By
Paul K. Williams
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The tools, colorants, and techniques of some processes
could, in fact, convincingly simulate masonry. Cloning
window lintels and keystone arches helped put the conceit
over.
Photo Courtesy of Paul
K. Williams
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Perma-Stone.
Formstone. Rostone. By whatever trade name, the mere mention
of simulated masonry can cause a wide range of reactions-from
the rolling eyes of homeowners who want desperately to be rid
of it, to passionate defense by preservationists of 20th-century
building materials. Somewhere in the middle are those who think
it should disappear from buildings that date before Perma-Stone's
patent in 1929, but who fully understand all the pitfalls of
the material's removal.
These simulated stone products shared common installation techniques,
and by understanding them, homeowners who want to remove them
can anticipate this deceptively simple job, and the damage these
materials may have caused to their underlying masonry or wood
façades.
Perma-Stone is such a common trade name that it's almost become
generic for any of the cementitious materials applied to exterior
walls and manipulated to look like stone. If you hail from Baltimore
and environs, though, the name you probably know is Formstone,
which native son and avant-garde film director John Waters called
"the polyester of brick."
Patented by Baltimorean Albert Knight in 1937 for his Lasting
Products Company, its use was so widespread in that city that
in 1997 Waters made it the subject of a 30-minute documentary
film Little Castles: A Formstone Phenomenon, told by
the people who made it, sold it, bought it, and installed it.
Coproducer Lillian Bowers (with Skizz Cyzyk) says she got the
idea for the documentary when she dreamed that her father's
gravestone was being covered with Formstone.
Other brands included Rostone, Tru-Stone, Fieldstone, Bermuda
Stone, Modern Stone, Romanstone, Magnolia Stone, Dixie Stone,
and Silverstone. It was applied in a manner similar to stucco,
usually in multiple layers, to wire net or lath attached to
existing exterior walls, then scored with simulated mortar joints
to suggest individual stones. Adding to the illusion were often
artful coloration and sometimes mica chips that would sparkle
on a sunny day.
The Magic of Marketing
Perma-Stone was registered as a trademark in 1929 by a Columbus,
Ohio, company of the same name, which trained and authorized
local dealers and provided them with the molds and materials
they needed to install it. Its immediate success spurred competitors
to fill the desire for a maintenance-free covering for poorly
constructed exterior walls.
At the 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago, the
Rostone Company of Lafayette, Indiana, was among exhibitors
using model houses to display what show sponsors billed as "a
futuristic view of what architects predicted would someday be
the norm." The Wieboldt-Rostone House was a steel-frame
structure clad in Rostone's prefabricated panels of shale and
lime. Later relocated to serve as a residence in Beverly Shores,
Illinois, the house served more than anything to demonstrate
just how wrong they were. The original Rostone failed and was
covered in the 1950s with Perma-Stone, which has also now fallen
apart.
The original use of Formstone, patented in 1937, was to apply
a uniform exterior covering to suburban houses that had undergone
additions with unmatched siding. However, it quickly became
more popular for covering the exteriors of old row houses in
Baltimore, built by the tens of thousands using porous brick
that left them plagued by penetrating moisture. Formstone salesmen
touted sealing qualities and a 20-year guaranty that, for the
cost of three paint jobs, would virtually assure a lifetime
free of leaking walls and peeling paint.
Eternal salvation from maintenance wasn't a lure that appealed
only to homeowners. Many religious institutions chose simulated
stone for new buildings, to side older rectories, and to match
additions to real stone churches. Educational buildings also
got the treatment. Father T. Byron Collins of Georgetown University
in Washington, D.C., wrote on July 14, 1955, that "In my
opinion, this process called Tru-Stone makes a much superior
job as far as appearance and durability as compared to shingling."
At that point, though, faux stone was reaching its zenith, about
to be overtaken by much cheaper aluminum and vinyl siding.
Putting It Up
Two types of simulated stone were available to homeowners, whether
for remodeling or new-home construction: siding manufactured
off-site in molds and applied somewhat like real stone and cement-based
materials applied in layers on-site.
Rostone was probably the best known of the former group, shipped
in inch-thick panels measuring 16" x 24" in a variety
of natural colors and finishes, from matte to polished. Finely
ground shale mixed with lime and water was poured into stone-shaped
molds, and then heated to create a stonelike wafer that could
be applied much like contemporary faux interior "bricks."
Perma-Stone and Formstone, among others, were created on the
job site, much like interior plaster. Normally the first step
was to nail up a lath to anchor the initial 1/4" to 3/4"
rough, or brown, coat. The lath was usually metal but sometimes
wood; chicken wire was commonly used with Formstone. Some products
were sold as not needing lath, so workers applied the cementitious
mix directly to the exterior walls-a cause of great pain to
anyone trying to remove it decades later.
When the brown coat was dry, the installers applied a second
coat of equal thickness and while it was still wet, some artistry
could come into play. Like ambitious children building a sand
castle, they could press the surface with molds, score it, or
run an aluminum roller across it to create a crinkled surface.
