Tip from a stone mason: Alternate your corners when faking them. You overhang off the main wall on one, then overhang off the short wall on the next. It really does make it look a lot better. You don't have to measure how far out they go and then cut them all perfect. Stone isn't meant to be stuck like tile because the edge just looks weird. If you alternate the corners, it is very hard to tell that you didn't use actual corners. Cheers!
I agree. The end result here definitely could be improved, in spite of not doing mitre cuts here. I suppose everyone always has much more to learn at all times.
@@frwjbeb25 what I always do is find 2 rocks that are the same height and both have factory edges, and stick one flush with the corner then over hang the other one to be flush with that one. I hope that makes sense
@@frwjbeb25 also, your next one after it should be done the opposite way, so that the "joint" it creates is alternating. If you look at it from the front, you should see the joint only every other one. If you get them very close together it blends in well.
Thank you Jeff and Max. I always enjoy your teaching and instruction. In fact when asked to do some drywall tape and texture for my employer I went you your video "How to drywall A to Z" and then did the work for my boss. He was impressed and thought that I had been doing drywall for many years. Little did he know that I had never done the taping or mudding ever before. I would love to see some instruction from you on texturing. Thank you again John Slater
Just a word of advice, spray water on cement boards before installing tiles. Cement boards due to it's nature, absorbs lots of moisture and tiles/stone may not stay long on the surface or crack upon walking on it.
My five cents , it best to to hydrate the backer board ( wipe with damp sponge ) do the same with ledger stone , this will give you more time with the mortar/ thinset as the materials if dry will suck out the moisture. Second , permanent marker can sometime migrate to the front of the stone if you are using a softer stone ,for example marble etc , it may to a few weeks but eventually it can come through and leave black lines on the surface , ive seen it happen . All the best
I work at Lowe's and I had this question yesterday.. Sure enough my guy Jeff had a video on it! Learned a lot thank you now I can answer these questions without an issue. I think that those edges look good even though you didn't have the corner pieces!
Thanks for your video, very informative. I looked up how to install for myself because I had a contractor install it and there were many cracks in the stone. He stated this is how it comes and is normal which I find hard to believe. As stated in the end of this video damage stone should be returned, which is what I would think. Also, there were areas where it was not leveled leaving gaps, I have halted the project and now that I watched your video I have knowledge of the right way to install this stone. Thank you so much. I will be showing this to my contractor in the morning.
Thanks for being super honest with the saw commentary. I'm going to be doing a stone fireplace wall unit soon and will probably buy a saw as opposed to renting it due to the cost of renting vs buying, then maybe resell the saw for 50% off or something. I wanted to miter the corners, but that looks like that may be a problem for two reasons. You showed one with the rental saw and two, I may not even have a perfect 90 degree angle which would pose a problem. We have a brand new builder spec house and Ryan homes took a dump when it came to building it nicely. It's a builder spec home for sure, but ain't nothing perfect or clean. Thanks for the great video, I will remember the words of wisdom.
If you do not want to go thru the hassle of mixing thin set mortar, you can buy a quality pre-mixed acrylic mortar designed for stone installations. It comes in small and big buckets and you can move at your own pace without worrying about the thinset setting up on you.
I really like how you guys tried the mitre and kept the fail in the video! Thanks for that! We all try things that don't work. The kicker is how well we recover and go on! And, great advice RE consulting with your spouse or client before slapping the stuff on the wall.
Wife here looking at videos since husband is about to redo fireplace. We were about to just put the stone on drywall, sent him to go get the cement sheet after this :) very informative, thank you!
Appreciate the non-hollywood-everything-always-works-perfectly honesty in your videos. The problems that occur and how to overcome them; are why we enjoy these videos. So keep doing that please. Thank you.
Home RenoVision DIY I 2nd Roberts thoughts. I see everybody bitching about the corners, and understand their point, but since it’s real stone if the stone dust from the cut was removed I think it would be minimally noticeable. Most people don’t notice things anyway and it looks 100% better than before.
