That is an interesting question - what is the insulation value, AKA R-value, of faux stone?
Faux stone, or sometimes called manufactured stone, cultured stone, and veneer stone, is a composite material made from cement, polyurethanes and high-density polymers. The "stone" product manufacturers say that there are substantial differences in the materials comprising the different products in terms of thicknesses, weights and composition.
But they all claim that faux stone adds R-value ("resistance" value, an insulation measurement) to whatever it is put on top of. I read claims of adding anywhere from 3.6 to 5 additional R-value with faux stone applications. The typical insulation R-value of walls is 13.
I'm not sure what the R-value is here, but faux stone certainly seems to conduct heat!
Remember, heat seeks cold. In the winter it is trying to get out of your house and in the summer it is trying to get in. We wear coats and warm clothing in cold weather to retain heat, or to prevent it from leaving our bodies so quickly. It's trying to get out of us!
Can we tell if faux stone is a heat conductor?
We can't, but my thermal camera, Mighty Mo, can!
Comparing these images is very revealing!
All three look at faux stone on a house. You can see that the faux stone does not extend very high up the house in any location.
In these palettes, warmer temperatures are demonstrated by orange and yellow. Similarly, cooler temperatures are demonstrated by lavender, blue and purple. These depths of the colors are relative to the particular image, but the color scheme is the same.
The outdoor temperature that day was 13F. In all three images the faux stone is applied below the vinyl siding. One would have to assume that the same insulation that exists inside the wall behind the vinyl exists also behind the faux stone.
The left image is in a corner of the kitchen, and a little from the kitchen window. Inside of this location would be kitchen cabinetry and a counter top. Heat is pouring out of the faux stone and the warmest spot there is 43F. The temperature of the vinyl is 16F.
The center image is a corner just outside of a patio door. You can virtually see the heat pouring out of the stone, particularly at the bottom where it is flaring out. The little purple spot is a wall receptacle, better insulating than the "stone!"
Finally the right image looks at the front door. That window above the door probably has an R-value of 3. And look at it compared to the "stone," low on the wall on both sides of the door. Heat is escaping. Look at all that as compared to the vinyl.
So, I am no thermal barrier expert, or engineer, but it seems to me that faux stone has great heat conductivity! It appears to NOT be adding 3.6 - 5 in R-value to what it is covering. It looks to provide little insulation value at all.
People often ask why I name my thermal camera Mighty Mo.
Because I was born and raised in Washington DC, you silly! In the 50s and 60s, long before the Big Mac and Whopper, the Marriott Hot Shoppes Restaurants served a biggie-big burger, the "Mighty Mo." It was code to have it with fries and an A&W root beer. The code also allowed for milkshakes. We always obeyed the code. It was Best Practice.
You sat in your car, ordered from a menu on the side via a microphone, and waitresses in uniforms inspected by the boss would bring huge trays of food to hook to the side of your car. That is where you ate the food, in the car, with your family. It's a wonderful childhood memory.
My recommendation: when manufacturers make claims that their product will do this or that, see if you can check it out! A thermal camera is a wonderful tool for examining the value of insulation and thermal barriers. If the stuff works, it works! If not, well, Mighty Mo will see it!
And can't you imagine how cute this yet-to-be thermographer was eating a hamburger half his size?
I can.
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC 
Based in Bristow, serving all of Northern Virginia.
Office (703) 330-6388 Cell (703) 585-7560
Yes, it appears that the faux stone is decreasing the r-value vs. the vinyl. Another question I'd be curious about is how faux stone compares to real stone.
WoWWT Cousin - well, real stone, like the MacGregor Castle in Scotland my family used to live in, is famously conductive and inefficient as an outer skin. I don't know what the R-value is though.
Below is a better word. I might change it.
Yeah, okay, I'll change it.
Thanks Lenn...
There! Changed!
I feel better.
Less heat escaping now?
Morning Jay with my knowledge or should I say lack thereof I'll take our word for it.
Do the orange and yellow look warm James?
Hi Jay,
Not sure the R- factor for the stone. But probably similar to cement stucco R-9 less 30% for grout lines. That leaves a R- Factor of around 6.
Just an estimate.
Have a nice day in Bristow.
Best, Clint McKie
Good morning, Jay. Thermal imaging cameras are really neat! They reveal what the eye cannot see. Interesting post.
Faux stone is very popular here....does the tyvek wrap...also popular compensate for the heat loss ?
The proof is in the pudding, you'll know if the castle is resisting warming up when the mercury in the tube sinks lower and lower. Insulation is great for year round living, not just winter. Have R 59 in properly vented attic and zip for icicles hanging off it like some homes that get the blue ribbon for heat loss. The cold spikes dripping ice spikes. Which translates into (beep beep beep backing up oil truck entering yard with long hose, brass screw on coupler) more Texas tea please. The river of black liquid gold your home's furnace loves to guzzle, you enable it to develop an expensive drinking problem.
Yes, well that's what I figured since real stone conducts heat (we can feel that on a hot summer day with our bare feet. But, which is better/which is worse?
