You know that faux stone stuff ?

[fastfredracing]

It's crazy expensive , and its fake . What if I collected rocks from the local stream, and made my own real stone facia on my wall ???
Im looking to cover about 40 sg feet of block walls in a room I am remodeling at home .
I know exactly where to get the perfect arrangment of stone. All free . All I would need to do , is mortar it up and go. I think it would be beautiful, and real . There is an antique glass furnace in the one place we go that has all sorts of tumbled glass littered all throughout the stream .
Anybody done anything like this before ?

[onewhippedpuppy]

If you have the time, why not? I used one of the fake stone type products for a fireplace, it was super easy and looks great. I think they came in 2x4 sheets and the shapes are random enough that it hides the seams and looks like real cut stone.

[look 171]

Its not fake, just cut and glued together for ease of installation. Sure, it doesn't have the look of a real stack stone. I like your way better only because its a real stone wall. How much time you got?

[RKDinOKC]

My mom's cousin bought an old truck and went around farmers fields etc collecting stonel He built his entire house out of the stone he collected free.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by look 171

Its not fake, just cut and glued together for ease of installation. Sure, it doesn't have the look of a real stack stone. I like your way better only because its a real stone wall. How much time you got?

Some are made from cement and others are, as you said, made from natural stone into a pattern that can be linked. Fred could be talking about river stone or something entirely different. Until we know, no need to speculate.

BTW, the real advantage to manufactured stone units is outside corners. No OSC's and it's easy to use random natural stone. River stone can be split in half with a fairly good yield.

Proper backing and attachment is paramount.

[look 171]

That cement stuff doesn't look good and it look and feel really fake. I can only assume he's talking about ledger panels. Simple to install and not too much precision is needed. I was thinking he's talking riverstone also.

[drcoastline]

[QUOTE=Zeke;10245777]Some are made from cement and others are, as you said, made from natural stone into a pattern that can be linked. Fred could be talking about river stone or something entirely different. Until we know, no need to speculate.

BTW, the real advantage to manufactured stone units is outside corners. No OSC's and it's easy to use random natural stone. River stone can be split in half with a fairly good yield.

Proper backing and attachment is paramount.[/QUOTE]

First, Milt is dead on with this advice. If this will be an exterior application use caution over wood/plywood, you could cause a moisture issue if not properly prepped. This in turn can cause mold which will rot the structure. That all being said, your idea is exactly the way it used to be done. So go for it.

[fastfredracing]

Interior against block walls. Seems the ideal situation to me . No corners.

[onewhippedpuppy]

That's how people always did it in the past, no reason it won't work now.

The stuff I used is actually called a stacked stone. It's actual stone but attached to a metal backing, you cut it with a circular saw and masonry blade. It glues to the wall and has a metal nailer across the top to screw it as well.

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

Interior against block walls. Seems the ideal situation to me . No corners.

Shouldn't be any issues. Rapidset mortar is perfect for that application. Mix sparingly to avoid waste as it sets very quickly

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Sounds like a great idea

I'm assuming the river rocks are well rounded, it they are I think I'd approach it in the following way,

Using a 9" grinder with diamond tipped cutting disk cut a flat, about 1" or 2" wide on the back of each stone
Bond the stone to the wall using a good adhesive
Probably do 4 or 5 courses max. in one go
Drill holes in the wall between the stones about 1.5ft spacings and screw in a strong screw leaving the head a couple of inches proud of the block work
Glue and screwed might seem like over kill but stone is heavy (check out my man cave build thread to see how I know) and would hurt someone if the stone facia came away from the wall
Spread mortar between all the stones in one go as the colour can change subtly between mixes, using a small trowel to apply, let the mortar dry until it's slightly crumbly, using the trowel, scrape off the excess, then wire brush off the excess and then the same again with a stiff brush and the same again with a soft brush

Then sit back with a beer in hand and admire your real stone wall you built for about £50

Or you could spend more money stick up fake stone and every time you look at the wall curse yourself for not doing a proper job.

[MRM]

The reason people use fake stone or faux stone stucco or precut stone panels is that using real, old fashioned rocks is hard. They are heavy. They have odd shapes. They are heavy. Did I mention that rocks are heavy? And to gather them in the field and use them in a wall requires you to carry them and handle them several times.

But other than being heavy and harder to handle, no, there isn't any real reason you can't use field stone or river stone or whatever rocks you can pick up to make a masonry rock wall.

[JavaBrewer]

There is the real stone veneer that look171 is talking about, real river stone like the OP, and the pre-cast brick and stone veneer like Eldorado Stone makes. For accent walls I really like the pre-cast stuff, light weight, can be mixed and matched, and easy to install. I always use traditional mortar and grout with spec-mix (tan or gray). I would love to do a project with real stones I scavenge from the country side someday.

[LakeCleElum]

For landscaping, I want River Rock and got it out of the local "River"........I've never mounted it on a wall, BUT:

Did this brick wall at my cabin with bricks given to me.....Just the cost of the mortar and 1.5 days labor:

[Crowbob]

A 60/40 mix of fake Great Lakes Split and fake Superior Split stone can look pretty good. It took some time but turned out well, IMO:

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Crowbob

A 60/40 mix of fake Great Lakes Split and fake Superior Split stone can look pretty good. It took some time but turned out well, IMO:

From the first glance, it all look like real stone to me. Oh yeah, that's a lot of work.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

That's how people always did it in the past, no reason it won't work now.

The stuff I used is actually called a stacked stone. It's actual stone but attached to a metal backing, you cut it with a circular saw and masonry blade. It glues to the wall and has a metal nailer across the top to screw it as well.

Depending who you talk to, lots of people, in the sales dept call them stack stone also around here.

[look 171]

We never, ever set stone or tile over plywood. Asking for trouble. We always use a modified thin set or Marble Set (home depot carries making it easy to buy) because it doesn't sag.

[fastfredracing]

Originally Posted by Crowbob

A 60/40 mix of fake Great Lakes Split and fake Superior Split stone can look pretty good. It took some time but turned out well, IMO:

Man, that looks fantastic . I dont know if I can pull off stones that large. Ill have to give a go at splitting a few .
Thanks , that put some fuel in my motivation tank

[Crowbob]

The trick is to make the project appear to have mass such as if the log mantle were actually carrying the load over the fireplace opening and to not be too precise with the joints.

Also, and this is key, start from the TOP and work your way down to avoid the appearance of rows and lay the corners first, also from top to bottom.

I did not use stones that had too much color (looked fake).