If you are involved with a natural stone cladding or facade project that needs restoration, or you are an architect, engineer, owner, or contractor tasked with designing or constructing stone cladding, you want to avoid problems. Several prominent buildings have suffered from the problem of marble facade failure, including the Amoco building in Chicago, the Finlandia City Hall in Helsinki, La Grande Arch and SCOR Tower in Paris, and the IBM Tower in Brussels.

Why Do Some Marble Facades Bow And Warp?

Natural stone has been used for facade applications for centuries. But until relatively recently, the marble was always heavy, 4″ to 8″-thick slabs. These stone panels did not bow, but they placed considerable weight on the building. In the late 1950s, the slab thickness was reduced to 1 1/2″ or so. This reduced the weight of the stone cladding, but introduced some new problems. One of these problems was slab bowing. Over time, some facade slabs bowed to be either convex or concave. The attachment of the slabs, which involved the use of kerf cuts and slots, tended to rely on the weakest property of the stone.

Where On The Building Facade Do Most Stone Failures Occur?

The greatest amount of bowing is on south facing facades. Here, the sun tends to cycle the stone cladding through greater temperature swings.

What Stones Fail, Bow, And Crack In Facade And Cladding Applications?

The marbles most susceptible to bowing are white marbles. These include Italian Carrera marble, but also marbles from Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Norway, China, and the USA. Marbles of the same variety from the same quarry can have a different propensity for bowing. Limestone facade panels generally do not bow, but may expand out of their anchors.

What Climates Cause Stone Facade Failure?

The problem of failure in marble facades is not limited to one climate or one type of marble. In the USA, buildings in several states have had problems. In Europe, there are building facades with bowed marble slabs in both the cooler climates of Finland and Denmark and the warmer climates of Portugal and Spain. Bowed slabs can also be found in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Why Does Marble Bow?

Certain marble slabs permanently warp in response to uneven heating and cooling and a moisture variation in the stone. Each day, the sun heats the panel face, causing it to dry out and to expand more than the back of the slab. The inside face of the panel (the surface against the building) remains cooler and more moist. When the crystals within some marbles expand, they do not return all the way back to their original size when cooled. The result is a gradual bowing or cupping of the stone facade panel with each heating/cooling and damp/dry cycle. In addition to the change in shape, the process weakens the stone.

Through lab testing some 80 different marbles, we have found the main external cause of bowing to be uneven solar heating with a moisture gradient. Various marble types respond in different ways to the cycles. This mostly depends upon the microscopic crystal patterns within a marble and how the grains are “locked” together.

What Is The Solution To Marble Cladding Bowing And Deterioration?

The solution is to use StonePly natural stone panels instead of slab marble. StonePly combines a thin 1/4″ layer of natural stone bonded to aluminum honeycomb backing. The StonePly panel relies on the aluminum honeycomb for strength and rigidity, not on the stone. Natural stone panel testing has proven that StonePly panels do not suffer the same thermal hysteresis problem as slab stone.

Tested And Proven

StonePly has been tested using the European procedure for testing for stone slab bowing. In the test, the slab is partially submerged in water. The unsubmerged face of the slab is exposed to radiant heat. The slab is subjected to repeated cycles of heating and cooling. In testing, 40 cycles are considered sufficient to show if the marble has a tendency to bow. After 200 cycles, StonePly showed no discernible bowing or warping.

Laboratory Testing

Illustration of how stone panels are lab tested for bowing

 Real World Testing

Failure of panels on the Entergy Building

The panels on the Entergy Building failed. The owner replaced them with StonePly panels of the same stone variety and eliminated the problem. You can view the case study here.

For More StonePly Information

To find out more about how our lightweight natural stone panels can allow you to vastly reduce the risk of stone failure and prevent thermal hysteresis, visit the StonePly website. If you are interested in discussing your stone panel needs during a free initial consultation and obtaining a no-charge custom estimate, contact us. We have a simple form on our contact page for potential clients, or you can call us at 903-454-4630.

