Stone Skin or PU stone panels: which suits your wall?
Choose Stone Skin when you want the surface of real stone on a feature wall, column or curve. Choose PU stone panels when you want bold, stone-look relief over a large area. See both in the same light before you decide.
What each one is
Stone Skin is a thin veneer of natural stone, 2 mm thick, on a backing layer. Each sheet carries the colour and grain of the stone it came from, so no two are identical. It comes in marble, slate and quartzite, sandstone, limestone, travertine and concrete-look categories.
PU stone panels are polyurethane panels moulded and coloured to look like stone, in fifteen relief patterns from split-face and stacked stone to rounds and strips. The pattern repeats from panel to panel, and the relief can be deep.
Side by side
| Stone Skin | PU stone panels | |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Real stone veneer | Moulded polyurethane |
| Look | Natural variation, fine texture | Repeating pattern, deeper relief |
| Thickness | 2 mm | 20 to 110 mm, depending on pattern |
| Sheet or panel sizes | 2440 × 1220 mm and 1220 × 610 mm | Several, from 2 × 2 ft to 8 × 2 ft |
| Typical use | Feature walls, columns, curves, counters | Large feature walls, boundary walls, retail backdrops |
| At Inlife | Interior and exterior | Interior and exterior |
How to decide
Start with how close people will stand. A reception wall, or a TV wall seen from the sofa, rewards real stone texture. A long boundary wall seen from the road rewards strong relief and shadow.
Then bring a photo of the wall and its light. Both materials change between morning and evening, which is why we lay samples against your photo at the showroom.
Questions people ask
Is Stone Skin real stone?
Yes. Stone Skin is a 2 mm layer of natural stone on a backing, so each sheet shows the grain and colour of the stone it was taken from.
Can Stone Skin go on a curved surface?
Stone Skin is chosen for columns and curves as well as flat walls. Bring the drawing and we will show you sheets that suit the radius you have in mind.
Do PU stone panels repeat?
Yes. Each pattern is moulded, so the relief repeats from panel to panel. Over a long wall that reads as a consistent texture.