Brick and stone veneer: costs and how it goes on

Anchored veneer. Brick veneer on a wood frame wall is tied to the frame behind it with metal ties. Prince William County's building department sums up the International Residential Code's rule: ties of at least 22-gauge corrosion resistant metal, fastened with 8d corrosion resistant nails. Roofing nails don't count. Around openings wider than 16 inches, the ties go no more than 3 feet apart and within 12 inches of the opening.² Behind the brick there's an air space: the Building America Solution Center says the brick must be installed with a 1-inch air space behind it so water that seeps into the brick can drain freely.³ It gives the same 1 inch or more for brick and stone veneer, made with a drainage mat or by setting the veneer over spacers or furring strips.⁴

Adhered veneer. The City of Blaine's handout covers stucco and precast stone veneer together. For the metal lath, it calls for lath and lath fasteners of corrosion resistant material, with nails or staples no more than 6 inches apart at supports, driven at least 3/4 inch into the wood framing.⁵ For adhered stone, the Building America Solution Center says the drainage gap can come from a second layer of building paper or a drainage mat, and it calls for that added bond-break layer behind all adhered stone or masonry veneer.⁴

Thin brick. Some quotes offer thin brick. We didn't find an official page that sets out how it's put on, so ask the mason what it's made of, how thick it is, whether it's bonded to the wall like adhered stone, and whose installation instructions they'll follow.

Brick and other masonry veneers tend to soak up water, which is why they're sometimes called reservoir claddings. Masons have to keep mortar from clogging the gap behind brick, because mortar squeezed into it can carry water across to the framed wall. An open space also lets air move and helps the wall dry.⁴

Behind brick. The Solution Center describes the base of a brick wall this way:³

• Through-wall flashing runs down the sheathing and out across the ledge the brick sits on.
• A water-resistive barrier such as building paper goes on shingle fashion, the lowest course first, lapping over the flashing.
• Weep holes in the bottom course let water out, made with open head joints or rope set in the mortar. Mesh in the open joints keeps mud wasps and other blockages out, and mortar mesh in the air space stops mortar droppings clogging the weeps.
• More flashing goes above window and door lintels and above shelf angles.

Prince William County adds flashing above and below doors and windows and at wall and roof intersections, reaching the surface of the wall, with weep holes above and below windows and above doors.²

Behind adhered stone. The City of Blaine's handout calls for two layers of Grade D building paper over wood sheathing, lapped shingle style. At the bottom of every exterior stud wall goes a weep screed: a corrosion resistant strip with a flange at least 3 1/2 inches tall, at or below the foundation plate line, that lets trapped water drain out. It sits at least 4 inches above the earth or 2 inches above paving, the paper laps its flange, and the lath ends on it. Flashing goes at the top of windows and doors and at wall and roof intersections, with kick out flashing as needed.⁵

When this goes wrong it's costly. The Solution Center shows a stone wall with no flashing between the siding above and the stone: rain ran down behind the stone and rotted the sheathing and framing at the base of the wall. The artificial stone also ran into the ground, and the guide says there should be an 8-inch gap of waterproofed foundation wall between the soil and the stone.⁶ Stucco or adhered stone houses with poor drainage have needed the whole cladding taken off to fix it, which the Solution Center calls invasive and costly.⁴

On new brick veneer, Prince William County's inspectors spot-check the ties now and then, since ties can't be seen at any other required inspection. At the final inspection the flashing has to reach the outside face of the brick so the inspector can see it.² The City of Blaine's handout requires a lath inspection before the stucco base coat goes on.⁵ Ask your building department which inspections it does for veneer, and when.

On an older house, HUD's guide says to inspect brick or stone veneers for cracking, mortar deterioration and spalling. Problems it lists for brick veneer include bulging from inadequate or worn ties, cracks around fixed openings from the wood frame shrinking, which can be repaired by pointing, and cracking at corners or near the ground from heat movement.¹

These are national published ranges from cost guides. They aren't quotes. Each one is a range that at least two cost guides agree on. Use them to check a price, then ask masons near you to look at the wall and quote it.

There's no range here for stone veneer or thin brick. Only one of the cost guides we read prices stone veneer installed by the square foot, so there's no range we can give. There's no thin brick range either. Ask each mason to quote the stone or brick you want, installed.

Whether veneer work needs a permit, and who may do it, depends on your state and your city or county. Your state's rules page on this site has its masonry rules, with their sources.

Pick your state's rules page

Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming

• Is this anchored or adhered veneer? For stone, is it natural or manufactured, and whose installation instructions will you follow?
• For brick, how will you keep the air space and weep holes clear of mortar?
• For adhered stone, how many layers of paper go behind it, and is there a weep screed at the bottom?
• Where does flashing go: at the base, over windows and doors, and where a roof meets the wall?
• How far above the ground and paving will the veneer stop?
• Who gets the permit and books the inspections?
• Does the price in writing include the flashing, the paper and taking off any old siding?

How to check a masonry contractor covers what to check before you hire. When you're ready, you can send a request through the request form.