• Natural stone panel installation is relatively straightforward with StonePly since you can attach a screw anywhere on the back of a panel. With fiberglass skins you have to predetermine the exact location of every epoxy set nut.
• With StonePly’s aluminum backing, attachment of an anchor takes seconds with a screw gun. With fiberglass, each anchor requires drilling, mixing, and filling. The epoxy must be allowed to set overnight.
• Aluminum is very strong and resistant to impacts. With polymer or plastic skinned honeycomb panels, the panel will often flex or become deformed when an impact occurs. These types of panels will also transfer the majority of the impact energy directly to the stone.
• Aluminum is not affected by extreme heat. In temperatures ranging from a super cold –238°F to a blistering +302°F, the material characteristics remain constant. The scorching temperatures of sun-baked cladding can distort products made with polymers.
• Aluminum is one of the most abundant elements on earth.
• Aluminum is completely recyclable. The life of a StonePly natural stone panel lasts virtually forever. Once our stone panels have given you years of dependable service, they can be profitably recycled. This helps meet environmental responsibilities and eliminates the rising costs of disposal and insurance for flammable plastic skinned honeycomb.
• Aluminum uses no petroleum products in its manufacture. Polymer or plastic skinned panels use petroleum as the main ingredient.
• Aluminum is impervious to the degrading effects of UV rays. Polymer or plastic skinned honeycomb can become discolored and brittle as a result of UV exposure and age.
• Aluminum faced honeycomb can be engineered to handle any amount of weight, and does not melt or become distorted when in extreme heat environments.
• Some engineered plastic can present a significant fire hazard, and can release toxic gasses in the event of a fire.

For More StonePly Information

The aluminum honeycomb backing we use for our natural stone panels is just one of the many aspects of our product that sets it apart from similar natural stone panels and traditional stone cladding. To learn more about natural stone panel applications and some of our successful stone panel projects, visit the StonePly website. If you still have questions or concerns after reviewing our online resources or would like to discuss placing an order, please call us at 903-454-4630 or fill out the brief form on the contact page of our site. We are always happy to speak with prospective clients, and custom estimates and initial consultations are provided free of charge.

We spoke with Jim Taylor of HMK, one of the stone installers on the Atlantis project, about the StonePly stone panel installation process. Jim has worked on several stone cladding jobs throughout the Caribbean, Florida, and the Southeast. Here is some of what he had to say. “We really like the StonePly Z clip system and how easy and fast it was. It was probably ten times faster than solid slabs. And you don’t have to deal with the weight. That’s the killer on slab work. StonePly is so much cleaner, faster, and safer.”

How do StonePly Panels Compare to Similar Products?

Taylor definitely preferred StonePly over a similar product he had used before. Here is what he had to say:

“We used a different stone panel product before with a honeycomb and fiberglass back on it, but you couldn’t just attach a screw to it. You had to order it with the T nuts already installed. That’s a big problem when field modifications are needed. With the other product, if you wanted to install the anchors in the field, you had to lay everything out, mark the backs of the panels exactly where you wanted your anchors, drill your holes, clean the holes, make sure they were dry, mix the epoxy, set these little T nuts, and then wait for everything to dry overnight. And then if they were even a tiny bit off, the epoxy didn’t set, or it rained, you had to do it all again. It was messy and slow. With StonePly I can just screw a Z clip or tab anywhere on the back of the panel. I get a positive, secure connection in seconds. It’s so much faster and easier to adjust to any variations in the field or in the plans”.

Taylor summed up his experience with StonePly natural stone panels in the following quote: “We never could have done this job on time with slab cladding, and we never could have met the hurricane attachment requirements with ordinary slabs. I would definitely use StonePly again.”

Jim Taylor’s company specializes in completing stone cladding projects in Florida and the Caribbean. He can be reached at HMK, Nassau, Bahamas.

For More StonePly Information

To find out why our lightweight stone panels could be the right choice for your next project, visit the StonePly website. We’ve compiled information about StonePly natural stone panel testing results and stone panel specifications, as well as images of some of our gorgeous natural stone options. You will quickly see why our stone panels are an excellent option when you need elegant, lightweight stone cladding that will resist failure and stand up to even the harshest elements and climates. Our representatives are available to speak with you by phone at 903-454-4630, or you can fill out the contact form on our site. We can provide personalized estimates at no charge, and initial consultations are always free.

Testing procedure to evaluate a stone panel's tendency to warp or bow

Certain solid marble slabs will permanently warp in response to uneven heating and cooling and a moisture variation in the stone. Using StonePly for your cladding project eliminates this problem. Various StonePly granite, marble, and travertine panels have been tested using the European procedure for testing for stone slab bowing. In the test, the slab is partially submerged in water. The unsubmerged face of the slab is exposed to radiant heat. The slab is subjected to repeated cycles of heating and cooling.

In testing, 40 cycles are considered sufficient to show if a marble slab has a tendency to bow. StonePly natural stone panels were subjected to five times that number of cycles. After 200 cycles, StonePly natural stone panels showed no discernible bowing or warping.

The Challenge and The Solution

The ability of StonePly to stay flat has led to its use in several projects. The historic Arkansas Power and Light Building was built in the 1950s. Over time, the cladding stone began to warp and bow. Entergy Corporation, the owner of the building, made the decision to replace the original stone. After extensive research and assistance from Cromwell Architects and Engineers, Entergy selected StonePly. StonePly stone panels that matched the original stone were used. The StonePly panels gave Entergy the ability to keep the original stone finish and style while simplifying replacement and reducing the weight on the historic structure. The rigid aluminum honeycomb composite backing keeps StonePly stone panels straight and stable.

StonePly Panels: Extensively Tested and Proven

To ensure that there would be no problems with the new cladding, the StonePly panels were rigorously tested by WJE (Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates) of Chicago. The panels were subjected to testing for freeze-thaw resistance, resistance to acid rain damage, bond strength, flexural strength, and other properties. StonePly panels performed extremely well. In a review of the natural stone panel testing results, Michael Stenstrom of SSI Engineering stated “SSI is very comfortable with stating that these panels exceed any building code requirements for bond strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, or horizontal shear strength.”

For More StonePly Information

If you are interested in lightweight stone panels that can resist bowing and have superior strength and durability, visit the StonePly website to learn more about our innovative product. Here you’ll find resources telling you about the backing options for our versatile panels and the vast number of granite, limestone, onyx, marble, and travertine varieties we have available. Whether you are interested in natural stone wall cladding, illuminated natural stone partitions, or another interior or exterior element, we can help you decide whether we are the right supplier for you during a free initial consultation. We’ll also give you a no-charge personalized estimate based on the requirements of your project. Call us at 903-454-4630 or fill out the contact form on our site to get started.

A hotel lobby with natural stone cladding panels by StonePly

A guest has already made a judgment about a hotel’s quality before he or she ever sets foot inside a room, explores the fitness facilities, or takes advantage of thoughtful amenities. The lobby is the area of a hotel interior a guest typically sees first, and it’s where initial impressions are formed. For that reason, both the service and the interior design must be impeccable. For hotel lobbies that are elegant and way beyond ordinary, StonePly offers lightweight natural stone panels that are suitable for various applications.

Uses For StonePly Stone Panels in Hotel Lobbies

Extremely versatile because of their thin, lightweight, and shatter-resistant properties, our natural stone panels can be used:

• As wall cladding
• To create natural stone flooring
• For hotel lobby furniture
• To create attractive signage
• On counter tops or as partitions
• As stone column covers and wraps

StonePly Stone Panels Can be Installed Quickly so You And Your Client Can Get Back to Business

A reasonable time line for project completion is something hotels and other businesses look for when they are creating a new space or updating an existing one. StonePly stone panels can make it easier for you to install that granite or limestone wall cladding, and that enhanced efficiency can improve your bottom line. Consider the following:

• A natural stone panel by StonePly weighs a fraction of a similarly sized piece of solid slab stone, so it’s easier to transport and handle before and after it arrives at the site
• If there are already walls in the hotel lobby made of concrete, metal, stucco, or brick, our lightweight stone panels can be installed over top, minimizing interruptions to the hotel’s operations since there is no need to remove existing materials
• Natural stone panels by StonePly can be installed relatively quickly using channels or mechanical attachment methods–no mortar or grout is required
• The durability of our stone panels minimizes the risk of damage during installation, which can be costly and time-consuming to address
• Large panel sizes are possible, which can limit the number that must be put in place during the installation process

Hotels and Resorts Featuring StonePly Stone Panels

StonePly’s natural stone panels can be found at some of the world’s most luxurious hotels and resorts. Some of our featured projects for the hospitality industry include our work for:

• The Atlantis Resort
• The One & Only Palmilla Resort
• The Padre Hotel
• The Embassy Suites Hotel

For More StonePly Information

The StonePly website will tell you more about the advantageous properties of our stone panels that make them an excellent choice for hotel lobbies. If you’d like to discuss your project with a knowledgeable representative who can address your questions and concerns during a free initial consultation, call us at 903-454-4630 or fill out the contact form on our site. Once we know what your requirements are, we can also provide a personalized estimate at no charge.