I came to the comments to say kudos for leaving that in as well. Too many people watching HGTV thinking everything goes quick and perfect. Thanks for keeping it 💯 👍
I just bought a portable saw at a thrift store for 25 bucks. Did not know you could use it to cut 45s. Learn something new every day. Of course, that's why I watch your videos. Now if you'll come to Mississippi and help me level my floors/house, That would be fabulous. ;)
You've motivated me to start to work on my house which we just bought. Thank you for making this home improvement diy stuff a bit more digestible for the laymen. Your an awesome teacher, too. Best wishes from Florida
Jeff, I've watched a lot of DIY videos and I always come back to yours. You have THE BEST tricks and common sense most others, don't! Thanks again for this GREAT video!!!
I have a similar saw since 95. It still works, didn’t burn it out. Yes it’s slow and you sit off to the side or get soaked. I cut marble 1” thick and it’s slow but does it.
Horizontal/vertical notch lines do matter. Their purpose is to evenly dry the thinset. You want them perpendicular to the tile. These pieces are nearly square, so it doesn’t matter as much, but technically they are wider than they are tall and notch lines should be vertical to provide better air flow to the thinset. Get the proper amount of thinset in quick. It starts curing right away and you don’t want to keep adding mortar as you mix. MOST IMPORTANTLY: you need to let your mix slake. After getting your mix to the right consistency, you need to let it sit for a couple minutes, the. Mix again. Otherwise it starts drying to fast and gets a crust on the outer layer as you spread. You either end up re mixing several times throughout the install and only being able to spread small amounts at a time(if you’re aware this is happening) Otherwise, you’re sticking tile on that appears to be bonding to the substrate but will actually be breaking loose from the mortar as it dries. Always pull some pieces out randomly as you’re working to make sure you have a good bond and coverage. Dang! Good luck homeowners...
Shouldn’t the tile be slid back and forth (90 degrees to the trowel lines) while pressing it into the thinset? This collapses the ridges, and allows the air to squeeze out, providing MAX coverage. I’ve never seen anyone explain this vital aspect. WHY A TROWEL IS USED. The trowel creates peaks and valleys. Without this, there would be air pockets galore. The trowel allows for 90-100% coverage and no air bubbles behind the tile. This isn’t as important on a wall. It’s very important on a floor. If there are air pockets in a floor, if someone drops a hair dryer, a pot/pan etc on the floor, the tile WILL break… revealing the air pocket.
I’m a QEP fan of their non powered tile setting supplies only. I recently completed a stacked ledger stone backsplash, a Ridgid 6.5Amp 7” table top wet saw & Dewalt diamond blade cut through the stone like butter.
40 yr stone mason here. If you didn't have the corner stones You should have at least staggered the corners to break up the straight joint. You never want to see a straight vertical joint or sawed edges .. Surely they sell corner stones. I know they are expensive but you just gotta have them. The difference is night and day . But great video
I have this exact stone and I can tell you, they certainly do sell corner pieces for it (it's Trevi Gray at Home Depot). If you see this, maybe you could let me know if I am okay putting this stone directly over brick using heavy tile / natural stone mortar. Three different folks at HD said "oh yeah, no problem" but a 40 yr stone mason would boost my confidence immensely.
you beat me to the comment this guy does alott of stuff and he does alott of nice work none of us are perfect but you are 100% correct on thoughs corners
I currently have a client who wants this stone on the face of their fireplace. I told them they should do all 3 sides with the corner stones for the best professional appearance They are still pressing only the face of the wall due to cost.. If anyone decides to use this product don't be cheap. The appearance of the finished product will be night and day. 10+ year stone mason and business owner.
Pickle MeTimbers planning on doing this on my fireplace...and I will get the Conner for sure... I have dry wall now, do you install the cement wall on top of the dry wall?.. right?
