THE CONCRETE
Yes, Stonetile consists of real concrete. Manufactured stone typically is produced with either pumice or expanded shale. Both of these materials are light-weight and therefore quite water absorbent. We use only real crushed stone which consists of pure limestone. Why is this important? Normal concrete sand and gravels have a lot of impurities such as bits of coal, clay, organic materials and worst of all pyrite, also know as fools-gold. Pyrite will absorb water, expand and pop and an ugly rust stain will appear on the surface of the concrete. Stonetile has been produced with pure limestone aggregate for the last 12 years. Limestone does not contain the high levels of silica that normal aggregates do. It should be said that concrete is the most durable exterior materials when it comes to U.V. damage.
OUR RAINSCREEN HANGERS
Each tile or molding has two or more embedded rainscreen fasteners. These fasteners allow you to simply screw them to the exterior walls. It is as simple as that. No mixing of mortar, no special clips or fasteners, no special surface preparation such as thicker plywood or a stucco scratch coat.
OUR RAINSCREEN HANGERS
These raincreen hanger causes a 10mm airgap behind the tiles which allows any water to drain out at the bottom or condensation to dry out. Raincreen is the most affective way to prevent mold in exterior walls. Not only does the rainscreen space prevent water ingress from rainwater it also prevents water vapour from the home interior to get trapped in the outside walls which often happens when the outside siding is tightly sealed (acrylic stucco)
SO MANY DIFFERENT PATTERNS
There is so much to chose from. Several tiles feature a pleasant stone profile, some of the patterns are ideal when it comes to ultra contemporary structures and there is even a couple of brick patterns.
SIZES
As you can see below each tile picture there is a small illustration which indicates the sizes these tiles are produced in. The tiles of course are the perfect wall siding material, but they are also perfect for pillars and posts. Just make sure your pillar is framed at 1” smaller for a perfect tile fit. The thickness of our tiles ranges between 5/8” to 1 1/8”, add 3/8” for the raincreen hanger.
JOINTS AND GROUTING THE JOINTS.
Stonetile joints are filled with a urethane caulking and then a dust free sand is brushed onto the joint. This makes for a clean mortar appearance. This urethane material can be used in weather below freezing temperatures, but it should not be applied when the tiles are soaking wet. Training is required to become a good caulking applicator. Look for the caulking instruction video under “Installation”. Lots of practice will hone this skill. The training video teaches a lot of good techniques to make the job perfect. A perfect tile installation can be ruined by a poor caulking application which is then difficult to make look good again.
QUIRK CORNER JOINTS.
Stonetile does not produce 90 degree corner tiles instead on corners quirk joints are used. Quirk joints are typical in the marble industry and we can find them in building that are centuries old. Quirk joints are tiny corners on outside corners. A quirk joint has the added benefit, that the corner tiles do not crack through thermal shrinkage and expansion.
PRICING
All the different tiles have one or more tiny green dollar signs at the bottom. These dollar signs indicate the price group. Please request a complete price list in which are the prices listed as FOB Calgary factory. Our prices are usually lower than other manufactured stone or brick prices. The consumer additionally will save on stucco scratch coats which obviously are not required with Stonetile.
SHIPPING PALLETS
The Stonetile product is shipped on 3’ x 3’ shipping pallets. These pallets are wrapped in such a way, that no rain water and jobsite dust can get into the pallets. Open pallets should be covered to prevent water or dirt stains.
COLORS
All Stonetile tiles and moldings are produced in our 8 standard colors. We use iron oxide colors which are throughout the concrete. Iron oxide is highly fade resistant. There is also a red for our brick.