Might Mo provides clear evidence. Even if faux stone did add a little r value, that could just be lost depending on the size of the mortar joints between the stones. With so many differenent manufacurers of faux stone, the thickness and density would be a factor as well.
It's logical. The denser the materail, the more mass it has for the thickness, the greater a conductor (of heat) it will be. Or stated conversly, the worse an insulator it is and the lower it's R value.
The Marble Institute has a table.
See it HERE
Jay, how come the ground is so warm too---very interesting.
Might Mo, a winner then and a winner now. Being vegan for over a year now, I sure miss a good cheeseburger. Thanks for reminding me. I also wondered about the warm color on the ground. South face sun maybe?
Jay, I don't see where faux stone hardly adds any R-value at all. Hot Shoppes! That goes way back in this area. The last one I remember seeing was in Fredericksburg on Route 1 several years ago.
It looks as though the R-value is less than 0!!!! Cute baby picture; think that was before the eating of burgers though!
A few things I would want to know. First is or was the stone in the sun? Also keep in mind vinyl is invisible to IR. You are seeing what is under the vinyl, with the stone you are reading surface temperature. What is the stone covering? Foundation or framing. I suspect because the material is of a different composition, density, therefore it is displaying a different heat signature. I am not sure the product is in fact "defective".
Shouldn't the real insulation worries be focused on the inside of the walls,not the exterior finishes of the home? If it's insulated properly inside, who cares about the outside?
I have never heard such claims about r-value. In fact I know that this type of stone is typically .35-.4 R per inch. ICC report of Eldorado Stone was .43 for 1.5". The tricky thing about thermal and products that retain heat is that it doesn't tell you if the heat is coming from the house or was absorbed by the sun, this is where the one holding the camera comes in. Great images and nice post.
Inside temperature would seem to be the end result. When showing houses and the subject of insulation comes up, I tell them to put their hand on the outside wall and then an inside wall. Area around outlet boxes are often drafty. Windows, doors, etc
It's hard to know Clint. The companies I investigated for my client said 3-5 in R-value. And there are different manufactured products too, which claim different things.
And bummer we can't see it all Michael! Would be fun. The wavelengths are way too long for us.
S&D - Tyvek keeps moisture out of the house, and provides a wind shield of sorts. It does let moisture out however. No R-value though.
Andrew - the more insulation the more the thermal barrier, in all seasons. You are right.
What you are feeling on your feet is probably retained heat Debbie. The stone would not be passing heat from another source to you. Once in the scouts I got the idea to heat up a stone to put it in our tent for warmth, and it stayed hot for about 2 minutes! The grand theory no worko!
Jeff - apparently heat passes right through it! Densities are relevant, I think, but I have no way to calculate one product from another.
Robert - that's physics way above my pay grade!
Thanks Lenn! That is a super table. I will sock it away for future client use! I didn't have time before church to go looking around. Glad you did!
It's relative Charlie, only warm by comparison. But it is apparently taking some heat from the source(s) nearby.
I loved eating Mighty Mos, Scott! What better meal for a kid in a car? And you have teeth that prove you are an omnivore...
It appears not Michael! There was one for a long time at Monkey Mall. The last I remember was at Wheaton Plaza. I doubt they still call it that.
Not sure that's possible Kat, but you might be on to something! That little fellow is two months old. I'm sure he's thinking hamburger at that moment.
Jim - the images were taken just after 6pm on a cloudy day. But they are all on the side of the house that did not get any sun during the day. I wanted to be pure as possible in investigating heat loss due to their complaints.
The foundation is a slab, which was interesting in itself.
Here is the slab under the trim member over the rim joist and the beginning of the vinyl siding! Look at that heat escaping from under the trim!
I made your exact point about the vinyl in this post:
http://activerain.com/blogsview/4313552/thermal-imaging-using-different-palettes-can-lend-more-information
That was the day before on a condo building!
I don't know where the product is defective, and tried not to lend that perspective. It just doesn't seem to offer the R-value that the manufacturers tout.
Suzanne - insulation is totally relevant! And in this spot it isn't working well OR what heat is there is passing right through the faux stone. The physics I am sure I don't understand!
Rob - I ran into all kinds of manufacturer claims when I was researching my report for my client. Here is one: http://www.genstoneproducts.com/faq. They say 3.6+! The highest I read was 5. As to heat retention from the sun, see what I said to Jim above. THAT is really relevant too!
Dwight - inside they were feeling cold in a variety of areas. Which is why I was there. Modern construction!
Good afternoon Jay,
More information for the file.
Make yourself a great day.
I'm glad that Mighty Mo helped you prove the point that faux stone does not add to the R-Value. And I also remember those drive-up hamburger joints where they skated out to your car and attached a tray to your window!!
Sock it away Raymond!
Maureen - it sure doesn't seem to! I love old-time joints like that. Not many around any more.
HI Jay,
Very Cool to see things the Thermal way, it eliminate just about any doubt as to what is and or isn't working as intended....
Great stuff.
Well, those walls aren't holding in heat, are they Peter? Obvious now!
Hi Jay, thanks for the analysis and the very cool memories! We had a place in Elmhurst IL called Hamburger Heaven. I'll never forget those burgers and fries with my folks!
