An application of a factor method for stone cladding directly adhered to the substrate is proposed. The quantification of the reference service life and of the sub-factors that influence its durability is described. The methodology proposed is based on a survey of the degradation state of 140 cladding systems. As an innovation to the factor method and in order to overcome some of its well-known shortcomings a multiple linear regression analysis is proposed to identify the most relevant sub-factors that explain the degradation of stone cladding.Highlights► In this study an application of the factor method for stone cladding is presented. ► The methodology proposed is based on visual inspections of 140 cladding systems. ► As an innovation to the factor method some advanced statistical tools are applied. ► A multiple linear regression and a path analysis are proposed and discussed.