Natural stone on vertical cement board
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Natural stone on vertical cement board
I have an unfinished cement board surround to a wood stove and I would like to use some thin 1/2"-3/4" flat stone as a veneer. What preparations need to be made in order to accept proper adhesion? Can I use thinset tile mortar?
#2
Are you going with a manufactured stone or natural? There is a bit of difference in weight. Dry stack or ledge stone is nice and you use the rows beneath to support the rows above as you build. There also is not any grout to worry about.
Either way, you can can mix your own with type N cement and sand or (easier) use a large format thinset, there are several on the market. Mapei makes several - Ultra Light and LFT (large format tile). They are stickier and won't sag under the weight of the stone as much as thinset.
Either way, you can can mix your own with type N cement and sand or (easier) use a large format thinset, there are several on the market. Mapei makes several - Ultra Light and LFT (large format tile). They are stickier and won't sag under the weight of the stone as much as thinset.
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natural stone. I have a pallet of real thin (1/2"-3/4") riverstone from a left over retaining wall that i would like to surface mount to the cement board. I stopped by HD this afternoon and the guy told me it's essentially the same principle as setting tile, although different in material, a thinset would work best. Then apply either grout or mortar between joints. Any thoughts?
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#6
Thanks for the link, I would go ahead and purchase one of the thinsets I mentioned for Large Format Tile. I would apply the thinset to the back of the stone and the cement board with a 1/8" v-notched trowel. Hold the stone in place for a second or two. If you are not getting sufficient coverage, you can bump to a larger trowel. If you experience sagging, get a box of roofing nails and tap them into the cement board directly below the stone. It will help to stabilize it while the mortar sets up. Pull the nails when everything is dry.
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Thanks for the idea with use of the nails. Is it safe to assume to only to a couple pieces along the bottom, let set for 24hrs. then continue so there is bearing for the higher pieces of stone (as to prevent sagging)?
#8
If you are leaving grout lines then there is no need to wait between courses as the next row floats over the previous. Regular thinset will sag and frustrate you, go to a tile store and invest in the upgraded thinset for large format.