The most successful steel building contractors are the ones that are able to offer more of a comprehensive total steel building solution for their customers.
This includes ‘extras’ like pouring foundations, installing electrical components, and even completing the building with customized interiors and exteriors. One of the most cost-effective and fast solutions for finishing a steel building comes in the form of faux stone panels available from a company called GenStone.
In this article, we’re going to explore the many ways that GenStone faux stone and faux brick panels can add even more value to your overall scope of steel building contracting services.
What Is GenStone Faux Stone?
Faux stone and faux brick have been around for decades. They’re nothing new necessarily, but GenStone faux stone and faux brick products in particular are a cut above the rest for numerous reasons.
How It’s Made
GenStone’s products are made using a manufacturing process that involves the use of high-density polyurethane foam that is precision molded to look like real stacked stone or hand-laid brick.
GenStone’s panel manufacturing facility is located in Mexico, but the finishing touches that are added to each panel are carried out here in the United States. These touches include hand-painted coloring that results in panels that really do look surprisingly similar to real stone or brick.
Most Beneficial Features
GenStone faux stone panels are incredibly lightweight. This makes them easy to install and even easier to ship. The high-density polyurethane foam that the panels are constructed out of offers superior resilience, too, making the resulting surface durable enough for exterior use as well as interior.
Moreover, GenStone faux stone panels are waterproof, when installed correctly. A typical GenStone installation on a steel building requires just two or three steps before the surface is installed and ready for whatever the elements may throw at it!
Cost Comparison of GenStone vs. Real Stone or Brick
There are some steel building customers who are convinced that real brick or stone is needed to provide a genuine, rustic aesthetic to a steel building interior or exterior.
This simply isn’t true. In fact, when the steel building customer learns just how expensive it can be to use real stone or brick in a finishing project, they suddenly become open to alternative ideas!
The costs involved in using real stone or real brick to finish a steel building include:
- Huge shipping and freight charges for delivery of heavy stone or brick to the job site.
- Rental or purchase of specialized masonry tools necessary to cut stone or brick.
- Labor costs for masons and other skilled laborers who have technical understanding of bricklaying and stonemasonry.
- Costs for job site cleanup after making a mess laying mortar and dealing with scrap stone and brick.
Now, consider the costs involved in the purchase and installation of GenStone faux stone or faux brick panels:
- Materials costs that are a fraction of what real stone or brick would cost (as much as 75% less expensive, or more).
- No added cost to rent or purchase stone cutting or brick cutting tools.
- No need for skilled masons or bricklayers.
- No need for mortar application (just non-corrosive deck screws and industrial adhesives are needed to install GenStone products).
- Site clean up is easy and requires minimal time investment.
All in all, it’s not unheard of for a GenStone faux stone treatment to cost 60% less than a real brick or real stone surface treatment.
When you consider that the resulting look is convincing enough to be mistaken for real stone (even when viewed up close), there really is no good argument against using GenStone for steel buildings.
How to Order GenStone
For steel building contractors, it couldn’t be easier to order GenStone for use on steel buildings. The company distributes their full line of faux brick and faux stone panels to hardware stores throughout the United States.
And, if there isn’t a hardware store near you that carries GenStone, you can always order directly from the company by visiting here.
Design and Installation Assistance
The faux stone experts at GenStone are a huge reason why any steel building contractor should use this incredible building material. They are always available to answer questions about installation best practices, product choices, and more.
For more information, visit GenStone’s corporate website located here. We think you’ll find GenStone faux stone and faux brick products to be incredibly useful when completing steel building projects for your customers.
