Sunset Stone Company guide · Updated 2026-10-21
First: Gray Horizon is the color
Gray Horizon is our cooler, split-gray limestone. It comes in 14" natural wall stone and in 12" Milled, and it can be mixed half-and-half with Natural Tan as 50/50. So the question isn't gray versus milled. It's whether you want natural beds or milled beds.
Side by side
| 14" Gray Horizon (Premium) | 12" Milled Gray Horizon | |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 14" (±1"), natural beds | 12¾" actual, planed top and bottom from 14" rock |
| Bed depth | 18–24", varying | 18–24", varying |
| Lengths | 3–7', assorted | 3–7', assorted |
| Face | Natural split face | Natural split face (the face is never milled) |
| Coverage | ≈7.2 sq ft of face per ton | ≈7 sq ft of face per ton |
| Joints | Natural, with some variation course to course | Tight, flat horizontal joints, no shimming |
| Lead time | Usually loads within a few days | Processed to order, typically ships in 1–2 weeks |
| Loads at | Our quarry near Wamego | Our Kansas City location |
There is no 14" milled stone: milling planes 14" rock down to 12¾".
When 14" natural is the right call
Pick 14" Gray Horizon when the wall is holding grade and a natural, quarried look is the goal: terraces, hillside walls and long runs. Premium is hand-selected for consistent 18–24" beds and clean faces. If budget matters more than finish, Sundown Ledge comes in Gray Horizon too, with wider 10–30" beds and a rougher face.
When 12" Milled earns its keep
Pick 12" Milled when the joint lines show: seat walls, patios, outdoor kitchens and tiered feature walls. Every course is the same height, so the wall stacks flat and fast. Installers tell us a milled wall goes up noticeably faster than a natural-bed wall, which offsets much of the milling cost in labor.
Two options to know: single-sided milled (one bed planed, the other natural) for cap courses, and 12" Milled with Sawn Ends, which adds tapered-back sawn ends so the vertical joints close up too. Sawn ends go where two stones meet; wall returns, exposed ends and stair ends are finished with a natural end so nothing sawn shows.
Mixing them
Our wall stone grades come off the same Wamego ledge, and natural, milled and sawn-end stone can be mixed on the same wall. Tell us the wall layout and we'll split the tonnage between them.
Quick answers
Is Gray Horizon a different stone from Natural Tan?
Same ledge, same strength. Gray Horizon is a cooler split gray; Natural Tan is a warm buff. Many customers order 50/50.
Why is 12" Milled actually 12¾"?
It starts as 14" quarry rock, and the top and bottom are planed flat and parallel to a uniform 12¾" height.
Does milling change the face?
No. Only the beds are planed. The visible face keeps its natural split character.