Blending Stone: A Natural Progression

Much has changed since Island Stone launched its first lightweight New Zealand stone cladding product nearly 15 years ago. All starting with the now beloved Central Otago schist, Peter Flint, owner of Island Stone NZ Ltd, says, “We’ve always loved natural stone; it’s our thing, and we really wanted to do something with local stone.” At the time, most cladding was laid traditionally as solid stone, so Peter wanted to develop a lightweight New Zealand stone cladding, saying, “There are many advantages to a stone veneer.”

Island Stone began as a backyard experiment and then grew into a thriving business. Peter recalls the early days - “I sourced some local schist, hired a saw and experimented cutting up stone in the backyard of my parents’ white baiting bach.” Fast-forward to 2024, the company’s lightweight New Zealand stone cladding offering has grown significantly. 

These days, Island Stone processes and supplies a range of schists from Central Otago and Westland, limestones from both the North and South Island, and other New Zealand stones besides - and all supported by a fully tested and documented installation system that includes everything from the waterproofing of the substrate to the execution of a quality, high-end cladding solution. “I’m pretty proud of how far we’ve come." reflects Peter. “We’ve learnt an incredible amount over the years; there’s so much knowledge in the team. It’s hard to quantify, but I know it’s something our customers value immensely.”

This knowledge really comes to the fore in the often complex builds that Island Stone finds their lightweight New Zealand stone cladding specified in. “There’s some pretty tricky detailing out there.”

“In most cases, we’ve got the drawings and documentation to cover it, but there’s still nothing like a direct conversation with an architect, engineer or someone from the council, and if we haven’t got it, we can draw it ourselves, or provide the necessary guidance so the engineer can.”

More recent years have seen a demand for blended stone solutions, which Operations Manager, Brent Quin says they are happy to oblige. “It’s one of the great benefits of processing local stone. We can customise orders to suit and achieve a desired look - it’s exciting,” he says. “It gives architects and stone masons the opportunity to be creative and innovative, and we love being a part of that.”

A current job involves a blend of schist from two different quarries laid in the typical linear style, interspersed with larger ‘shiners’ – pieces of schist turned on their side (so-called because the cut side reflects the light). “It’s a great look. You can’t do that with a panelled product,” observes Brent. “The mason has done a superb job, and the customer is thrilled.” 

Another project blends a specific ratio of North Island grey limestone with ‘Two-tone’ – a specially sourced raw material where both grey and cream appear naturally in the stone.

“It’s not something we would have ever thought of doing,” says Brent. “In fact, we were a bit unsure about it at the start, to be honest, but it’s looking fantastic! We’re all really looking forward to seeing it completed.” 

“It’s a waterfront property; I suspect it will attract a fair bit of attention.”

Blending stone gives customers the opportunity to complement other cladding, joinery or the surrounding environment. "Mother Nature has the final say," notes Brent – “we have to work with what she delivers us, but that’s part of the challenge and what makes the solution so satisfying.” “To deliver something unique to the customer, all out of New Zealand stone, that’s quite special.” 

And it’s not only colour or stone variety that can be blended notes Brent. “We’ve been asked to include oversized pieces of the same stone to add interest. There’s lots of ways you can look at it.”

The appeal of natural stone is as strong as ever, as is the desire for it to be local. “When you use stone, you know it’s going to be forever,” says Peter. “So to have it come from this land, part of our own history, people never regret making that choice.” Brent admits that this can make production planning challenging at times. 

“It’s not uncommon for us to receive an order for a confirmed quantity, but as the customer sees the cladding being installed, they are so delighted with how it looks that they change their plans to incorporate more stone”. “This can happen two-three times on a single project!” says Brent. “It can make for a bit of juggling on the production side, but we completely get it, and we find a way.”

“It’s understandable. As much as we can send samples, produce renders, and even build sample walls for larger projects, there’s nothing like seeing the stone go up on a wall, a chimney or around a fireplace.” “You get to see all the variation in shape and colour play out. It’s a bit of a ‘wow’ moment. It’s easy to see why people want more of it”.

Although it’s hard to find the time with demand as it is, new product development is something that’s never far from the minds of the Island Stone team. Whether internally driven or sparked by a customer enquiry, they don’t need much invitation! 

“The desire and opportunity to have New Zealand stone as part of a residential or commercial project extends beyond our lightweight cladding,” says Peter. “It’s not always easy, but it’s very exciting. The idea of creating bespoke legacy pieces out of New Zealand stone is something that really inspires us,” he says. 

Watch this space!

Discover more about Island Stone on ArchiPro.