Cultured stone provides an elegant source of siding or decoration for any home or business. The nice thing about most cultured stone is that it is relatively economical, extremely durable, and looks absolutely amazing. It can be used to accent or completely side any home or business as well.
Follow the following steps very carefully when installing cultured stone. I personally worked with a product called Cast Natural Stone which I purchased from Menards. There are helpful tips and hints along the way in which will speed up your installation process! I also have included an approximate price range so you can get an idea of how much this type of project will cost.
Step 1: Preparing the Surface. If you are looking to install the cultured stone on the interior of a home or business it is highly recommended that you put up gypsum, cement board, or a one-half inch plywood. You may nail the plywood on with 16D nails or regular multi-purpose drywall screws. If you are using cement board you will need to you cement board screws. After you have applied the backer board you will need to nail on a moisture barrier over top of the plywood or cement board. You may use 15 pound felt or ice and water shield for roofing. You will apply this with T50 stapes or common 3/4 inch common roofing nails. After you have applied the felt or ice and water guard it is now time to apply the metal lath. The metal lath will give the mortar something to adhere to. You may use common galvanized nails spaced about every 6 to 8 inches for this. Work your way up from the bottom to the top.
Step 2: Applying the Scratch Coat: You must put at least 3/4 of an inch of stone mortar mix over the lath. You can use a masonry trowel to spread the mortar evenly over the surface. Let the mortar sit a minimum or 30 minutes after application. After 30 minutes take a soft bristled brush and roughen up the surface of the freshly made scratch coat. The purpose of roughening up the scratch coat is to allow for a stronger chemical bond between the stone mortar mix and the actual cultured stone.
Step 3: Choosing your Stone Layout. Pick an area near your project and lay your stones out on the ground exactly how you would like to place them on your building or structure. You want to sift through your boxes of stone so you know exactly what you are working with and what will look best next to each other.
Step 4: Applying the Cultured Stone: Grab your first stone and apply 1/2 inch of mortar to the back of it. You are then to take the stone and press it against your freshly made surface. Press fairly hard until you see the mortar beginning to squeeze out the sides of the stone. You can “shimmy” it in until you feel it is sound. Do this with every stone. You may apply them as close together or far apart as you like.
Step 5: Grouting. After you have applied all of the cultured stone to your prepared surface it is time to grout all of the joints. You can purchase a grout bag to do this. Slowly squeeze the mortar out of the grout bag and into all of the joints of your project. This will give your stone the brick appearance.
Step 6: Strike the Joints. After you have finishing grouting all of the joints you will need to grab a masonry striking tool to fix an imperfections. The striking tool will fill up any small holes or cracks you may have created. It will give the joints a smooth and professional appearance. This will also prevent the stone from weathering.
Hints and Tips: You may use a breathable clear sealer if you would like to protect your cultured stone from weathering. This will seal any small crack or crevice that you cannot see and prevent water from sneaking in.
I hope my directions help you to install your cultured stone quickly and correctly.
Cast Natural Stone
www.castnaturalstone.com