Tom - glad you enjoyed it! We remember the good stuff, the essence of nostalgia.
Jay, great information I did not know about r-value of faux stone. It is very popular on exteriors in California, especially on the Craftsmen style homes. In summer here, it's important to keep the cool air in.
Jay - good explanation and pictures. Cool, very cool.
Jay, me thinks that anyone claiming that faux stone has any meaningful R-value IS stoned
Smooth explination from what I can tell! :)
Love and light,
Laura
Hi Jay,
Be careful about heat vs. temperature. Each entity is distinctly different. The IR film/camera from Polaroid was availalbe long ago, so the IR camera is certainly not a new technology. Be careful when using IR to discuss heat.
As we all know the IR image of an incandescent light bulb will show a significant temperature, yet very little heat is transferred.
For some interesting reading without a course in thermodynaics simply google or bing or whatever search engine you prefer "thermodynamics heat vs temperature"
The heat transfer properties of the material are what they are, so you can show the heat transfer during cold weather or hot weather.
Isn't it interesing that the heat transfer images seem to be absent during the warm months when the Central Air Conditioning system is running? Yet the heat transfer properties of the materials do not change significantly.
Pamela - I did not either until I was researching things for my client's report and began reading manufacturer claims about their product. Seems to me there is little R-value with the product I was looking at!
Gotta tell you Eric, it was darn cold that night! Wind chills made it feel really cold! Mighty Mo needed a hot chocolate when we were done. I shared mine.
Sure seems that way to me too Charlie. However, the faux stone manufacturers all claim different things with their different products and to be fair I did not look at all of them in this same context! This stuff added lit'l ta nuttin'.
Laura - you would like my post last week about using different color palettes to try to derive more information.
Jim - I guess I need more physics than I got in those four classes in IR that I have already had. It seems to me that seeing wavelengths and bonding an image onto film are two different things and are not the same technology, but I've never thought about it before. I've actually done comparison images of light bulbs, and find it fun and fascinating. Halogens get up to around 480F and if you touch them I expect you'll feel a little heat transfer.
Here the temperature registered was certainly caused by heat transfer as it surely was not generated from anything outdoors, in the dark, around 11F. The sun had never hit any of those surfaces during the day. The one manufacturer's claim that faux stone adds "3.6+ in R-value" (there's a link to one claim in my comment above) must not follow as it seems to provide no thermal barrier whatever.
I have noticed that heat transfers indoors during the AC season. I have not looked inside behind a faux stone wall however. That would be a good experiment to arrange this summer.
I'm getting a new camera this week. Might Mo turns 10 this spring. He/she/it may be ready for some retirement...
What is the temperature of the stone compared to the wall? I'm sorry, but I am just having a very hard time wrapping my mind around your theory. Also did you check the wall from the interior. If insulation was left out of the wall because it was thought the faux stone would substitute the wall insulation, I would believe you would see the inverse of the exterior.
Thanks for the info!
Jay, have not seen these thermal cameras yet, but this looks pretty cool to see where it is warmer. Had not heard stone can add R-value.
Love your posts with your thermal camera - very cool! Thanks for sharing!
Jay, forget about the insulation value! Faux stone is just plain ugly!
There was a lot going on here Jim.
General cold is the complaint. Behind the left image above are kitchen cabinets. They are cold inside, but the wall above is warm. Due to insulation or faux stone? The floors are cold near the exterior walls, and outside is faux stone and vinyl. My previous post was about that (the image of the warm foundation in my last answer to you was in that post). The high walls themselves have lousy insulation. I never saw where they skipped the insulation behind the faux stone, but placed it higher on the wall.
I'm not sure I have a theory here, except, perhaps, that faux stone isn't adding 3-5 in R-value as touted by the manufacturers. It's glowing warm for a reason. The vinyl siding all over was virtually the temp of the outside, even in that post with the different palette colors where you could see heat "dripping" out. The faux stone was warmer.
You're welcome Drick. This was my first time seeing such a dramatic thing with faux stone, and it was consistent all over.
Well, come to my house Joan! Or go go Jim's house above (in the comment above) - he's pretty good with his!
It is a fun tool Jill. My wife still calls it a toy. She's just jealous of all the attention it gets from me.
I agree Pat! There are many kinds too. Some aren't terrible looking, but they are seldom installed properly.
I myself would think that the wall behind the stone is not insulated. How else can you explain that? You say there is insulation. That is just plain weird.
That might be very true behind the kitchen cabinets Jim! I have seen that more than once, including yesterday afternoon' inspection - seeing right into the wall under the kitchen sink!
8am and 1pm today - hopefully home before the glacial snowfalls begin!
Abandon your cars now... then, maybe, two days of fun! At least one.
The cameras seem to come and go. Saw lots of thermal images a few years ago. Not so much today here but certainly a great tool.
I have been one of the few thermographers around here for 10 years Bill. Very few inspectors use them in this area. The mental paradigm for their use by consumers has not shifted, so I don't know so much about them coming and going. But I sure get a lot of calls!