You often see people advising you not to judge a book by its cover. You might have to put this advice aside when it comes to the exterior of your house. In this particular case, you cannot help forming an opinion about a house based on its exterior looks.
The better the exterior, the higher the property’s resale price will be. There are a few tactics, which can add up to the overall appeal of your house when installing stone veneers.
3 Tips To Make Exterior Stone Veneer Look Great On Your House
1. Prepare The Surface Of Exterior Walls For Stone Veneer Installation
The first and foremost tip is to focus on the exterior surface, as various products can be poured directly onto concrete walls. However, if your house’s exterior is made of plywood, you should either place metal lathe and vapor barriers over it or do a stucco scratch brown coat.
After making sure that your exterior surface is perfect for the outdoor stone veneer, arrange the following instruments/tools that you would need to install exterior stone veneer.
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- Tape measure
- An empty bucket
- Sponge
- Spacers or shims
- Mortar drill mixer
- Mortar or thinset
- A wet saw
- A notched trowel
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2. Place the Stone Veneer Smoothly
Start with washing off the stones thoroughly. Now take the exterior measurements and tape it on the ground. Now, lay the rocks inside the taped square on the floor to see if the rocks will cover the whole wall and merge well.
The next step is to start trimming the rocks according to the structure you want. Also, this way you can test if the color combination of rocks look good when placed together. Moreover, trending stone veneer consist of stones with smooth corners. Also, remember to keep the stones damp before the installation, as it will prevent the absorption of moisture from the mortar.
Tools to trim the rocks:
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- Wet saw
- Circular saw
- Chisel
- Maul
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After trimming and testing the stone veneer on the ground, start preparing the Mortar.
To get the best mortar mix, combine 2.25 liter water with type S and N cement. Mix until the mixture gets thick. More water can be added, if needed. Make sure that the mixture consistency is not too drippy, instead a dense mixture will be great. Outdoor stone veneer will only stick well if the mixture is strong enough to hold the stones and stick to the exterior walls of the house.
The best tactic to apply mortar is to apply mortar mixture at the bottom corner. Secondly, place double layer of mixture on the back of the stone veneer, and press the mixture on the exterior. Press until it sticks permanently.
3. Clean and Conceal the Stone Veneer
Cleaning the wall is easy. You can rinse a sponge in water and clean the walls right on the day of installation. However, grout the gaps in the stones if you see any. The grout will prevent water from going inside the gaps and cause dislodging of the stones later. Wait for 48 hours before you seal the wall. It is just an optional step for those looking for further color enhancements.
Bottom Line
Installing an exterior stone veneer seems an exciting idea. Also, it’s easy to install, but the end product will only turn great if the instructions are followed correctly. However, one way of making sure your exterior stone veneer installment looks perfect is to approach natural stone veneer. We have the best plans for the installation and maintenance of the residential and commercial exterior stone veneers.