Reconstituted Stone Cladding: Types and How to Choose
Reconstituted stone cladding is a concrete panel, water-repellent throughout its body, moulded and coloured to reproduce the look of rubble stone walling, travertine, slate, stacked stone or river pebbles. It is not natural stone: these are pieces between 1 and 4 cm thick that are bonded to the wall like a veneer, with the relief of masonry but without its weight or the work involved. This guide goes through the types in the Vetonek range and the criteria for choosing well.
What all the models have in common
The data sheets for the range share the essentials: reconstituted stone (concrete treated to be water-repellent throughout, with the treatment running through the full thickness of the piece and not just the surface), use indoors and outdoors, and installation with C2T flexible tile adhesive using the double-bed (back-buttering) method. What changes is the relief, format, thickness and weight, which runs from 30 to 70 kg/m² depending on the model. The data sheets for Corella, Rada and Pitillas also state reaction to fire class A1 and flexural strength above 3.5 MPa (UNE-EN 15286).
Types of reconstituted stone cladding
Rubble stone and fieldstone
This is the irregular bond of stones of different sizes. Revestimiento Ablitas combines pieces from 30 × 20 to 30 × 60 cm in a set covering 1.44 m², 2.5 cm thick and 48 kg/m², in the Tosca shade. Sesma (46 kg/m²; Aneto, Aspe, Ceniza and Rhin) adds arch keystones for doorways, and Sartaguda reproduces rounded fieldstone at 38 kg/m² in Crudo, Dorado and Natur. For these two the joint is about 1.5 cm.
Ashlar-style walling (sillarejo)
Panels that combine several stones with the joint already formed. Revestimiento Caparroso is 3 cm thick with a 20 cm course height and two formats that interlock (a 20 × 60 panel and a 20 × 30 half panel), in Ceniza, Corteza and Natur at 44 kg/m². Carcastillo adds lengths of 60, 40 and 20 cm in Invierno, Otoño and Siena, at 62 kg/m².
Travertine
Horizontal veining and several finishes. Revestimiento Monteagudo is a 40 × 60 × 2 cm panel weighing 34 kg/m² in Crudo and Envejecido; Murchante offers the same format with a sandblasted, matt surface in the Tomillo shade (40 kg/m²), and Milagro drops to a 20 × 40 × 2 cm format in Crudo and Oscuro. For travertine with relief there is Revestimiento Barillas, with a split finish of chips, 30 kg/m² and three shades (Aneto, Crudo and Gris).
Slate
Revestimiento Cintruénigo reproduces the layered relief of slate at 2 cm thick and 48 kg/m², in two deep shades (Cobrizo and Tizón) and four formats 40 cm wide: 40 × 20, 40 × 30, 40 × 40 and 40 × 60 cm.
Stacked stone
Revestimiento Fustiñana stacks strips at different depths in 30 × 60 and 30 × 30 cm panels (2 cm thick, 50 kg/m²; Castaño, Torcaz and Vulcano) and has a matching corner piece. Other models vary the depth of the edge: Mélida is only 1.5 cm and 36 kg/m² (six shades), Santacara 2.5 cm and 52 kg/m² (seven shades) and Cadreita 4 cm and 50 kg/m² (five shades). The thicker the edge, the more shadow and the deeper the relief looks.
River pebble
Revestimiento Azagra reproduces a wall of rounded river pebbles with pieces 12.5 cm high and lengths of 20, 30 and 50 cm, in the Plata shade and with a matching corner piece. At 70 kg/m² it is the heaviest of those covered in this guide.
Aged, carved and fossil stone, and rustic stone strips
Revestimiento Corella offers aged stone in four combinable formats (20 × 40, 30 × 40, 30 × 50 and 40 × 60 cm, 2 cm thick, 44 kg/m²). Buñuel and Fontellas have an ornamental relief in the Arena shade, Tulebras imitates fossil stone and Valtierra is a rustic stone strip of 14 × 28 × 1 cm, 36 kg/m² and eight colours. If you are after a brick look, see the guide to brick-effect stone cladding, and if you prefer a wood grain, the guide to wood-effect cladding.
How to choose: five criteria
- Style and relief. Smooth or sandblasted surfaces (Ribaforada, Murchante) give a calm result; stacked stone and layered strips (Fustiñana, Cadreita) create shadow and volume. In raking light, any panel that is out of plane shows up more on a smooth surface.
- Weight and substrate. The data sheets call for a clean, firm and level substrate. The heavier the model (Azagra, 70 kg/m²), the more it matters that the wall is sound; for a renovation or a doubtful substrate, consult the project technician.
- Format and layout. A large panel such as the 40 × 60 cm (4.16 pieces per m²) has fewer joints; multi-format spreads the sizes and does not repeat a pattern. If you work with several formats, spread the large ones across the whole wall.
- Colour. Each model has its own range: from two shades (Cintruénigo) to eight (Valtierra). Look at the wall at the time of day when you will see it most.
- Joints. Panel models have a joint of about 1 cm, multi-format models 1 to 1.5 cm, and stacked stone and ashlar-style walling are laid with tight (butt) joints.
How much material to order and how to install it
The boxes cover about 0.5 m² in most models. Order 10% more than the measured area for cuts and breakage and buy everything at once: because the pieces contain pigment, each production run can show slight variations in shade. Corners are ordered separately, in boxes of one linear metre for several models; calculate the linear metres of all the edges. When installing, spread the C2T adhesive with a notched trowel, also butter the back of the piece, work from the bottom up and mix pieces from several boxes. Outdoors, several data sheets recommend a colourless water repellent to bring out the relief. You will find the detail in the step-by-step installation guide, and the finishing pieces in the guide to corners, mouldings and special pieces.
To hide a block wall in the garden, river pebble or dry-stone styles work well; if you are still choosing the wall itself, see the concrete blocks guide. And if you are finishing an eave or a porch, look at the corbels and decorative beams; for the outdoor approach, the concrete pavers and slabs.
You can see the whole range in the Coatings collection and in Facade Stones.
Frequently asked questions
Is reconstituted stone the same as natural stone?
No. The reconstituted stone in these data sheets is concrete made water-repellent throughout, moulded and coloured to reproduce the look of stone. It gives you the relief with less thickness and weight than masonry.
Can reconstituted stone cladding be used on a facade?
Yes, the data sheets state use indoors and outdoors and a water-repellent treatment throughout the body. Outdoors, several data sheets also recommend a colourless water repellent on the models with relief.
How much does reconstituted stone cladding weigh?
Depending on the model, between 30 and 70 kg/m². Barillas weighs 30 kg/m² and Azagra 70 kg/m². With heavy models, check that the substrate is firm and, if in doubt, consult the project technician.
What is it bonded with?
With C2T flexible tile adhesive using the double-bed method, on a clean, firm and level substrate. The joint is about 1 cm for panel models, 1 to 1.5 cm for multi-format models, and tight for stacked stone and ashlar-style walling.
How many square metres should I order?
The measured area plus 10% for cuts and breakage, bought all at once to avoid differences in shade between production runs. The boxes cover about 0.5 m² in most models, and corners are ordered separately.
Once you have settled on a style, open the data sheets for Corella, Ablitas or Fustiñana, with formats, shades and contents per box.