My stone mason actually mitered the corners into 45’s and it looks great, you cannot even tell. They dont sell corners for those mosaic stone pieces, please send me a link for non-mosaic travertine stone corners... so folks end up with straight and exposed edges. The equivalent of running cut tile to the edge and not putting a bullnose or edging piece in. Then you have the cheap folks who only want to do one wall...it wasn’t even a question for me, not only did i do the wood stove wall, I had him do the entire connecting wall to make it look like one solid stone wall that went into the ceiling and I had him wrap the stone around the behind the wall where it was exposed to the other room to make it appear solid. I don’t get why he abandoned the 45 simply because it took a while...unless the homeowners did not want to pay. it honestly is the correct way to go for real stone...my fireplace is real travertine stone, my mason did all 45’s in the edges and it blends seamlessly. I get nothing but compliments on my wood stove stone work. It cost me 7k to do about 250sq/ft in labor and stone, but its done right. I am a believer that if you cannot afford to do it 100% correct, no shortcuts with the best material then you shouldn’t do it at all. Everything else is just a compromise, so why not save up until you can afford the right way? Those mosaic stone pieces are a real garbage product meant for DIY flip reno’s. They look good from far, but are far from good. If anyone wants to do this, go to a stone supply store and get a quote on non-mosaic stones, get a stone mason who will custom cut everything on site for the project.
First off, I really like and appreciate the work you put into these videos, guys. They help give me confidence and support my own projects. Secondly - Go and rent the saw and mitre the joint. Yes, it's three time the cuts, but the saw is designed to do the work and the results are so much better. My brother and i did his gas fireplace in a day. I have one of those small saws and they're not designed for this material....just sayin'.
Another great video! I'm getting ready to do a project like this for the first time and I feel much more confident in getting a good outcome after watching it! One question--how did you make the cuts around the mantel to match the curvature of the mantel trim? Thanks in advance!
I work at Home Depot and I sell those small QEP saws often, I always disclose that they are good for small and thin tile. I am not sure if QEP advertises it or not, but in the Home Depot stores we have signs above all wet saws describing what they are good for. The one you bought is good for basically only small and thin tile, to cut that thick natural stone ledger, you would have needed the 10” Wet Saw, it runs almost $300 but cant cut stone up to 3” deep or so.
I'm looking into doing my fireplace, it is currently brick, would that cement stick straight to the brick or would i need to remove it and start from scratch. Thanks
You can touch the sides of one of those blades and it won't even hurt. Touching the edges likely won't even break the skin unless you stayed against it. Not like a regular saw blade.
Thank you for showing edging. I'm looking to do this outsized my house as well as inside accent wall what stone should I use for exterior? Also what would you suggest for real stone that is afforable or expensive for better cuts?
I bought a 7" wet saw from Harbor Freight for $230 - $27,0 that works like butter. The brand is Diamondback. The table slides into the blade. Not a drop of water went into my face. I highly recommend it.
Very good finish, and the video was very well done. Little hints such as leaving the spacing for the adhesive helps for those of us who haven't completed this type of project. Thanks!
That’s some nice looking stone work around that fireplace. I think I would want to put some wooden trim around the corners, eliminating the need to play puzzle.
Bud I love you channel, I been watching for year and it has help me with some many projects, and it's make me look like a pro to my wife (no tell her 🤫)
I loved the honest frustrations with the saw. It was so worth not editing out. I keep thinking I want to tackle projects like this for our house, but I am a worst case scenario type DIYer. I need to how to get myself out of the jams I find myself in! Keep the content coming and I will keep watching and recommending. Also, fun to actually see Max in the video!
Thanks for the idea Dorthley, unfortunately I don't promote products or stores at this time unless I am asked to specifically. If you have any questions feel free to ask we answer every comment.
Angle grinder works wonders for this process . Heeeeelllluva alot faster as well .. And I'm sure its been beat to death but ? Wear ya some safety glasses 😉
Hi, I’m about to install natural stone on a fireplace wall. I watched your video and plan to use the same tile and follow your advice not to miter the corners. I’m wondering how you dealt with the unfinished edges. Thanks Les
First time watching new subscriber. I love the outcome. I always wanted to add this to my living area I have a dead wall 8x 5.3. As a female I will take my time and follow your video it will save me hundreds on this project. That's a lot.
I would just buy product with with corner pieces unless you're absolutely in love with that stone.....but they make a ton of products in many styles with corner pieces now days....way...way easier.
