Stone veneer installation in McAllen TX - stone set on a wall that will hold it

Installing stone veneer across the US usually costs about $25 to $40 per square foot, and that's a national estimate, not our price. Where your wall lands comes down to the prep it needs and how many corners and edges it has, as I said above, so I give you a number after I've seen it.

Usually yes, as long as the wall is sound and the surface is right for it. Concrete and block can take stone directly when they're rough and free of dirt, paint, waterproofing and form oil, and on a wood-frame wall one stone maker's instructions stack sheathing, a water-resistive barrier, galvanized metal lath and then a scratch coat. Industry guidance says manufactured stone shouldn't be bonded straight onto clay brick, over a wall that's deteriorating or over EIFS, the foam-board finish that looks like stucco, so those walls need another approach.

Installed to the recommended practices, manufactured stone veneer can perform as intended for decades. The trade group for this work says field workmanship tends to be the main source of trouble when veneer underperforms, so how it goes up matters as much as the stone itself. I learned under a boss who'd make you tear out a course over one bad joint, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.

You may, so check before work starts, because McAllen's Building Permits and Inspections Department issues permits and, as a general rule, requires one when you build, alter, repair or improve. The department answers questions at 956-681-1300 or devservices@mcallen.net, takes applications through its online permit portal and schedules inspections through its request line. We're licensed and fully insured, and as the steps above say, we handle the paperwork and inspections for you, here or in the cities around McAllen across the Valley.

Most of the time goes into getting the wall ready, so a clean, rough block wall moves along faster than one that needs lath and a scratch coat first. One trade group's model specification also calls for protecting fresh work from drying too fast when the air is over 100°F, or over 90°F with wind above 8 mph, before, during and for 72 hours after the work, so hot, windy days call for extra care in the schedule.

Ask each bidder how they'll prepare your wall and what experience backs that up, since workmanship decides how the job holds up. A trade group's model specification calls for installers who are a Certified MSV Installer through the group or who can document experience on projects of similar size and scope, so it's fair to ask which one applies. When I come out, I'll tell you exactly what I'd do to your wall and why.