# Do You Have Wallpaper on Your House?

- Link: https://www.oldhouseguy.com/do-you-have-wallpaper-on-your-house/
- Published: 2012-01-18T09:53:00-05:00
- Author: Ken Roginski

There are two ways to use stone on your house. This article is about stone houses
and stone chimneys.

It doesn’t matter if your stone on your house is a fake veneer as long as it looks
real.

There are two different designs when constructing a stone wall.

One is Stacked Stone and the other is Random Course Stone.

**Both ways are historic and correct however our inner senses can relate to one 
way better than the other.**

[⌊stone house⌉⌊stone house⌉[

1848 The Stone House in Virginia.

**Below you see the two methods of using stone to create two different designs. 
Stacked and Random Course stone. **Two McMansions obviously by the same builder 
and on the same street.

### Stacked Stone Design.

The one way to build a stone wall is the most natural way that anyone would build
a stone wall from the beginning of time.

One would stack one stone on top of another stone and work your way upward with 
the bottom stones supporting those stones above.

The wider part of the stone would be flat to better support the weight.

[⌊layered stonework⌉⌊layered stonework⌉[

This design provides a much stronger appearance. This also appeals to your inner
senses allowing it to feel the architecture.

### Random Course Stone Design.

This method uses more mortar but less stone.

By turning the broad face of the stone to the outside of the wall, the stone is 
relying more on the mortar for support instead of the stone below.

This method or should I say design can create more of an interesting pattern. This
is called random course stone.

 

[⌊random course stone⌉⌊random course stone⌉[

The facade of this house shows no structure because the stone is not structurally
stacked. The stone is shown face out.  The appearance is of mosaic tile. It creates
a feeling like the house is almost floating. You think?

## **Wallpaper or Stone?**

**With Random Course Stone, an illusion of wallpaper is created**.  This is because
this design is unnatural and unbelievable for stone cannot naturally be stacked 
in this way.

However, **THIS IS the correct way you would lay stone flooring, flagstone, or a
mosaic tile design.**  When the broad face of the stone faces out, an illusion is
created that there is no top or bottom.  **When standing on the stone floor looking
down, your body feels free to move in any direction.**

[⌊stone patio⌉⌊stone patio⌉[

This is how a stone floor should look. Not a fireplace or a vertical wall.

For a vertical surface, there must be a top and a bottom as each stone rests on 
the one below creating the illusion of structure. This is aesthetically the correct
way to do it although throughout history this un-coursed or random coursed stonework
has been used on many structures.

So, as you drive around, check out the stone work on the exterior of buildings and
chimneys, and don’t forget the fireplaces on the interior, and see how many stone
walls would look better as a floor.  Once you pick it out you will recognize this
every time.

[⌊craftsman stone⌉⌊craftsman stone⌉[

This random coursed stone pattern looks nice, but does not provide a feeling of 
structure. This IS historically correct though.

[⌊church stone⌉⌊church stone⌉[

Great stonework. This is real stone. A veneer can produce a similar result but most
of the people that work with veneer do not know the difference – that’s why buildings
today look like they do.

[⌊munich germany⌉⌊munich germany⌉[

Now this is another kind of wallpaper for some comic relief.