Stone Veneer Inspection Services in Portland, OR & Vancouver, WA

Early Detection

By identifying problems upfront you can negotiate repairs or an adjustment to the purchase price, protecting your investment and easing the transition into your new home. A full and thorough stone veneer inspection uses not only visual inspection but also invasive moisture testing behind the stone, to check the wall structure for moisture content and wood decay.

For home buyers: when a home has adhered stone veneer, chances are you would benefit from an inspection. Nearly all stone veneer installations suffer from the same defects time and time again, which makes the assembly more prone to water intrusion over time.

For home sellers: an inspection is a valuable tool in the selling process, even if you are not planning to sell soon. Proactively addressing issues identified in the report increases your home’s appeal and helps avoid unexpected delays or disputes during closing. A clean inspection report can also strengthen your home’s market value, potentially leading to a quicker sale at a better price.

Industry Guidelines for Adhered Stone Veneer

The latest version of the manufactured stone veneer installation guide, published and regularly updated by the NCMA, details best practices and correct installation. Even so, the vast majority of new and existing installations we inspect are incorrectly installed to some degree. Some are close to perfect; others are sadly deficient.

Older installations may not have had as much guidance available and would have fallen under the exterior plaster wall assembly codes of the time. The best we can do with those is to look at what is definitely a problem — or a likely future problem — and pair that with invasive moisture testing to determine how the assembly is actually performing.

The Consequences of Incorrect Installation

A poorly installed stone veneer leads to a host of problems, including:

• Water intrusion: moisture that gets behind the stone can damage the wood frame wall and cause mold, rot, and structural issues
• Structural damage: water entering behind the stone becomes trapped in the wall structure, where it can cause significant damage
• Corrosion: trapped moisture corrodes metal components such as fasteners, metal lath, and weep screeds. Rusting metal expands, which can break stones and cause them to fall off the wall

Common Defects in Stone Veneer

Given the abundance of published documentation and manufacturer instructions pointing to the NCMA guidelines, it is unclear why the instructions are not followed in most installations. The most common defects we encounter are:

• Lack of a proper sealant bead between stone and other claddings such as EIFS, fiber cement, and wood
• Lack of a proper sealant bead where stone meets window and door frames
• Lack of proper clearance from soft grade (4 inches) and hardscape (2 inches)
• Lack of flashing over openings and at the top of the stone assembly where it transitions from other cladding
• Lack of proper drainage behind the stone and a weep screed at the base of the assembly

The Inspection Process

A comprehensive stone veneer inspection combines visual examination with invasive moisture testing. The visual inspection comes first, and any deficiencies are documented — things such as:

• Lack of clearance from hard and soft grades
• Missing, inadequate, or incorrect flashings
• Efflorescence, moss and algae growth, or staining indicating water intrusion behind the stone
• Cracked, loose, missing, or broken stones
• Holes or gaps in mortar
• Failed sealant or mortar joints, or missing sealant joints entirely

Moisture Probing

Critical areas — kickout flashing locations, below windows, and anywhere with visual indications of moisture intrusion — are selected for invasive moisture probing. As with all wall cladding, the most common areas for water intrusion are penetrations and openings: windows, doors, and utility penetrations like hose bibs and lights. Penetrations lacking proper detailing, clearance, flashing, and sealant result in water penetration, mold and rot of the wall structure, and costly repairs. Failing, inadequate, or missing water-resistant barriers allow the same.

It is impossible to determine the condition of the wall sheathing under stone veneer without inserting moisture probes and taking measurements. At each probe site, two small ¼-inch holes are drilled just deep enough to get through the veneer to the sheathing, probes are inserted to measure moisture content, the sheathing is probed to determine whether softness or decay exists, and the holes are then filled with sealant meeting ASTM C920, matched as closely as possible to the mortar color.

Performing the inspection at the level of detail necessary to produce a thorough report is time-consuming, which is why stone veneer inspections are expensive.

The Adhered Stone Veneer Report

The entire process is transferred into a detailed electronic report where you can see and understand the findings of both the visual inspection and the moisture probing. Issues — along with positive findings — are laid out with photos and narratives, and probe locations, moisture readings, and any damage located are documented in the moisture testing section. In our opinion, all of the work that goes into the report comes down to three questions:

• Was there any damage to the wall structure behind the stone, and if so, where?
• Are there any significant defects recommended for immediate correction?
• If no damage is found and the stone is performing well — can you have some peace of mind?