Building interior featuring natural stone cladding by StonePly

Delight Your Clients And Simplify Your Job With StonePly Natural Stone Cladding!

Business owners, designers, and other professionals involved in a new construction or renovation project who want natural stone cladding for building interiors look for elegance and authenticity. They also expect natural stone cladding to remain looking beautiful over the long-term, even when it is installed in high-traffic areas.

With lightweight natural stone panels by StonePly, you can feel confident you are supplying a product to your valued clients that meets all of the criteria mentioned above. Our natural stone cladding also has several properties that can positively impact your bottom line:

• StonePly natural stone panels weigh approximately 3.5 pounds per square foot, reducing the costs of and the amount of manpower required for transport.
• Installing our natural stone interior wall cladding does not require the use of mortar or grout, and can be completed relatively quickly by a variety of construction professionals.
• Our lightweight natural stone wall cladding is shatter-resistant and has high impact strength, greatly reducing the risk of damage during transport and installation.
• Natural stone panels by StonePly can be securely attached to sheathed stud walls or existing walls made of brick, metal, concrete, or stucco. Consequently, the extremely time-consuming process of removing existing wall material is completely unnecessary.

Make Any Building Interior Stunning When You Take Advantage of Our Unrivaled Stone Selection And Our Finish/Texture Options

When it comes to choices for natural stone wall cladding, more is always better, and nobody can rival our natural stone selection. We have many different varieties of granite, limestone, marble, travertine, and onyx to meet the demands of diverse clients in various industries. A few of StonePly’s exquisite natural stone options for interior cladding are:

• Lavender Blue granite (sourced from India)
• White Leopard granite (sourced from China)
• Green onyx (sourced from Pakistan)
• Travertino Noce travertine (sourced from Italy)
• Indiana limestone (sourced from the United States)

Finishes and textures for StonePly’s interior natural stone wall cladding can give the same stone variety an array of looks. Choose from the following or request a custom finish for your interior wall cladding:

• Grooved
• Sawn
• Bush hammered
• Polished
• Flamed
• Velvet
• Pin stripe
• Sandblasted
• Split and dressed

Applications For StonePly Interior Wall Cladding

Versatile and strong StonePly interior wall cladding is suitable for:

• Estates and luxurious private homes
• Resorts and casinos
• Restaurants and hotels
• Government and commercial building interiors
• Libraries and universities

For More StonePly Information

For practical information and design inspiration, visit the StonePly website. We’ve compiled a number of resources about our natural stone wall cladding that will help you decide whether we are the right supplier of natural stone panels for your project. You can reach us by calling 903-454-4630 or filling out the contact form on our site. We are always available to respond to inquiries and concerns, and we provide free initial consultations and custom estimates to potential clients.

Translucent natural marble on glass

StonePly’s lightweight natural stone panels that are made using granite and other opaque stones are often bonded to an ultra-strong and durable aluminum honeycomb matrix. When natural stone panels are made using translucent stones such as marble, however, the best way to showcase them is to let light shine through. In these situations, StonePly’s translucent backing option is often the ideal choice.

StonePly Translucent Fabrication

StonePly’s professionals require just three things to craft gorgeous translucent marble stone panels: a thin layer of marble, epoxy, and glass. Placing translucent marble on glass gives what would otherwise be an extremely fragile sheet of marble strength and stability. Because the glass is also translucent, it does not significantly hinder the stone’s light-transmitting properties.

Applications For StonePly’s Marble Panels With Glass Backing

Translucent natural stone panels created by bonding marble to glass can be used for:

• Various types of natural stone flooring
• Illuminated natural stone partitions
• Lighted natural stone bar tops and counters
• Illuminated elevator ceilings
• Translucent natural stone curtain walls

Features and Benefits of StonePly Translucent Marble Panels

• Thicknesses of marble and glass panels range from 1/4″ to 3/4″
• Can be installed using channels, leaving adequate room for back lighting
• Every inch of the marble layer is bonded to the glass to eliminate weak spots
• Uniform light transmission without unsightly shadows or dark areas
• Lightweight and shatter-resistant
• The fabrication method allows for a thinner stone layer to maximize light transmission

Marble Varieties in Our Superior Natural Stone Collection

Natural marble options offered by StonePly include:

• Rosa Portugal marble
• Sivec marble
• Volakas marble
• Blanco Macael marble
• Botticino marble

*If you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for in our exquisite collection of natural marble, contact us. We have relationships with stone suppliers in the United States and around the world, and we’ll make every effort to source the marble you need for your project.

For More StonePly Information

The StonePly website not only showcases our hundreds of featured stone options, but also contains specifications and a complete overview of our consulting services. If you are currently searching for lightweight natural stone panels that are strong, gorgeous, and simple to install, we would appreciate the opportunity to tell you more about our innovative product during a free initial consultation. We’ll also give you a personalized estimate absolutely free of charge. Call us at 903-454-4630 or fill out the contact form on our site to get started.

Natural granite with a sandblasted design

Signage is primarily informative, but it also plays an important role in how people view a home or business. For signage that is elegant and has universal appeal, natural stone is a classic choice. StonePly’s lightweight natural stone panels are easy to install, and they have proven over and over that they can stand the test of time. Using an array of natural stone options, including granite and limestone in numerous colors, our team can craft natural stone signs with attractive sandblasted designs.

Options For Signs With Sandblasted Designs

Sandblasting is a finishing technique that creates small indentations in the surface of the natural stone panel. One of several finish choices we offer for natural stone signage, sandblasting provides a significant amount of design freedom:

• Include text, images such as logos, or a combination of the two
• Choose from numerous stone varieties for your sandblasted sign (granite, marble, limestone, and more)
• Select the font that works best for your client
• Have the sandblasted elements placed where you desire
• Work with us to create a custom design for your natural stone signage
• Highlight the sandblasted component of your design through the use of various colors

Applications For Sandblasted Designs by StonePly

Natural stone signage with sandblasted designs is suitable for practically any application where you need to communicate important information in an aesthetically pleasing way. Buildings and settings that may feature this type of signage include:

• Private homes
• Theme parks
• Restaurants
• Resorts
• Hotels
• Churches
• Universities
• Office buildings

Why StonePly For Signs With Sandblasted Designs?

Whether you need a large marble sign with a sandblasted logo for a hotel lobby or a small granite address sign that will hang outside a homeowner’s front door year-round, StonePly’s natural stone signage offers the perfect combination of beauty and durability. Our natural stone panels have numerous properties that make them a superior choice for signage:

• Easy to transport and quick to install
• Significantly lighter than slab stone
• Many times the impact strength of 3-cm granite
• Will not warp
• Suitable for outdoor use in harsh climates since it can withstand freeze-thaw cycles
• Can also be etched, routed, or water jet cut

For More StonePly Information

The StonePly website contains pictures of our featured stone options, answers to frequently asked questions, natural stone panel technical info, and overviews of some of our past projects. If you’d like to find out whether we can use sandblasting on our natural stone panels to create the sign you need for a specific application, we would be happy to provide a complimentary initial consultation along with a free custom estimate. Call us at 903-454-4630 or get in touch by completing the contact form on the StonePly site.

Illuminated honey onyx

Interior designers, business owners, and other individuals who seek out high-end stone with a distinctive appearance are likely familiar with honey onyx. It has the dramatic banding and lines found in all varieties of onyx, as well as a deep yellow hue that can envelop an entire room in a warm glow when illuminated.

With our StonePly Translucent backing, we can create illuminated stone panels using honey onyx and other light-transmitting stones that are well-suited for an array of applications.

Enjoy the Supreme Warmth and Beauty of Backlit Honey Onyx Without the Downsides

While the loveliness of illuminated natural honey onyx panels is indisputable, the natural stone does have a few downsides that limit its use. It often has weak spots and is fragile overall, stains easily because it is quite porous, and is also prone to scratching.