Faux mortar lines could be left or filled. A finish coat then
provided subtle coloration; a final membrane coating helped
waterproof the layers.
Nasty Surprises
This on-site installation, plus the variation in skill levels
and personal flourishes from contractors or homeowners, explains
the wide variation often seen among even adjacent buildings.
What's of greater interest if you're considering removal of
the Perma-Stone is what you don't see. The installer could apply
the coatings anywhere that chicken wire could be nailed-around
curves, up and over cornices, over sills and decorative brickwork.
Thus the structure could be given large faux keystones, quoins,
or other decorative touches-sometimes far off center or out
of scale. Worse, original architectural features were often
entirely removed-chiseled off and not merely covered up. Mortar
around damaged brick may be mismatched-or the bricks filled
in with an entirely different material. Workers removing Formstone
on an upper storey in the Fell's Point area of Baltimore found
a layer of cement up to 6" thick that had been used to
level out a brick wall that had bowed in. And while homeowners
were "modernizing," they often elected to install
new windows and doors-no matter that they were smaller. The
surrounding areas were just filled in with nonmatching brick
or cinder block before being covered with Perma-Stone.
Lost architectural features weren't just decorative. Cornices,
belt courses, lintels, and sills that were chipped away had
once done their share to divert water away from the exterior
surface. Add to this the deterioration of the Perma-Stone itself-which
after time can crack or pull away from the wall-and you create
a pocket where water can seep undetected behind the faux masonry,
leading to destructive freeze-thaw cycles. This is especially
troublesome on wood-frame structures where the decorative cornice
was removed, causing water damage around ceilings and windows.
In short, damage is inherent to the surface underlying simulated
masonry. The question is how much? Steve Callcott, preservation
planner for Washington, D.C., for 11 years, says the issue of
whether to remove Formstone has arisen on only three occasions
in that time. "My experience has been mixed. We would never
discourage people from uncovering historical features,"
he says, "although Formstone had its own period of significance
and, next year, some people may consider us heretics."
Problems arise, he says, when people anxious to be rid of the
stuff begin ripping, hammering, and chiseling-especially if
theirs is faux stone applied directly to the underlying siding.
Ripping down your Perma-Stone can be a fast and inexpensive
process-it can be taken off a two- or three-storey row house
in a weekend-but restoration of what lies beneath can take weeks,
in the case of wood surfaces that need nail holes filled and
a new paint job, to months for masonry surfaces that have been
severely defaced.
Doing It Yourself
Once you're satisfied with your test patches-and have assured
yourself of a sufficient amount of matching brick or other material
to replace damaged areas-you may want to tackle the removal
yourself. The only tools you'll need are a pry bar or two, hammer,
wire cutters, cold chisel, hard hat, goggles, and heavy work
gloves. You'd be wise, though, to commit to scaffolding rather
than a ladder, since cement layers up to 1 1/2" thick can
be humongously heavy.
Work from the top down, since loosened sections will fall off
the face of the building. For that reason you should also think
about protecting windows with plywood. Rope off the area to
keep away children, pets, and sidewalk superintendents.
Starting at a window edge or door frame, chisel away enough
faux stone to let you wedge a crowbar behind it. Once you get
started, you should be able to hammer in your crowbar and remove
the stone and lath in fairly large sheets. Don't try to peel
away bigger sections than you can handle, and use a narrow piece
of plywood under your crowbar to avoid chipping into the brick
or wood. On brick surfaces focus on nail points in the lath,
usually placed in the mortar joints. In most cases the weight
of the simulated masonry will break the lath or chicken wire;
if not, you may need the wire cutters.
Once the Perma-Stone is off-and you are spared nightmarish surprises
like shrunken windows and doors-the procedure isn't unlike a
typical façade repair. If your Perma-Stone was applied with
nails, you can anticipate replacing face bricks, especially
around windows and doors. Even if the installers were careful
to put nails into the joints, you may find that removal has
broken them off or pulled them out, and you'll have to rake
out the joints and repoint. You'll probably want to strip and
clean previously painted brick-or you may find that you need
to paint it to mask damaged and nonmatching masonry. As with
most restoration projects, you won't know for sure what lurks
beneath your Perma-Stone until it's fully removed.
For some time now, the idea that simulated masonry may be worthy
of preservation has been creeping into some historic guidelines.
While the city of St. Louis prohibits its use on landmarks,
the position of the Hamden Village Main Street Program in Baltimore
is that "while Formstone removal may also be included as
a façade improvement, applicants are encouraged to keep Formstone
that is in good condition as it is a distinctive part of Baltimore's
unique heritage." And many real estate agents, as they
did more than a half century ago, readily advertise a faux stone
exterior as value-added feature. The debate is likely to become
even more heated as 20th-century building materials leave their
mark-in this case often all too literally-on American architecture.
Paul K.Williams is president of Kelsey & Associates,
Architectural Historians,
(202) 462-3389,
washingtonhistory.com.
