Stone mockups – are they really necessary?

While providing newly quarried or antique stone samples and corresponding images is vital for stone selection, some clients prefer to take this one step further requesting mockups for added peace of mind.

And it makes a significant difference.

Mockups are a useful way to test designs and help you make stone decisions. They allow you to compare different combinations of stones and finishes, and enable your natural stone supplier to show the benefits of using one technique over another, such as quoined corners versus lapped corners.

Most importantly, mockups show the natural stone in its true light. Being a natural product, there can be some variation in colour and texture, which is all part of stone’s beauty, but not always obvious from samples alone. So, mockups really let you see what the stone for your building will look like on a larger scale.

Every natural stone supplier has their own method of producing and sending mockups. At Rhodes Architectural Stone, we photograph each mockup and email it to you for consideration and approval. While this gives some clients the assurance they seek to make final decisions, others prefer to see the mockup onsite for added peace of mind. So, at our client’s request, we arrange to ship mockups to the project site. Once there, they can visualise the stone scale, material and finish in the right conditions – that is, where the stone will end up. You’d be surprised at how different a stone can look in, say, a factory setting in Asia, compared to a retail outlet in New Jersey, a holiday home in Aspen or a seaside location in Sydney.

As an added bonus, our mockups can help to ensure consistency in your end product, as our clients’ tradesmen often use our mockups as a reference when installing the stone.

So, while mockups aren’t mandatory, it really comes down to personal choice. But if you’re after clarity and added peace of mind that you’ve selected the right newly quarried or antique stone and finish, you can’t go wrong by requesting a mockup.