Lyons Sandstone is a Colorado-based, Colorado-quarried, all-natural sandstone quarry. All of our offerings are cut to specification in Lyons, Colorado. This is not a manufactured stone product.
We at Lyons Sandstone have decided that Colorado uses too much “manufactured stone veneer” or “lickem-stickem”. Manufactured stone veneer is uniquely poorly suited to Colorado due to the high number of freeze-thaw cycles we experience and the extremely high UV load our building are subjected to. Natural stone will easily outperform the man-made alternative. With this in mind, we have determined that we must offer a wide range of colors and patterns at a price that is competitive with the manmade product. We never want a designer or an owner to select the manmade product because they did not feel they could find quality natural stone they desired at a reasonable price point.
Natural Stone Thin Veneer can be a good alternative to either full depth veneer or manufactured stone veneers. Full depth veneer requires dedicated engineered support, but thin veneer weights under 15 pounds per square ft and can be directly adhered to the wall of your building just like stucco. Man-made products chip to reveal plaster or concrete and fade or change color in the sun. Our natural thin veneer offers all the advantages of real stone’s durability and colorfastness.
Many of our Thin Veneers are gauged and coursed products. This makes installation easier and faster. Full height, gauged products make a perfect dry stack layup as easy as block. Nominal sizes allow for mortar with the same perfection and speed. Both full height and nominals can be used to create a clean and simple coursed look or a more artistic pattern with 2:1 and 3:2 joints. Different heights can be selected and blended to create the look that is appropriate for your project whether it is a 27″ wainscot or a 6-story building.
Our thin veneer is offered in several distinctive patterns
Rocky Mountain Rose
Rocky Mountain Rose is a traditional cut-face veneer. This pattern is available in either 2” coursed or random ashlar (shown here). We sell 4” corners for both, to create the appearance of the 4” full-depth veneer.
Apsen Bark
Aspen Bark is a local Colorado buff quartzitic sandstone. Widely and historically used across the Front Range. Lyons Sandstone specializes in providing thin veneer in this product. Panels and full depth veneer also available.
Cut-face Prairie Gold
Cut-face Prairie Gold is available in exact and nominal sizing for 2”/4”/6” course heights or 3”/6”/9” course heights.
Sawn-face Prairie Gold
Sawn-face Prairie Gold is available in exact and nominal sizing for 2”/4”/6” course heights or 3”/6”/9” course heights.
Ptarmigan Fleuri-cut Ashlar Thin Veneer
Ptarmigan is Colorado quarried grey gneiss with hints of white and green. This is a very high density and strong stone. This material is available in Thin Veneer, Pavers, Panel Cladding, and Stripstone.
Ptarmigan Mosaic Thin Veneer
Ptarmigan Mosaic thin veneer allows you to bring the concept of a historic “rubble rock” wall into your project without the weight and cost of a full rock wall.
Mesa Grey
Mesa Grey is a basalt, quarried from the lava flows in Southern Colorado. We produce a coursed strip stone in either full depth or thin veneer. This stone has high number of bubbles, which contribute to a unique, aggressive texture, without rending it vulnerable to freeze-thaw damage.
Sugarloaf
Sugarloaf is a locally quarried, predominantly dark grey variegated granite. Lyons Sandstone cuts flats off of rip-rap to make a mosaic style thin veneer.
Federal Rose
Sawn on four sides with the natural cleft showing, this veneer installs very quickly and adds a modern elegance to any project. The sawn heights let you install this stone in courses or a random pattern. It is available in both full heights for dry-stack layup or nominal heights to allow mortar joints. Federal Rose is available in exact and nominal sizing for 2”/4”/6” course heights or 3”/6”/9” course heights.
College Rose
Similar to Federal Rose, College Rose has sawn heights, but with angled quarry ends that create a less formal feel. College Rose can be installed in a coursed pattern, which can mix the sawn heights, or an ashlar pattern. Dry stack typically installs faster, because there are no joints to tend in either coursed or ashlar patterns. Coursed dry stack offers the fastest installation. College Rose is available in exact and nominal sizing for 2”/4”/6” course heights or 3”/6”/9” course heights.
Cottage Rose
With snap cut sides and the natural cleft facing out, Cottage Rose helps create a rustic atmosphere. Our least expensive thin veneer, it is ideal for a coursed installation. Cottage Rose is available in exact and nominal sizing for 2”/4”/6” course heights or 3”/6”/9” course heights.
Provincial Rose
Like Cottage Rose, Provincial Rose is snap cut on four sides. It offers a random—not coursed—blocky, European look.
Milagro Ledgstone
Milagro is a quartzitic sandstone. Neutral with brown speckles, it works well with today’s desire for earth tones. Low solar gain. Available in pavers, slabs, strip stone, and thin veneer. Quarried in New Mexico.
Milagro Mosaic
Milagro is a quartzitic sandstone. Neutral with brown speckles, it works well with today’s desire for earth tones. Low solar gain. Available in pavers, slabs, strip stone, and thin veneer. Quarried in New Mexico.
Canyonwood
Canyonwood is a low weight rhyolite, quarried in Colorado. Highly variegated in color. This stone works easily, allowing us to match historic buildings or meet modern design requirements. It looks best with a snap cut of hand-pitched surface. Product is available in wall stone, veneer, pavers, and thin veneer. Typically full color range, however color sorting is possible if required.
Natural Stone Institute
Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute