Veneer Stone mortar application.
The addition of stone veneer can turn an ordinary wall,
column or fireplace into an elegant and distinctive home feature
natural stone or lightweight manufactured stone veneers
can be applied over a wide range of substrates including masonry block,
poured concrete walls and plywood sheeting.
With a little careful planning, creativity and puzzle-solving skills
stone veneer projects can be successfully achieved.
Once you have selected the stone veneer style for your project
the first step is to determine the quantity of stone you will need.
To determine the total square feet of veneer stone that you will need,
simply multiply the length of the area by the Height,
then subtract the square footage of any window or door openings
and corner pieces. It is always best to increase your estimate
by five to ten percent to allow for cutting and trimming. Before starting
your project
check local building codes for wall assembly and moisture barrier
requirements in your area.
Weather resistant exterior walls require the use of two layers of grade D
waterproof building paper
over the rigid wall sheathing including plywood, OSB,
exterior gypsum board and concrete board.
when attaching the waterproof building paper, vertical seams should be overlapped
by 6 inches or more
and horizontal seams should be overlapped by 4 inches,
in shingle fashion. The building paper should also extend 16 inches
around all corners. Once the water resistant building paper is in place,
galvanized expanded metal lath is installed over the entire surface using
galvanized nails or staples
every six inches, both vertically and horizontally. Make sure that the nails or
staples penetrate the studs
a minimum one-inch. Lath should also extend 16 inches
around all corners. If the veneer stone is being applied to a clean
unpainted concrete or masonry surface waterproof building paper and metal lath
are not required spread out your veneer stone on the ground so that you can
begin to lay out your stone pattern
select pieces of varying sizes, shapes and colors.
Large stone should be placed next to smaller stones; thick stone should be
placed next to thinner ones.
this process will help you design a wall that includes a variety in contrast
and will give the finished wall a natural appearance. Once your layout is
completed
you're ready to move forward with the application of a mortar scratch coat,
which will be the foundation of your wall. QUIKRETE veneer stone mortars can be
successfully mixed by hand or machine mixed.
The size of your project will often determine which method you choose.
QUIKRETE Veneer Stone mortars are recommended for use
as the scratch coat, bond coat and the jointing mortar
in the construction process. QUIKRETE manufactures three different veneer
stone mortars,
each designed for specific types of veneer stone
and application methods. QUIKRETE Polymer-Modified Veneer Stone Mortar
is formulated with a special water resistant polymer resin
that provides twice the bond strength of standard mortar. Polymer-modified veneer
stone mortar is perfect for use
in dry-stack stone applications where the stone is bonded to the wall
on only one edge. It is also designed for applications that will be subjected to
wet conditions.
QUIKRETE Natural Stone Veneer Mortar
is formulated specifically for use with natural stone.
Its low-lying formula helps prevent heavy, non-porous stone from sagging.
To get started, mix a batch of veneer stone mortar
to a firm, workable consistency. Properly prepared mortar will hang on a trowel,
held at a 90 degree angle. Gloves and safety glasses should always be worn
when working with cement-based products.
Using a square trowel, apply 1/2
inch of mortar to about a 5 square foot area at the prepared surface,
pressing the more firmly into the lath. Then,
using a metal rake, scratch or score the surface
in a horizontal direction. This process is called the scratch coat.
Continue applying the scratch coat until the work area is completed.
Allow the mortar to set hard, usually in about 24 hours,
before moving to the next step. Now, you are ready to begin applying the veneer
stone.
Thoroughly dampen the back of each stone. Then, apply about a half inch
of mortar to the entire back of the stone. Dampening will help prevent the water
from being drawn out of the mortar.
Maintaining proper water content in the mortar is essential to achieving a strong
bond.
Next, press the stone firmly against the scratch coat,
rotating the stone slightly into position, until mortar squeezes out.
Working from the base of the wall position each stone so that the joints are
no wider than about a half inch
and keep the joint width consistent throughout the wall.
As you're building your wall, try to avoid smearing excess mortar on the stone.
To remove the mortar, simply allow it to begin to dry
and brush away the droppings with a dry whisk brush.
A wet sponge or brush should never be used to remove the excess mortar
because it will cause staining that will be difficult to remove.
If you need to trim a stone to fit your pattern, use a mason's hammer or wide mouth
nipper
to reshape the edges of the stone. To achieve a finished appearance,
hide the cut edges by placing them well above or below
eye level. Trimmed edges can also be coated with mortar
to mask any color texture difference of the cut edge.
Adding QUIKRETE liquid cement color to standard gray veneer stone mortar
can add a decorative accent to match or contrast the color of the stone.
One 10 ounce bottle of liquid cement color will color up to two 80 pound bags
of veneer stone mortar.
To achieve a consistent color, mix the liquid cement color
into the mixing water before adding it to the mix. Using the same water to color ratio
will help maintain color uniformity from batch to batch.
After the stone has been completely installed, use a grout bag to carefully
fill in the joints with Veneer Stone Mortar.
Avoid smearing mortar on the surface of the stones.
Once the mortar joints have become thumb-print hard,
use a joining tool to remove any excess mortar.
Then, smooth and compact the mortar joints. Clean, smooth
mortar joints will create a professional-looking result.