wall is one of the easiest surfaces to face in stone, so building it in block now leaves you that option later.
Foundation block wall installation
If you're adding a room or replacing a failing base wall, a new block foundation gives the house a sound footing and a straight face to finish.
Service areas for stone veneer around Gilroy
Quality Gilroy Concrete and Masonry is based in Gilroy, California, and sets stone veneer across the 12 cities listed below, including Hollister and Watsonville. These are the cities with their own page, and we work in others around them too.
Gilroy, CA
Get your stone veneer wall priced
Have your wall type, a rough size and a few photos ready when you call or send the form, and our first conversation about your wall gets a lot further.