I have a whole new respect for masons....

[LPJR]

Over 6 years ago I had bought 10 boxes of cultured stone from ASFTAX's  company to have the rear of my cement garage covered...His company did a great job on the front and I never got around to having the back done due to time and of course, money. I priced out several gallons of paint yesterday to go over the walls that were again peeling and saw that it was going to cost nearly $100 for what I needed, just in paint....I decided to get the materials for the wall to cover it with the stones. I started this morning and covered the cement walls with wire lathe, cemented the lathe which took forever, and started to apply the rocks.

 

This is a work in progress and I want to have both walls on each side of the chimney covered soon, as well as the chimney (down the road) done. Man, I have a whole new respect for any mason's on here or anywhere. Kudos to you guys and it is truly an art that I have a whole new appreciation for after doing it for only 1 day, lol. Now I know why my great grandfather's hands and fingers were all twisted and beat up after working with stones and rocks each and every day for a living. I will post pics when finished, hopefully in the next two weeks or so......And thanks to Tony, (ASFTAX on here) for all the tips on working with the stones and all of his advice.... 

Edited July 5, 2017 by LPJR

[Lunatic]

It looks good so far. Can't wait to see the final product

[Rusty]

Looks good LPJR.  

[mikejd]

Looks like your off to a good start.

[3Blade]

Not bad for a LEO!  Yes we "EARN" every dollar we make. Take your time and what you may want to do is lay the stone on the ground and piece them together there first. Also try to tighten up the joints just a little more so you do not have such wide joints.

[3Blade]

Also if you have any more lathe to install, make sure you over lap them a little and use a plaster scarifier( scratch coat tool) for the scratch coat.

Edited July 5, 2017 by 3 Blade

[LPJR]

Also if you have any more lathe to install, make sure you over lap them a little and use a plaster scarifier( scratch coat tool) for the scratch coat.

 

All good advice. I am definitely gonna overlap the lathe more on the second wall. I used a rake for the scratch coat but that scratch tool looks like the way to go- thanks.

[tcook8296]

Stone work is an art. Definately lay out your stone on the ground so you can sort the stones by color and size. I usually apply the scratch coat and let it sit a day but Ive seen masons scratch and set stone and grout same day. Definately try to tighten up the joints a bit, those stones should be as tight as possible. 

Dont change your spacing now, keep it consistent. 

When you grout, if you want it real smooth I find a paint brush works real good after working it in with a popsicle stick or stick and of course the grout bag. Let your grout firm up a bit before working it. If its too wet and you get it on the face of the stone, when it dries you will see it. 

Your project looks good. 

Tip, if you want to keep concrete off trim soffit etc, spray it with wd40. The concrete wont stick and you can wipe it off much easier. 

You can use an angle grinder with a diamond wheel or a tile wet saw as well as a masons stone hammer to cut ,chip stones. 

I always clean the edges of every stone with the hammer before I set it. I like to use a rubber mallet to gently tap the stone while setting it. 

Im not a mason by trade but Ive done a lot of my own stone work learned what works and what doesnt and I learn more on every project. 

I have to post up some pics. I just finished a driveway gate with columns that Ive been working on in my spare time for months now. 

I am using a ledgestone with a fieldstone blend and no grout. This is so time consuming. All stones need to fit tight. Lots of cutting and chipping but it looks really good when its finished. 

I just started another stone project today, I am doing a  drainage ditch on the side of my driveway with some stone I picked up from  1700s farm house from western Pa. 

[LPJR]

Stone work is an art. Definately lay out your stone on the ground so you can sort the stones by color and size. I usually apply the scratch coat and let it sit a day but Ive seen masons scratch and set stone and grout same day. Definately try to tighten up the joints a bit, those stones should be as tight as possible. 

Dont change your spacing now, keep it consistent. 

When you grout, if you want it real smooth I find a paint brush works real good after working it in with a popsicle stick or stick and of course the grout bag. Let your grout firm up a bit before working it. If its too wet and you get it on the face of the stone, when it dries you will see it. 

Your project looks good. 

Tip, if you want to keep concrete off trim soffit etc, spray it with wd40. The concrete wont stick and you can wipe it off much easier. 

You can use an angle grinder with a diamond wheel or a tile wet saw as well as a masons stone hammer to cut ,chip stones. 

I always clean the edges of every stone with the hammer before I set it. I like to use a rubber mallet to gently tap the stone while setting it. 

Im not a mason by trade but Ive done a lot of my own stone work learned what works and what doesnt and I learn more on every project. 

I have to post up some pics. I just finished a driveway gate with columns that Ive been working on in my spare time for months now. 

I am using a ledgestone with a fieldstone blend and no grout. This is so time consuming. All stones need to fit tight. Lots of cutting and chipping but it looks really good when its finished. 

I just started another stone project today, I am doing a  drainage ditch on the side of my driveway with some stone I picked up from  1700s farm house from western Pa.

All awesome tips tcook thanks.     (Wd40 who would have thought) Please post up whatever pics of stonework you have done. This is definitely a learning process and every bit helps since I only covered a fraction of what needs to be covered with the stone.

[tcook8296]

It all comes together once its grouted. 

[Buck154]

Looks good and you will feel proud of it when you are done knowing you did it your self   

[Zipper]

King Tut would be proud. "A condo made of stona."

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=King+tut+song&oq=King+tut+song&aqs=chrome..69i57j0j5j0.19087j0j4&client=ms-android-verizon&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

[rocky]

Very nice. Maybe this is why those polyurethane stone panels are becoming more popular.

[Bonefreak]

Cool!  Looking good!  I will be hitting you guys up for advise soon as I have some leftover cultured stone from my house that I am going to put up on the lower third of my shed.

[Haskell_Hunter]

That's awesome!  I could never do anything like that.  It requires physical effort, strength, and an overall sense of good design.  Three things I am incapable of.  However, if you need help, I could always sit in a shaded lawn chair drinking beer casually and regularly pointing out when something is not done correctly.  Every good construction project needs some quality control.  I'll even bring the beer.

 

Seriously thought, nice job, and I hope it comes out better than you expect it to!