Stone Veneer Installation — Exterior Accent Walls and Entries
Stone at the entry, a wainscot across the garage front, a column base — manufactured stone set over a drainage plane that lets the wall dry, not a wet sponge glued to the sheathing.
JMB Builders does stone veneer installation on exterior accents across the Twin Cities metro: manufactured (cultured) stone around a front door, on a garage wainscot, a gable or porch columns, set over two layers of water-resistive barrier, lath and a scratch coat with a weep screed at the bottom so water drains out instead of into the wall. Priced per project from your photos within one business day; a stone accent pairs well with a siding job.
- Priced per project: entry, wainscot, columns, gable
- Two-layer WRB, lath, scratch coat and weep screed
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Manufactured stone veneer is concrete cast to look like fieldstone, ledgestone or brick, thin enough to adhere to a wall instead of sitting on a footing. It looks like the real thing and weighs a fraction. The problem with it is never the stone; it is what is behind it. Stone and mortar hold water, and when the veneer was stuck straight to the sheathing or over a single layer of housewrap with no way to drain, the wall behind it rots. Most of the failed stone we see is on houses built in the boom years where the drainage was skipped.
We put it on the way the stone manufacturers and the code call for: two separate layers of water-resistive barrier over the sheathing, flashing tape at every window and door, metal lath fastened to the studs, a scratch coat, and then the stone set in mortar with a weep screed at the bottom so anything that gets through comes out at the base. Where the stone meets siding above or beside it, there is a flashing and a gap, not a bead of caulk. Sills at windows and a cap at the top of a wainscot are cast pieces that shed water, not flat stones with a mortar joint on top.
Most stone jobs are accents: the wall around the front door, a wainscot across the front of the garage, a gable, porch columns or a chimney chase. They go in on their own or as part of a siding job, when the wall is already open and the transitions are easy to flash.
What you supply
- Photos of the wall or entry from the yard and a close-up of where the stone will start and stop
- The stone style and color you like (ledgestone, fieldstone, brick veneer) from a supplier or a photo of a house you like
- Whether the siding on the rest of the wall is staying or being replaced at the same time
What JMB supplies
- Removal of the siding or trim where the stone goes, and sheathing repair if it is soft
- Two layers of water-resistive barrier with flashing tape at every opening, lapped into the existing housewrap
- Galvanized metal lath fastened to the studs, and a scratch coat
- Manufactured stone set in mortar, with cast corners, sills, caps and light and outlet trim pieces
- Weep screed at the bottom and flashing at every transition to siding, trim or a roof
- Mortar joints tooled or dry-stacked to suit the stone style
- Siding trimmed back and refit with a proper gap and flashing at the stone edge
- Photos of the barrier and lath before the stone goes on, in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Square footage of stone and the number of corners, which use the more expensive corner pieces
- Stone style: a dry-stack ledgestone is slower to set than a mortared fieldstone
- Windows, doors, lights and outlets inside the stone area, each needing a sill, trim piece or box
- Sheathing repair or a rotted wall found when the siding comes off
- Whether the stone is going in with a siding job (wall already open) or on a finished wall
- Height and staging: a gable or a two-story entry vs. a wainscot at grade
- Cold-weather setting, which needs tenting and heat when it cannot wait for spring
Send a photo of the area and tell us where the stone should start and stop, and which stone you like; the quote lists the stone, the corners and the flashing.
How long it takes
A front entry or a garage wainscot: two to four days including the barrier and lath, plus cure time before the joints are finished. A gable or column set: about the same, weather permitting.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Front entry surround
Stone on the wall around the front door, often from grade to the porch roof, with a cast sill at any sidelight and a flashed transition to the siding on each side. The most common accent.
Garage or foundation wainscot
A band of stone across the front of the house or garage from grade to a cap course, with a cast cap that sheds water and a flashed joint to the siding above. Covers an exposed foundation cleanly.
Porch columns and piers
Stone bases or full wraps on porch columns and deck piers, with a cap piece at the top and the post flashed inside. Pairs with a PVC or cedar column above.
Gable or chimney chase
A stone gable face or a sided chimney chase clad in stone from the roof up, with the base flashed into the roof and step flashing kept clear of the mortar so the roof can be replaced later without cutting into the stone.
Stone Veneer Installation — Exterior Accent Walls and Entries: questions, answered
What goes behind stone veneer on a house?
Two separate layers of water-resistive barrier over the sheathing, flashing tape at every window and door, metal lath fastened through to the studs, a scratch coat of mortar, and a weep screed at the bottom so water that gets through the stone drains out. Stone glued straight to sheathing or set over a single layer of housewrap with no weep is what rots walls, and it is the most common thing we find when we open up failed stone.
Can stone veneer be installed over existing siding?
No. The siding comes off in the area the stone covers so the barrier and lath can go against the sheathing and the stone can be flashed into the wall properly. If the rest of the wall is being resided at the same time, that is the easiest version of the job. On a finished wall we cut the siding back cleanly and refit it with a flashed gap at the stone edge.
Does manufactured stone look fake?
Good stone in a suitable style, set with the pieces mixed from several boxes so the pattern does not repeat, with corners that wrap and joints tooled to suit, reads as stone from the street and from the porch. Cheap stone in one color with the same six shapes repeating does look cast. We show you samples and set a mock-up on the wall before we go far.
Can you put stone veneer around a front door?
Yes; it is the most common accent we do. The wall around the door and any sidelights gets stone from grade or the porch floor to the header or the porch roof, with a cast sill under the sidelights, a flashed transition to the siding on each side, and the door casing or brickmould refit with a gap and sealant against the stone.
Is stone veneer a job for a mason or a carpenter?
Manufactured stone veneer is a light adhered product that goes on with lath and mortar, and the important part is the flashing and drainage behind it, which is exterior carpentry. We do the whole thing on accent walls, entries, wainscots, columns and gables. Full-height natural stone that needs a footing and ties, or fireplace masonry, we refer to a mason.
Can stone veneer be installed in winter?
Mortar needs to stay above freezing while it cures, so from late fall to spring the area has to be tented and heated, which adds cost. On a small entry that is workable; on a wainscot across the whole front, it usually makes sense to wait for warmer weather or to do the tear-off and barrier now and set the stone in spring.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All siding pages
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