# Manufactured stone veneer behind wood stove



## CoyWolf (Nov 10, 2015)

Hi all,

I have a wood stove and recently put up metal stud spacers behind hardi 500 backerboard. I did this on the wall behind the wood stove to create a 1-1/2" air gap behind the backerboard with gap at floor level and gap toward the ceiling.
My plan is to put a manufactured stone veneer over the hardi backerboard.
Been looking at Eldorado Stone, Mountain Ledge and want a Dry Stacked look.
The manufacturer recommends using a Laticrete MVIS product to install the veneer.
Any recommendations, comments or opinions on either of these products would be appreciated.

Thanks,

CW


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## Tscarborough (Mar 31, 2006)

Should work fine.


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## CoyWolf (Nov 10, 2015)

Glad to hear no horror stories about the Eldorado Stone ...
... if it looks anywhere near as good as it does in their literature and installation videos then I'll be happy.

Anyone know of different or better brands that may look even more realistic?


Thanks,

CW


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## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

We've used alot of different brands through the years, Dutch Quality Stone was one of my favorites.

One thing to keep in mind with drystack is that it's the hardest, slowest style of joint to accomplish. If you're extremely picky, you'll probably be fine. I would recommend at least 2 things for a novice working with this stuff, try to start at the top & work down to keep mortar dropping from staining your stone, and use a darker tint in the bonding mortar to help hide the "oozing" from behind.........


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## Tscarborough (Mar 31, 2006)

2 other things. One, a design consideration, is that Mountain ledge (if not the panels) is on the large size. Small areas look funny with large stones, so Two, buy more than you need to cull the larger stones out.


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## CoyWolf (Nov 10, 2015)

Area is only 42 sq ft so that's definitely something to consider in what I get.
Actually, I guess I was looking at the Mountain Ledge panels. They seem to only have the color (style) that I want in panels.
http://www.eldoradostone.com/products/stone/northwestern-profiles/mountain-ledge-panels/#bow-valley

Re: The Eldorado Stone Panels
With panels, can I cut them with a tile saw? I don't really have much of a corner to wrap around so not sure how I'd do this. My plan was to finish off the sides with wood (probably 4x6 floor to ceiling each side). I probably will still need to purchase more than exact square footage if I cut them left and right side. Just not sure how I'd cut them.
Also, are the panels any more difficult to instal than individual stones, I assume backerboard gets troweled and backs of panels buttered same as with individual stones?

Re: Dutch Quality Stone, I'll check them out.
I can't imagine stating from the top, goes against what little I know about the process ... guess I've got some homework to do before I dig into this project.

Thank you both for your comments/ tips, they are appreciated!

CW


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## Tscarborough (Mar 31, 2006)

FYI, Dutch Quality Stone is also Eldorado Stone. It is what I call their "multi-family" veneer, i.e. the cheaper version. Quality is still good, but there are less choices available, which allows them to stock less material, less molds, etc, so better costs.

"Panels" (they are not really what you would think of as panels, rather just more than one stone shape to a piece) are easier to install as there is no skill involved in fitting stones, the pieces just fit together. If you have you have outside corners, you will need to buy the outside corners, you can not miter or otherwise make it look like anything other than hammered @#&$^!# without them.

They can be cut with anything, grinder, tile saw, skillsaw, etc, so long as you have the correct blade. Abrasive if you only have a few cuts, diamond if you have many.

Just to be clear, I work for the company that also owns Eldorado Stone, and have sold their product (and other manufacturer's) for decades. I have also installed a lot of the material myself.

I do not install from the top down, but I am a very meticulous installer and don't make a mess. I DO recommend that homeowners install from the top down, and then from the bottom up, meeting about 1-2 foot from the floor where any cuts made to fit can be hidden.

All cuts should be oriented away from the primary line of sight, so for horizontal cuts below eye (or sitting) level, cuts should face down, above standing eye level cuts should face up. If one edge is 2' from a wall, then all vertical cuts should face that wall, etc.


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## CoyWolf (Nov 10, 2015)

Exactly what I needed.
I'm glad to know the difference between the panels and individual pieces.

With this being a small area, cost certainly isn't an issue, I don't mind paying a little more for a product that is easier to work with and will look better when completed.
I'm careful and keep things organized and clean when doing projects like this so it should go smoothly. I can see where you wouldn't want thinset (MVIS) getting on the face and I would imagine keeping it off the matching faces is important with this dry-stack.
No outside corners, I'll just be butting left and right sides up to a trim beam.

Suggestions to keep any horizontal cuts down low and other cuts out of line of sight is very helpful. I'll put in a temporary straight edge on each side when setting the "panels".
I watched a video for installation on backerboard (at Eldorado site), it appears pretty straightforward.

I may check back with you as I approach the project (it's a month or more off), I'll do my homework and go see the product where they sell it before moving ahead.


Thanks for the help!

CW


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