Real or Manufactured Stone?

You are involved with a home, have been told it has stone, for all practical purposes it appears to be stone. Is it possibly that it isn’t real but manufactured stone made of concrete. Honestly, it isn’t difficult to tell the difference from local manufacturers by finding exposed areas of concrete aggregate. However, there are high end manufactures, many out west, of more expensive product much more difficult to tell the real from the manufactured. The secret to verify? Ideally find a piece you can break and expose the aggregate. That typically isn’t an option. Black Cat Inspector Josh Hedges was faced with this dilemma this morning and had to search for an area of exposed concrete aggregate. The photos below are the only place he found it on the front of steps. Although it was advertised as stone, the homeowner and agent could well have thought it was stone, it was not. It was manufactured stone made from concrete to appear to be stone. Why is that an issue? Major potential for moisture problems related to the tendency of this product to absorb water like a sponge and with installation practices which fail to protect from water intrusion. It is very important to know which is which and what the potential for hidden moisture issues are.