Specific material planning profile
A broad stone family with substantial variation in cementation, pore structure, density, bedding, color, and weathering behavior.
How the five-point scale works
The Registry uses this scale to show how much project-specific specification attention a factor deserves for Sandstone. It is an editorial planning framework, not a laboratory result or product certification. No factors are averaged into an overall grade.
Levels are assigned from two questions: how consequential an unresolved factor could be, and how specific the evidence must be before commitment. They do not predict service life or failure.
Confirm the standard submittal and installation requirements.
Review the factor, but it is unlikely to control the decision by itself.
Give the factor explicit project-specific specification attention.
Resolve the factor before approval because it can materially affect the result.
Require source-, product-, exposure-, or assembly-specific confirmation before commitment.
Specification-attention profile
Every score below belongs to the named factor for Sandstone. It does not describe the other examples in natural stone exterior systems.
Two sandstones can behave very differently because their mineralogy and pore structure differ.
Water uptake, bedding orientation, drainage, and freeze–thaw cycling require source-specific review.
Finish, traffic, abrasion, edge geometry, and weathering can change the appearance and wear pattern.
Soluble minerals, deicers, and incompatible cleaning methods can cause erosion, staining, or efflorescence.
Before approval
Owner questions
Evidence and limits
These sources support the broader material-system principles. The five-point values are contractor-informed Registry editorial judgments under the published rubric; the sources do not assign those numbers. Current manufacturer literature, project specifications, source-specific test data, and local requirements must govern the actual selection.
Read the Registry methodology →