First of all I love the way you explain the process and the materials, keep it up. Now my first question will be: I recently received a quote for a 190sqt wall (stone wall), but I required not to be with a frame because I don't have the space, so it will be cement board on the wall and the the stone. Could I do that? or do I really need a frame to support the weight of the stone if my walls already have studs. Thank you
if you attach cement board to you studs then you will be just fine. be sure to use the proper screws for it of they will rust out and then the wall will fall. Cheers!
A better blade would have made a huge difference. This video was shot like a reality show. We filmed it from the homeowners perspective to show the kind of problems you can run into.
Mason here: Sorry i had to laugh because its always kinda funny to see a tile guy work with real stone. Its a different ball game. nice video, great info
Thank you for posting this video. I'm about to install ledger panels myself, but I have a question if I may. The ledger stone ill be using is marble, it has a smooth finish and the size and thickness of each tile in the panel is different. Being that its a smooth finish, should I avoid angle cuts and just do straight cuts or would angle cuts look better? One more thing, my fireplace is placed in the corner of the family room. So the small side walls are outward not straight back, like a 60 degree outward angle if that makes sense. Would you suggest the use of an angle measuring tool to measure the angle cut.
Hi Jeff. Whats your take if the wall has dry wall on it not cement board and if i wer apply or use stone ledger do i use something for prepwork for better adhesion or use the same technique you did.
Great video! I'm in the process of installing MSI Terrado stacked stone and ran into an issue. Turns out that the drywall originally installed against gas fireplace insert was 3/4 inch. How do I make the cement board flush with the fireplace front? I can't seem to find 3/4" cement board in my area.
This is the very first video of yours that I've seen thus far and I really found it to be informative! I loved that the Oops's were left in the video and used as teaching moments (YES!), and the finished product looked very, very cool! Thanks for the video!
Not a hater comment but,i have been working on construction long enough,i have always used a regular sheetrock knife to cut the 1/4 and 1/2 inch durock or cement board.by the way,nice finished project!!!👍👍
Thanks so much for sharing this project video!! We just bought a house in Arizona, and it has a wood-burning fireplace that has no mantel and what looks like very nice grayish 12” x 12” tiles around the firebox and then a nice hearth. We both really think it needs some stone for definition, and we wanted something we could do together.
Jeff, I am about to add similar stone to my floor to ceiling fireplace (14ft) so I am looking at about a half tonne of rock. Can the cement board carry the load ok or should I use plywood? I noticed the screw spacing on the cement board in the video seems to be over 12 inches, I was looking at doing 8 inches if I go with cement board to secure it. Any recommendations? Thank you for your videos.
Wow, I can't believe this hasn't been viewed more, this vid completely opened up my eyes to different design ideas! To the people yammering on and on about the corners; are you deaf or did you not bother to watch any of the vid except the last 3 minutes? They clearly explained what the issues were when discovered, and then offered legit workarounds! That wall looks GREAT!
OMG Max, that room has turned out beautiful. I absolutely love it! And Jeff, it's a good thing you can keep a sense of humor about these things. I know it's not easy sometimes (like this project), but I'm impressed that you can keep smiling through it all. Thanks for another great video guys. Merry Christmas Everyone!!!
Great job as always Jeff.... you've got a unique presentation style that is both informative and friendly. I especially thought the "pivot" (and the explanation) that you made with the miter vs. straight cut was great. That type of dynamic change is what separates good DIY from failures. Happy Holiday wishes to you and your family!
I’m adding a similar stone product to my hood fan enclosure which is made of 3/4” plywood. Is the mortar (thinset) acceptable or should I use an adhesive?
Totally agree. This dude should stick to just talking and maybe take some deep breath’s cause he is running out of breath by second row. No protection on flooring, no protection on deck, doesn’t even know how to mix the thinset. Has no level, knows nothing about this type of work...
I like this video. Now that I watched it, seems like maybe one more thing a person can do to prepare to apply the stone is to layout all of the stone on the floor, in the position it will eventually be installed on the wall. This way, if there are any imperfections, they can be identified and replaced before mixing and applying the adhesive.
