Capping Stone Wall - Retaining Wall Capping

What is capping stone?

Capping stone is the stone pieces used to finish off retaining wall or feature wall edges. As well as enhancing the look of the wall, capping stone also protects the wall from moisture and potential damage. As a result, it is highly recommended to use capping stone for all your outdoor retaining walls.

Capping Stones: What are They, Where are They Used?

You may have heard of the pool coping stones used around the edges of the swimming pool to prevent water penetration into the surface of the pool deck. Pool coping and capping stones are used extensively for construction projects. Capping stones, especially, are used as statement pieces that render an authentic and modern feel to your landscape. Capping stones are made of a variety of materials, ranging from aluminum to bricks.

Let’s say you are done building the wall cladding or you have recently completed the facade wall cladding project. You take a look at the finished project, but it doesn’t look as beautiful as you had thought before starting the project. There is something missing, which makes the facade wall look incomplete. That’s where a large capping stone comes into the picture. If you have built a freestanding wall using natural stone pavers, such as limestone or travertine tiles, you need to place one large piece of stone slab on top of this wall to give your project a final touch.

What is Capping Used For?

Consider it as the roof over your house. Like how the roof protects your building from hazardous environmental factors, capping stones offer protection for your stone wall cladding from the weather elements. Capping also serves as the seating arrangement for the outdoor areas. If you have installed a short feature wall, capping stones can act as the seats for your visitors. People can’t sit on the stone pavers featuring irregular surfaces. Plus, these stones have sharp edges and are placed randomly.

You could also use it as a couch. Just place a couple of cushions on the capping stones and the outdoor seating area is ready. Capping stones can be of the same size as the wall cladding stones or you can choose the larger stones that overhang over the wall. Not only do these stones look great on your feature walls, but they protect the walls from environmental damages.

Which Wall Capping Stone are Perfect for Your Stone Wall Cladding?

Wall capping stone refers to a single piece of stone placed on top of the freestanding wall to give it a finishing look. Artificial capping, i.e. the one made of metals, can be used for capping purposes, but these are not as durable as natural stone capping. As a general rule, you should choose the same material for capping as you did for the wall cladding. For example, if you used bluestone crazy pavers for building the freestanding wall on your patio, you should get one large piece of the bluestone paver to place it atop this wall. If you want to create a designer wall or render a majestic feel to your space, consider using thick capping stones.

Alternatively, you can use the capping material that creates a contrasting look. Choose colors that contrast your wall cladding or look completely different from the pavers you have used in the rest of your landscape. That’s an ideal way to build a solid retaining wall. Make sure you select the wall cladding stones that look good with the capping stones. For instance, you can use granite for the wall cladding and use bluestone capping stone for the capping part. It creates a beautiful contrast with the light-colored granite slabs. The deep blue and grey tones of granite contrasts really well with the thick and smooth texture of granite. Let’s take a look at the few common types of capping stones:

Chiseled Edge Capping Stone

The specialty of these pavers is the edgy look that’s created by chipping the edges of the stone to give it a rustic feel. The edges of these capping stones are chipped mechanically. These make an ideal choice for the feature walls.

Pencil Edge Capping Stone

For architecture projects that involve a contemporary and modern design, the pencil edge capping stones are commonly used on top of the feature walls. These pavers are known for their sleek and clean finish that looks incredibly stunning on modern walls. The stones used for the capping are mostly available in sawn finishes and they are a bit rounded in shape to prevent sharp edges.

Bullnose Stone Capping

There isn’t any capping material as elegant and modern as bullnose capping. Not only is this stone used for pool coping, but these rounded edges make an ideal choice for the capping stones installed on top of the stone walls. The round edges look incredibly stunning no matter where you have built the feature walls. These capping stones are highly recommended for the feature walls built on your pool decks. Bullnose edges create a modern finish that can blend in with just about any surroundings.