What is flexible stone veneer? Real stone sheets, explained
By the GM La Surfaces team · Updated
Short answer
Flexible stone veneer is a very thin layer of real, natural stone bonded to a flexible backing, so it can be cut with ordinary tools and bent around curves. Flexi Stone sheets are 2.5 to 3 mm thick and come in 1220 x 610 mm and 1220 x 2440 mm sizes. Because the face is real stone, every sheet has its own veining and colour.
Is flexible stone veneer real stone?
Yes. The face is a thin layer of natural stone, peeled from a quarried slab. It is not a print, a cast or a resin copy, which is why two sheets of the same shade never match exactly.
Behind the stone is a composite backing. In Flexi Stone it is fibreglass or cotton composite with resin, and it is what lets the sheet flex instead of snapping like a slab would.
What stones does it come in?
Flexi Stone is grouped by stone family. The current range covers marble, granite, limestone, sandstone, quartz and quartzite, slate and concrete looks, each with its own shades.
- Marble: soft veining, from near-white to near-black
- Slate and quartzite: layered, often with a natural sheen and movement
- Sandstone and limestone: warm, matt and grainy
- Granite: speckled and even
How is it different from stone tiles or faux stone panels?
Stone tiles and slabs are heavy, rigid and need a bed of mortar or a mechanical fixing. A veneer sheet is a few millimetres thick, light, and is bonded with adhesive, so it can go where a slab cannot: curved walls, round columns and arches.
Faux stone panels, often moulded polyurethane, copy the look of stone in a repeating pattern. They are lighter still, but the surface is a cast, not stone. If you want real stone texture to the touch, veneer is the closer match.
What are its limits?
The stone face does not burn, but the backing is combustible, and Flexi Stone is not individually fire-rated. GM La Surfaces does not claim fire compliance for a regulated facade (high-rise or commercial) without a fire test certificate for that project's full assembly.
On floors it is for light residential and decorative use only, never for high-traffic or commercial floors.
Common questions
- How thick is flexible stone veneer?
- Flexi Stone sheets are 2.5 to 3 mm thick including the backing. Other brands vary, so always check the sheet you are buying.
- Can flexible stone veneer bend around a column?
- Yes, the backing lets it wrap curved walls, round columns and arches. How tight a curve a sheet takes depends on the stone, so the team checks it against your radius.
- Does every sheet look the same?
- No. It is real stone, so veining and colour vary from sheet to sheet. Ask for a sample, and on large walls plan the layout with the actual sheets.
- What does flexible stone veneer cost per square foot?
- It depends on the stone, the sheet size and the quantity, so GM La Surfaces quotes per project. Share your wall sizes and preferred stones and the team will price it.
- Is flexible stone veneer fireproof?
- No. The stone face is non-combustible, but the backing is combustible. Flexi Stone is not individually fire-rated and is not offered for regulated facades without a project assembly fire test certificate.