Did you try to use a cold chisel to make the end cuts? Perhaps a fractured stone edge would look a lot better than the cut off a tile saw? Jeff, great tips otherwise, but please go to Ottawa Fastener and buy a few $6 pairs of safety glasses and flip them onto your forehead when you aren't cutting. Not trying to be a safety troll, just want to be able to see more videos while you can still see to make them!
Noticing you used that mapai ultralite above a fireplace. My question is, what temperature would you start being concerned about the mortar failure? I couldn't find anything online about it.
Certainly I save most of your videos and watch it more multiple times. If the fireplace is bricks, would you use cement on the bricks directly or still fix cement board on the bricks, where screwing the boards to the bricks might be a real challenge Thanks
When placing natural stone what’s the likelihood of thunder holding up versus mortar??? When using it in the shower area do you need to seal this? If so with what type?
You should always back butter the stone pieces. The backer board will suck the moisture right out of your mortar, you know that Jeff!! So I am curious why you didn't preach that?? and as I do myself as a professional Masonry Contractor - I would pre moisten the backer board before applying my thin set and you should always protect the surfaces horizontal and vertical around your work from being damaged with your trowel and thin set mortar!! Your beating up that mantel pretty good!! curious why you seem to always be in a hurry and not take more consideration to making a mess!!! Other than that you do really nice work and produce great videos.
So I had this installed recently and I think there's a leak in my chimney because some of the panels got darker near the top. Do I have to have the discolored ones removed and replaced or will it dry and go back to normal?
Mr. Thorman, I've watched several of ur YT posts, great work! I appreciate u sharing ur practical / knowledgable approach & professional tips. I'm a DIY'er and your content has helped me do my own fantastic work. Beautiful project, Kind regards.
Tip from a stone mason: Alternate your corners when faking them. You overhang off the main wall on one, then overhang off the short wall on the next. It really does make it look a lot better. You don't have to measure how far out they go and then cut them all perfect. Stone isn't meant to be stuck like tile because the edge just looks weird. If you alternate the corners, it is very hard to tell that you didn't use actual corners. Cheers!
Jack I’ve actually seen what your talking about done in other videos. Very good advice! Thanks
I agree. The end result here definitely could be improved, in spite of not doing mitre cuts here. I suppose everyone always has much more to learn at all times.
How much do you hang it off the corner?
@@frwjbeb25 what I always do is find 2 rocks that are the same height and both have factory edges, and stick one flush with the corner then over hang the other one to be flush with that one. I hope that makes sense
@@frwjbeb25 also, your next one after it should be done the opposite way, so that the "joint" it creates is alternating. If you look at it from the front, you should see the joint only every other one. If you get them very close together it blends in well.
I really like how you try something and when it doesn't work, you admit it was a bad move. Makes me believe all else you have to say. Great job!
Exactly! ... Don't need 6 mins of bad advice
Thank you Jeff and Max. I always enjoy your teaching and instruction. In fact when asked to do some drywall tape and texture for my employer I went you your video "How to drywall A to Z" and then did the work for my boss. He was impressed and thought that I had been doing drywall for many years. Little did he know that I had never done the taping or mudding ever before.
I would love to see some instruction from you on texturing.
Thank you again
John Slater
You my friend are a drywall prodigy!! Hats off to you. Have a great 2018
Stove arrived in great shape, no damage during shipping. Easy to assemble. Works great, we are very happy with the way it heats.
Just a word of advice, spray water on cement boards before installing tiles. Cement boards due to it's nature, absorbs lots of moisture and tiles/stone may not stay long on the surface or crack upon walking on it.
It is so beautiful, has different modes and colors and flame speed. I bought a 42 inch for my 55inch tv and it sure came out well
My five cents , it best to to hydrate the backer board ( wipe with damp sponge ) do the same with ledger stone , this will give you more time with the mortar/ thinset as the materials if dry will suck out the moisture. Second , permanent marker can sometime migrate to the front of the stone if you are using a softer stone ,for example marble etc , it may to a few weeks but eventually it can come through and leave black lines on the surface , ive seen it happen . All the best
I work at Lowe's and I had this question yesterday.. Sure enough my guy Jeff had a video on it! Learned a lot thank you now I can answer these questions without an issue. I think that those edges look good even though you didn't have the corner pieces!
