Want your landscape to have a premium appearance? Adding some stone accents, surfaces, and retaining walls are a great way to go. But before you can start adding stone, you’ll need to make a few decisions.

Of course, you’ll have to decide on the size, shape, and color of your stone. But before you get to that, you’ll have to decide whether you want to use natural stone or manufactured stone. What’s the difference? Let’s take a look.

Manufactured Stone

Manufactured stone is typically made from molded concrete that is then colored with paint to mimic different types of stone. Piece for piece, manufactured stone tends to be lighter and less expensive than natural stone. This also makes installation easier and cheaper. Since it’s colored with paint, manufactured stone offers more color options.

However, there are some tradeoffs.

The painted color will almost certainly fade over time. It’s also harder to clean, as intense washing and scrubbing can affect its finish. It’s more prone to scratches as well.

Natural Stone

While natural stone itself is costlier, heavier, and generally more difficult to work with than manufactured stone, it’s generally used as a veneer these days. This helps offset many of its downsides, ultimately making it comparable in price to manufactured stone.

But where natural stone really excels is in its appearance. Though manufactured stone looks good, it simply can’t compare to natural stone upon close inspection. Whereas manufactured stone tends to have repeating patterns, natural stone always creates a unique finish.

Additionally, natural stone keeps its appearance over time. In fact, it will likely look better as the days go by.

Installing Stone in Your Landscape

Whether you choose natural stone or manufactured stone, design and installation are critical to integrating them within your landscape. Poorly placed stone is going to look bad no matter what it’s made out of. And improperly installed stone can be unsafe to be around.

Ultimately, if you want to bring your landscape to the next level, you need professional help. That’s where we come in.

At Nature’s Own, we don’t just lay some stones, plant some grass, and trim a few shrubs. We work with you to craft a landscape that meets your needs and vision. We can also help you choose between what type of stone is best for your lawn. For residential and commercial landscaping in the Dayton, Ohio area, contact Nature’s Own today!