StonePly lightweight natural stone panels can effectively eliminate or address all of these limitations and others. Advantageous properties of our honey onyx panels include:

• The glass or polycarbonate layer of our translucent stone panels, which can be used as a strengthening base or a protective outer layer
• Shatter-resistant and lightweight
• Permanently bonded to the substrate for uniform strength (no weak spots)
• A thin stone layer that allows for better light transmission and enhanced translucency
• Convenient channel installation provides space for your preferring backlighting

Applications for StonePly Backlit Honey Onyx Panels

Our backlit honey onyx panels are ideal for creating elegant and attention-getting:

• Illuminated natural stone partitions
• Backlit natural stone feature walls
• Illuminated bar tops and counters
• Lighted natural stone walls and stone ceilings
• Illuminated natural stone waterfalls and fountains

Other Illuminated Stone Panel Options From StonePly

In addition to honey onyx, other varieties of onyx as well as marble and alabaster can serve as the basis for radiant illuminated stone panels by StonePly. We offer world’s largest selection of translucent stone, which includes the following dramatic and utterly superb choices sourced from domestic and international suppliers:

• Green onyx (Pakistan)
• Azul Cielo marble (Argentina)
• Belgian Black marble (Belgium)
• Georgia marble (United States)
• Golden Cream marble (Egypt)

For More StonePly Information

At the StonePly website you can find out more about the varieties of marble, onyx, and alabaster we have available for our illuminated natural stone panels and read about some satisfied clients who used stone panels by StonePly to create intriguing interior and exterior designs. If you’d like to speak with a representative directly about your project, please call us at 903-454-4630 or fill out the contact form on our site. Initial consultations and custom estimates are always provided at no charge.

Damaged stone cladding

Hurricanes are a testament to the awesome power of nature. Torrential downpours, massive storm surges, flooding, and wind speeds exceeding 155 miles per hour can all occur during a category 5 storm. Homes, businesses, trees, roads, and even lives can all be destroyed in an instant. StonePly travertine, marble, and granite cladding, however, is likely to come through the worst storm unscathed.

The Problem: Hurricanes and Damage to Natural Stone Cladding

When natural stone cladding systems other than those created by StonePly are used for building exteriors, the scene in the photo above is an all too familiar one when an area is hit by a severe hurricane.

Extremely high winds alone can be sufficient to harm marble or travertine cladding, but the most severe damage to stone during hurricanes is often due to flying debris. Objects are tossed and hurled through the air. If they happen to strike regular granite cladding, the stone may crack or even completely shatter.

The Solution: Hurricane-Resistant StonePly Panels

The uncertainty and potential losses and disruptions associated with hurricanes make them inherently stressful weather events.

When you choose StonePly, destroyed travertine or marble cladding is one thing you won’t have to worry about in the aftermath of the storm. Why? Our natural stone cladding panels:

• Have been tested for wind speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour (almost double the minimum sustained wind speed for a rare category 5 hurricane)
• Can withstand wind loads of 400 pounds per square foot
• Exhibited no delamination or disengagement in positive and negative wind load testing (pressures were equal to winds exceeding 245 miles per hour)
• Passed a large missile impact test (no breakage or shattering occurred when a 2×4 was fired directly at our natural stone cladding at a speed of 50 feet per second)
• Are up to 60 times more impact resistant than 1.5-inch granite slab stone

StonePly Panels: Lab and Field Tested For Severe Weather

While lab results are convincing, one question you may still have is: “How will StonePly panels perform during a real storm?”

As our work on the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas demonstrates, the simple answer is: extraordinarily. The gorgeous travertine cladding here survived a number of hurricanes, one of which was a devastating category 5. These stone cladding panels remained undamaged despite being struck by flying tree limbs and other debris.

For More StonePly Information

A full summary of our laboratory testing results and technical info about StonePly panels and wind loads are available at the StonePly website. You can also view hundreds of stone choices that can be used to create hurricane-resistant stone panels and learn more about our lengthy track record of success. If you’d like to take the next step and discuss the details of your project with a representative during a free initial consultation, contact us. We can be reached through the contact form on our site or by phone at 903-454-4630.