Thanks for your video, very informative. I looked up how to install for myself because I had a contractor install it and there were many cracks in the stone. He stated this is how it comes and is normal which I find hard to believe. As stated in the end of this video damage stone should be returned, which is what I would think. Also, there were areas where it was not leveled leaving gaps, I have halted the project and now that I watched your video I have knowledge of the right way to install this stone. Thank you so much. I will be showing this to my contractor in the morning.
Thanks for being super honest with the saw commentary. I'm going to be doing a stone fireplace wall unit soon and will probably buy a saw as opposed to renting it due to the cost of renting vs buying, then maybe resell the saw for 50% off or something. I wanted to miter the corners, but that looks like that may be a problem for two reasons. You showed one with the rental saw and two, I may not even have a perfect 90 degree angle which would pose a problem. We have a brand new builder spec house and Ryan homes took a dump when it came to building it nicely. It's a builder spec home for sure, but ain't nothing perfect or clean. Thanks for the great video, I will remember the words of wisdom.
If you do not want to go thru the hassle of mixing thin set mortar, you can buy a quality pre-mixed acrylic mortar designed for stone installations. It comes in small and big buckets and you can move at your own pace without worrying about the thinset setting up on you.
I really like how you guys tried the mitre and kept the fail in the video! Thanks for that! We all try things that don't work. The kicker is how well we recover and go on!
And, great advice RE consulting with your spouse or client before slapping the stuff on the wall.
One thing you can do if you're avoiding the mitered corners is to chip the cut edges with a pick/awl to create natural - not smooth cut - edges.
Wife here looking at videos since husband is about to redo fireplace. We were about to just put the stone on drywall, sent him to go get the cement sheet after this :) very informative, thank you!
Appreciate the non-hollywood-everything-always-works-perfectly honesty in your videos. The problems that occur and how to overcome them; are why we enjoy these videos. So keep doing that please. Thank you.
Thanks Robert. Since we ran into problems we decided to film it , just to keep it real. Not everything goes as planned in this business.
Home RenoVision DIY I 2nd Roberts thoughts. I see everybody bitching about the corners, and understand their point, but since it’s real stone if the stone dust from the cut was removed I think it would be minimally noticeable. Most people don’t notice things anyway and it looks 100% better than before.
Agree 100%
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY As the great modern day philosopher, Mike Tyson once said, "everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face".
I came to the comments to say kudos for leaving that in as well. Too many people watching HGTV thinking everything goes quick and perfect. Thanks for keeping it 💯 👍
I just bought a portable saw at a thrift store for 25 bucks. Did not know you could use it to cut 45s. Learn something new every day. Of course, that's why I watch your videos. Now if you'll come to Mississippi and help me level my floors/house, That would be fabulous. ;)
You've motivated me to start to work on my house which we just bought. Thank you for making this home improvement diy stuff a bit more digestible for the laymen. Your an awesome teacher, too. Best wishes from Florida
A fireplace between two big windows! Superb job and final presentation! Enjoy!
that room looks awesome!
Jeff, I've watched a lot of DIY videos and I always come back to yours. You have THE BEST tricks and common sense most others, don't! Thanks again for this GREAT video!!!
Glad to help
I have a similar saw since 95. It still works, didn’t burn it out. Yes it’s slow and you sit off to the side or get soaked. I cut marble 1” thick and it’s slow but does it.
Horizontal/vertical notch lines do matter. Their purpose is to evenly dry the thinset. You want them perpendicular to the tile. These pieces are nearly square, so it doesn’t matter as much, but technically they are wider than they are tall and notch lines should be vertical to provide better air flow to the thinset. Get the proper amount of thinset in quick. It starts curing right away and you don’t want to keep adding mortar as you mix. MOST IMPORTANTLY: you need to let your mix slake. After getting your mix to the right consistency, you need to let it sit for a couple minutes, the. Mix again. Otherwise it starts drying to fast and gets a crust on the outer layer as you spread. You either end up re mixing several times throughout the install and only being able to spread small amounts at a time(if you’re aware this is happening) Otherwise, you’re sticking tile on that appears to be bonding to the substrate but will actually be breaking loose from the mortar as it dries. Always pull some pieces out randomly as you’re working to make sure you have a good bond and coverage. Dang! Good luck homeowners...
