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Installation Instructions
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1. Vapor Barrier
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Nail up the vapor barrier using a staple hammer, making sure you over lap
the paper on top over the paper on the bottom at least 3 inches. Also,
make sure you do not have any tears in the paper. If you do you will need
to repair them before putting up the wire lath. |
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2. Wire Lath
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Nail up the wire lath using 1¼ inch roofing nails or linch roofing
staples. You will need to place a nail about every 6 inches. Make sure you
warp around each outside corner at least 16 inches in both directions if
possible. DOUBLE WRAP. This will help prevent cracking if settling occurs.
It is not necessary to install wire lath or scratch coat over masonry
walls such as brick, block or concrete as long as they are clean, and have
not been painted, sealed or have chemicals are on them. If there is
something on the masonry wall that can not be removed, you may use the
wire lath and scratch coat. If you are installing stone over metal you
will need to use the wire lath and vapor barrier. |
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3. Applying the Scratch Coat
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 You will use the same mortar for the scratch coat, the stone and the
grout. Using a flat trowel, apply a coat of mortar over the wire lath.
Make sure that you cover the wire lath so none can be seen. Use the
notched side of the trowel to make lines horizontally through the mortar.
This will help the stone bond better. Let this cure 48 hours before
applying stone. This time may be shorter if it is hot weather or the
installer is experienced and can achieve the correct bond. |
3. Laying Out the Stone
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You will want to lay out two or three boxes of stone to give you a good
mixture of shapes, colors and sizes. You want to be careful not to get too
many big ones together, small ones together or too many of the same color
together. As you lay, step back and check for this often. Also, if you are
laying stone with someone else, make sure that your mixture of sizes and
colors is the same. Check each other out.
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4. Applying the Stone
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Most of our stone is laid from the top down. Laying from the top down can
keep your stone cleaner. If you are drystacking the stone, as in our
paneled profiles, you can lay from the bottom up. Apply about
½ inch of mortar to the back of the stone. Make sure that the entire back of
the stone is covered. Press the stone in place, moving it from side to side
to help insure a good bond. Make sure the mortar comes out from around the
stone so you do not have any voids. If too much is coming out from around
the stone you can adjust to avoid waste. You will want to clean off any
extra mortar. This will make it easier for grouting later. If the weather
is hot you may need to dampen the wall to help ensure a better bond. Keep
your hands clean so the stone stays clean. The cleaner you stay now the
easier it will be to clean later. If you do get mortar on the stone let it
get firm before you remove it (see cleaning procedures). If you need to
cut the stone you can use a carborundum or a diamond blade in a mason saw,
a skillsaw, a tablesaw or a chopsaw.
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5. Grouting
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| Make your mortar a little thinner than
you had for laying. Cut about a ½
inch diameter angled hole in the grout bag. Put the mortar in the grout bag, it
should run out a little when you do this. If none runs out, you may need
to add more water. When you are filling the joints the mortar should come
out easily. But, if the mortar is too wet, it will run out of the joints.
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6. Finishing the Joints
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| After the grout has started to get firm you need to rake out the excess
mortar and work the joints. This can be done with a jointing tool, a
butter knife or even a piece of wood. You want to push mortar firmly into
the joint, to avoid any areas where water might get behind the stone. Rake
out any extra mortar to get the look that you want. Once you have done
this, sweep the joints with a whiskbroom to finish them. When you are
brushing make sure that the brush is not leaving marks in the mortar. If
you are leaving brush marks, the joint is too wet to brush and needs to
dry longer. Top of Page |
7. Cleaning the Stone
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| The stone can be cleaned with just water and a cleaning brush if done at
the proper time. Ungrouted stone should be cleaned at the end of the day
that it was laid or the first thing the next morning. If you wait, the
mortar will set up harder and will not come off very easily. On hotter
days you may want to clean at lunchtime. When cleaning an area that has
been grouted, make sure the grout is set up enough so that it won’t wash
out when scrubbing: again, usually at the end of the day, the next
morning, or more frequently if working on a hot day. Never scrub more than
70 to 80 square feet before rinsing. If plain water does not get it clean
enough you can use white vinegar, inviro clean or a cleaner with a citric
base in an 8 parts water to 1 part substance mixture. Do not use an acid
based cleaner and do not power wash. Anytime you use a cleaner you need to
wet the wall first to avoid streaking. Do not forget to rinse.
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8. Sealing the Stone
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It is not necessary to seal the stone. But sealing will help protect it in
areas where it may get hit with a lot of rain, mud may get splashed on it,
or around a real fireplace where soot and smoke may get on it. Sealing it
will make it easier to clean. You must use a sealer that is Silane or
Silicon based and that is a breathable sealer. It is recommended that you
test the sealer on some extra stones before applying to the wall.
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Estimating Materials
for Manufactured Stone Installation |
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Surface
Preparation for Manufactured Stone |
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Boxed Footage |
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Printer friendly documents. |
| Installation Instructions: |
Estimating Materials: |
Technical Data: |
Troubleshooting: |
Warranty: |
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