Stone veneer installation in Torrance CA - stone that stays on and keeps water out
Tired of a plain stucco or block wall? We check what's behind it first, then set stone that's built to hold.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What does it take to put stone veneer on a wall?
Stone veneer installation in Torrance means covering a wall with a thin layer of natural or manufactured stone. The stone goes straight onto a sound masonry wall, or onto lath, a wire mesh fastened over the wall, with a coat of mortar on it. Done right, a plain wall gets the look of solid stone without anyone having to build one.
Most people who call about stone have a wall they're tired of looking at. It might be a stucco front, a porch base or a block wall in the yard, and the first question is whether that wall can take stone at all. The price moves with the size of the wall, the choice of natural or manufactured stone, how many corners and edges need trim pieces, and how much work the wall needs before any stone goes on. The schedule depends mostly on whether the city wants a permit and a plan review. The stone itself doesn't care what day it is. Your written estimate spells out the scope for your wall.
How we handle stone veneer installation
I start by checking the wall behind the stone, because veneer is only as good as what it's stuck to. A soft or rotted wall under new stone is just a more expensive problem. On a wood-framed wall, our crew puts up the water barrier layers, the wrap that keeps water off the framing. Then we fasten the lath through the sheathing and into the framing itself, not just the sheathing. Next comes the scratch coat, a rough first layer of mortar the stone can grip. After that we set the stones, fill and tool the joints, and clean up.
A lot of stone jobs start with a wall that doesn't exist yet. We build concrete block walls for yards and planters that can take a stone face. When the stone goes on the lower part of a house, the block behind it may come from our foundation block wall installation work.
Natural thin stone
This is real stone cut thin, and it suits you if you want the color and texture that only quarried stone has. It weighs more and varies more piece to piece, so laying it out takes a little more time on the wall.
Manufactured stone
This is a cast product made to look like stone, and it suits big areas and framed walls where lighter weight helps. The pieces are more uniform, which usually makes the layout go faster and the budget stretch further.
Stone veneer installation in Torrance starts with what the city wants
The City of Torrance issues building permits for almost any structural work. Its list names remodels and alterations to walls, but it doesn't name stone veneer. That leaves a stone job an open question, so the city's Building and Safety office decides. I don't, and neither does the guy down the street who says you'll be fine. If your job needs a permit, we handle the application and tell you what we learn before any work starts.
Many of the walls people want covered around here are either stucco over wood framing or block walls in the yard. Those are two different jobs, and each starts with a different look at what's behind it. We see the same mix of houses on jobs in Redondo Beach and Lomita. We're based in Torrance and work in many of the cities around it, so if yours isn't on our list, call and ask.
Why Torrance homeowners call AJ Torrance Concrete and Masonry for stone veneer
From supply yard to mason
I spent years selling brick, block and stone at a masonry supply yard, hearing how jobs went after the trucks left, and then I learned to lay it myself. I come out to look at the job myself, and our own crew does the work with a lead mason running the site.
In business since 2013
We've been at this for 13 years, and most of our calls are for brick repair, chimneys, worn mortar joints and block walls. That kind of work teaches you fast what a wall can carry, which is the whole question with stone.
Licensed and insured on every job
We're licensed and insured, and you can ask about both when I come out. Stone work puts ladders, scaffolding and heavy material against your house, so that coverage matters more here than on a lot of jobs.
We wait for the lath inspection
In Torrance the building inspector generally checks work before it's covered, and exterior lath is among the inspections that may be required. On those jobs we leave the lath bare until it's been seen, because finding out afterward means chipping off a scratch coat, and nobody enjoys that.
If you're thinking about stone on a wall, start with what's behind it. Send us a request or call (424) 318-3093, and I'll come take a look.
Request a quoteGet a written stone veneer estimate for your wall
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free, it's done at your property and there's no obligation. You get it in writing with the scope spelled out, and nothing else happens unless you decide to hire us.
What happens after you call about stone veneer in Torrance?
Call or send a request
Call (424) 318-3093 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. A rough idea of the wall's size helps, because that's the first thing I'll ask.
I come look at the wall
I check what the wall is made of, what shape it's in and what it will take to hold stone, then I tell you what I see. Your estimate lists the scope line by line, so you can compare it with anyone else's.
We work through city review
If a Torrance job needs plan check, the city's review of the plans, the city reviews projects in the order they're submitted, and staff usually make contact within 4 to 6 weeks. We build that wait into the schedule, so nobody's surprised when the stone doesn't show up next Tuesday.
Our crew sets the stone
In Torrance, the city limits noisy outside work near homes to 7:30 am to 6:00 pm on weekdays and 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturdays, with no work on Sundays or City Hall holidays. Our crew works inside those hours, and I look the job over before we call it done.
Frequently asked questions
How much does stone veneer installation cost in Torrance?
Installing stone veneer in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $3,000 to $11,000 per job. Where yours lands depends on the wall's size, the choice of natural or manufactured stone, and how much prep the wall needs before the lath and stone go on. I'll give you your own figure in writing after I've seen the wall.
Can I put stone veneer on my existing wall?
Usually, if the wall is sound. One industry guide for manufactured stone says it goes on sound walls, not on deteriorating ones or on EIFS, the foam-board system that looks like stucco. The first step is getting the wall's condition checked, and anything wrong with it gets fixed before stone goes on.
Can natural stone veneer go directly on brick or concrete block?
Often it can. One trade guide says natural thin stone can go directly on new or existing block or brick that's sound and hasn't been painted or sealed. Manufactured stone is a different story. Where a wall offers no surface to bond to, lath and a scratch coat go on first, and the installation checkpoints for manufactured stone say it isn't bonded to clay brick surfaces.
Who can install stone veneer in California?
A contractor with California's C-29 masonry license, which covers installing natural and manufactured stone. The state's minor work exemption lets an unlicensed person take small jobs up to $1,000, raised from $500. It applies only when the work needs no permit and that person employs no one, so check both before you hire someone on that basis.
How do I make sure stone veneer keeps water out and stays on the wall?
Ask whether the quote includes two water barrier layers and what the lath is fastened to. On outside walls over wood sheathing, the installation standard for manufactured stone requires two separate layers of water-resistive barrier. Fasteners set only in wood or gypsum sheathing can work loose, especially when wet, and proper fastening helps keep the veneer on in high winds.
What causes stone veneer to fail?
Usually the installation, not the stone. One industry guide says field workmanship tends to be the main source of problems with manufactured stone, and that following the guide and the installation standard helps the stone perform as intended for decades. Stone doesn't come off a wall on its own. It gets help.
Related masonry work
Concrete block walls
If there's no wall yet to cover, we build concrete block walls for yards and property lines, and a block wall built square and plumb takes a stone face well later on.
Foundation block wall installation
When the lower part of your house needs a new or rebuilt block foundation wall, we lay it ourselves, so whatever face goes on it later has something solid underneath.
Torrance, CA
Get your wall checked before the stone
Call (424) 318-3093 or use the form, and tell us the wall's size, what it's made of and what shape it's in, so I know what to look for before I get there.