It looks like another way to use an un-natural product that looks natural in un-natural ways. It will be interesting to see how the product holds up over time.

I hope Pokémon doesn't come up when anyone Googles me.

Are you addressing the legitimate real world concern or the Pokémon part?

IMO if you want stone use stone and yes I am snarky too sometimes.

That is the problem, some designers use stone as if it is paint. Fake stone is best used as if it was real with some means of visual of support, not floating in a second story dormer (I saw one yesterday) or above an 18 foot wide garage door. Stone used in a traditional manner will be believable. The product mentioned by the OP (when I googled "Evolve Stone" most of the sites that came up related to Pokémon) may be a good product, but from what I can gather it is a relatively new Product and its durability over time has not yet been proven. I too am interested if anyone has any long term experience with this product.

Unfortunately some comments here on Houzz, and perhaps the internet in general, are taken in the most negative sense, then the commenter is attacked unjustly because someone takes the intent of the comment wrong. It is a poor reflection on the attacker and not the commenter.

Mark, I apologize if I assumed too much negativity in your post. It seemed to me that your assumption was that I planned to use the product in the manner you described. I, too, dislike the magically floating stone walls, or the full stone face on the front of a house with vinyl on all other sides. My house design has stone from the base of the foundation, approximately 5 feet up on all sides of the house. I think it As for real stone, unfortunately, Patricia, cost is a factor in this build. I am looking at this product because it would be possible for me to handle the installation myself. When I saw the product, it looked and felt at least as good as any other I had seen, and the color throughout was a plus. Two of the contractors I have spoken to about this project have used Evolve Stone, and both had positive comments on it. I was hoping for some input from people who have used it in their own projects.

Do you know how long the product has been in use in a climate like yours?

And thank you for planning to use it like stone.

I do not. Based on the web search results, I agree with you that it must be a relatively new product. As I said, it looked and felt as good as any manufactured stone product. But the fact that there's not a lot of information out there, specifically on how it's made or what it's made from, cautions me to think twice before using it. There are a couple of different dealers in my area that I have reached out to. But I have not yet heard back from them. And, like I said, it'd be good to get some feedback from a someone who's actually put it on their house.

IMO the product has a great looking appearance. Faux products are now a staple in home building with laminate floors and wood plank tile, so why not this product?

Contact the company directly and talk with them about your concerns, keeping in mind they are promoting their product. Maybe they need a project that uses their product for promotional purposes, if you think it is worth the risk.

Here's my thought - it looks pretty good. Proper architectural use (as you will do and Mark insists upon) will help "improve" it's standing in the design community. As will an install that follows the manufacturer's guidelines and does not cut corners. I feel like most lower cost materials can often get the short end of the installation stick as the lower cost builders sometimes also skimp on the skilled labor.

For example, we've al seen plywood look really cool in some high end modern installation. Asking a tract builder to do that would NOT yield the same results. Using the material wrong / installing it incorrectly (can anyone say EIFS?) damages newer lower cost materials unfairly, IMO. If you do a good job installing - I am feeling your results will be quite good.

Mark - and good on you for clarifying your comments

Synthics & composites all need some time on real world projects in the sun & rain before ready to judge. Have witnessed a few roofing products fail & get forgotten, a few counter materials expose limitations, etc.

We used nailable stone on our house. Don’t have a better picture and it wasn’t finished when this was taken. We, nor anyone else can see the difference. A year and change in this house and it still looks great.

What product did you use for the columns?

@kyle Connor, we used the same stone. They made a mistake on them when installing it, so right now waiting for snow to melt to get it redone by builder.

https://versettastone.com/product/tight-cut-style-manufactured-stone-veneer/

@kyle Connor Closer picture

ghatta:

I looked at the nailable panels. This is going to be a large house with several long (20' or more) uninterrupted runs of stone. My concern was being able to visually pick out the panels on these long walls. I'm more than a little OCD, and even if nobody else ever noticed it, I knew it would bother me more and more over time. What intrigued me about the Evolve stone was that the stones themselves are nailed individually.

Evolve Stone product will be launched on Houzz this weekend.

I still haven’t see any comments as to its affordability. Thoughts?

More expensive vs traditional stone veneer. $235 per 14 sq ft. = $16 sq ft. I’m a GC and purchase Provia for $5.50 sq ft plus materials which ends up being 25% less total with labor, and looks better than evolve in my opinion. Add the fact that traditional stone veneer is thicker and more realistic looking, our homes we build start at $450k and go up. Also, limited design and smaller size pcs also look like cheap siding pcs. My opinion. Time savings is the only benefit I can see.

Now that I’ve received some samples I agree. It meets a need but not one I have. Maybe it’s look and price will evolve as it develops.

It doesn't look terrible, but it's clearly a facade mimicking real stone. It's just my view, and I'm a crank about this, but if you are going to want a stone look, use stone; if you want floors that look like wood, use wood, not tile; and if you want the look of wood siding, don't use plastic. I think some synthetic materials are quite good, but those are mainly the ones where you don't have to look at them or worry about their appearance, like Tyvek housewrap.

In my area labor on natural stone would cost about the same or more than the difference between using Natural stone and Evolve Stone. Both of those options are more time consuming to install than Versetta Stone. I sell Versetta and have been looking into selling Evolve recently.

Versetta is the most expensive option of the three materials, however, when you factor in the extra material needed to install the difference isn't as great as you would think. Versetta has a built in rain screen in the metal tab you screw into the wall for installation and only requires the purchase of a starter strip. This eliminates the need for the rain screen and button cap staples you need for Evolve, and the furring strips, metal mesh, and mortar you need for natural stone. Often times these materials are not concidered when comparing products and absolutely should be.

In terms of ease of installation the order would be Versetta, Evolve, then Natural stone. If you are a home owner and don't have a lot of experience with this type of work I would suggest a little practice before actually starting to attach any product to your home. There are pros and cons to all three options and you will need to pick the best option for you.