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.
