Need information about installing Versetta Stone on your barndominium? We are here to help! Versetta Stone is owned by Westlake Royal Pros. It's a manufactured stone panel that's easy to install, with fewer steps than traditional stone facades. This is a great way to add character to your barn-aminium in just a couple of days instead of a week, and it's also much more cost-effective.
The color we're using today is Mission Point, which is a tight-cut stone panel. We're using two different types of panels. On the outside corners, we are using the universal cut which has finished ends and for the rest we are using the standard interlocking panel. The job was 96 feet long and we also put it between the garage doors. We used it as a wainscoting and we put a wainscot cap on it. We had very little waste left over when we were done.
I'm going to start by going through the different things you might need. In this build, we're going to run a cap across our wainscoting. We have 3/4-inch plywood strips and a 2x4 to create a flat surface. We use a 36-inch-wide cap for 36-inch-wide windows, and we cut off the nailing flange to fit it beneath the window.
For installation, you’ll need some adhesive and angles to hold your sills up. I also like to have nice looking outlet boxes that Versetta Stone makes. We also have U-shaped interlocking pieces and universal corners. We use screws provided by Versetta Stone to fasten the panels. In some places, we use spray foam behind the panels for added security and to prevent any rattling. Rustoleum makes textured paint for touch-ups if needed.
The starter strip is the first thing we put on. We snap a line where our side steel will come down. We'll have four courses plus a cap, so we need to start this exactly where we need it in order to fit our steel. We snap all our lines, then run four courses and the cap to ensure a proper fit. Then, what we'll do is place our starter strip on and run tar paper down. The tar paper sits inside and serves a dual purpose. First, it helps shed water. Second, if there are any windows or doors, it will conceal the white house wrap, and you'll only see a dark black layer. Although you'd have to look closely to notice it, it's a nice touch. Primarily, it is for shedding water and protecting your structure.
We know the dimensions of all the stone pieces, but I do like to reverse-stack them on the wall all together to really see how much space they will take up. It's kind of hard to figure out how much space you're going to gain on the seams without just laying it all out. We lined up our sill where it went, and then we reverse-stacked them all the way down. We put our starter strip on and marked it so we knew exactly where we were going to be. It was probably about a 1/4 inch different than if we just measured and followed that.
So when it come to the applying the stone, specifically the corner, you are going to want to leave the corner/ universal piece out and then butt the standard panel up to it. That's where the universal corners come in handy to create a nice edge. In the next row, the opposite piece will hang over, and the other side will butt into it, creating a staggered pattern.
As I go, I'll just keep checking with my level to ensure I'm running level. I have the snapped lines that I can use to confirm that I'm staying consistent all the way across. You might have to knock off some of the tabs. I'm going to have to knock off a few of mine because the pieces they are butting up to is a cut piece, so it won't have anywhere for this tab to go. I do this by using the claw of my hammer and gently hitting the tab. This easily makes it flush. If you turn your piece so the finished side is down, you can hit it like that to add a little texture to your piece, giving it a more natural look, in my opinion.
You can either get concrete saws that are meant for cutting stone like this or, I simply put concrete blades on the saw I have. I had to change the bearings on it once, but it works really well. We won't have to make many cuts so it shouldn’t be huge deal. For rip cuts, I put a concrete blade on my table saw which worked great.
Regarding the outlet box, it pretty simple. It might fit perfectly or, you might have to take just a little off the stone to ensure it fits properly. Gluing it in is super easy.
A couple of things to keep in mind: make sure you prepare your barn or barndominium properly to accommodate Versetta Stone. For post-frame construction, you'll need to make sure you have a flat surface for installation by running your plywood flush with the edge of the girt. This creates an even surface for the stone. When starting the first course, I ensure it's level by screwing in the right side of the panel, then measuring to my line at the top. Then with my left side, I make sure that measurement is the same before I screw. Continue this process for the rest of the panels to ensure that it is as level as possible.
To do the sill, you need to start with your top cap. It actually has a nailing flange that comes up, which we need to cut off. We cut that off because you have to be able to push it up against the bottom of your window. Then, we also file this little ledge off the bottom because what we're going to do is put some adhesive right here, and then we have two angles that will get screwed on to hold the cap up. Luckily, I had 36-inch wide windows and I have a 36-inch wide cap; I just had to trim a little off the ends.
We put glue in the back, and we have glue on the top of the angles as well as screwing them in, so that's all nice and solid. Now, I'll measure from my angle down to the top of the second course, which is 3 and 7/8 inches, and I'll cut a piece just the width of this window. Slide it in here, and then I usually use a little spray foam. I put a little shim to hold it tight, spray foam it. The spray foam adheres to this and to my panel and holds it nice and secure.
It's kind of just crazy, after all of the Versetta Stone is done, I have very little scrap left over. A couple of my full pieces had some hairline cracks in them, which I'll probably use on other projects if needed.
In closing, I wanted to give you an idea of how long this took me. I have about 13 hours to do this job, and it was about 35 square feet. The final product turned out great. This is a great way to enhance your building, so if you're interested in that, check out Versetta Stone. You won't be sorry; it's a great product, and from my experience, it lasts and looks amazing.
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