Shouldn’t the tile be slid back and forth (90 degrees to the trowel lines) while pressing it into the thinset? This collapses the ridges, and allows the air to squeeze out, providing MAX coverage.
I’ve never seen anyone explain this vital aspect. WHY A TROWEL IS USED.
The trowel creates peaks and valleys. Without this, there would be air pockets galore. The trowel allows for 90-100% coverage and no air bubbles behind the tile.
This isn’t as important on a wall. It’s very important on a floor. If there are air pockets in a floor, if someone drops a hair dryer, a pot/pan etc on the floor, the tile WILL break… revealing the air pocket.
I’m a QEP fan of their non powered tile setting supplies only. I recently completed a stacked ledger stone backsplash, a Ridgid 6.5Amp 7” table top wet saw & Dewalt diamond blade cut through the stone like butter.
Thank you for the video! Would the same technique apply if I wanted to add stone to a wooden kitchen island?
Thank you struggling through a hearth because I can’t lock down a mason
This just answered all my questions
40 yr stone mason here. If you didn't have the corner stones You should have at least staggered the corners to break up the straight joint. You never want to see a straight vertical joint or sawed edges .. Surely they sell corner stones. I know they are expensive but you just gotta have them. The difference is night and day .
But great video
I have this exact stone and I can tell you, they certainly do sell corner pieces for it (it's Trevi Gray at Home Depot). If you see this, maybe you could let me know if I am okay putting this stone directly over brick using heavy tile / natural stone mortar. Three different folks at HD said "oh yeah, no problem" but a 40 yr stone mason would boost my confidence immensely.
you beat me to the comment this guy does alott of stuff and he does alott of nice work none of us are perfect but you are 100% correct on thoughs corners
I currently have a client who wants this stone on the face of their fireplace. I told them they should do all 3 sides with the corner stones for the best professional appearance They are still pressing only the face of the wall due to cost.. If anyone decides to use this product don't be cheap. The appearance of the finished product will be night and day. 10+ year stone mason and business owner.
Pickle MeTimbers planning on doing this on my fireplace...and I will get the Conner for sure... I have dry wall now, do you install the cement wall on top of the dry wall?.. right?
My stone mason actually mitered the corners into 45’s and it looks great, you cannot even tell. They dont sell corners for those mosaic stone pieces, please send me a link for non-mosaic travertine stone corners... so folks end up with straight and exposed edges. The equivalent of running cut tile to the edge and not putting a bullnose or edging piece in.
Then you have the cheap folks who only want to do one wall...it wasn’t even a question for me, not only did i do the wood stove wall, I had him do the entire connecting wall to make it look like one solid stone wall that went into the ceiling and I had him wrap the stone around the behind the wall where it was exposed to the other room to make it appear solid.
I don’t get why he abandoned the 45 simply because it took a while...unless the homeowners did not want to pay. it honestly is the correct way to go for real stone...my fireplace is real travertine stone, my mason did all 45’s in the edges and it blends seamlessly. I get nothing but compliments on my wood stove stone work. It cost me 7k to do about 250sq/ft in labor and stone, but its done right. I am a believer that if you cannot afford to do it 100% correct, no shortcuts with the best material then you shouldn’t do it at all. Everything else is just a compromise, so why not save up until you can afford the right way?
Those mosaic stone pieces are a real garbage product meant for DIY flip reno’s. They look good from far, but are far from good. If anyone wants to do this, go to a stone supply store and get a quote on non-mosaic stones, get a stone mason who will custom cut everything on site for the project.
First off, I really like and appreciate the work you put into these videos, guys. They help give me confidence and support my own projects. Secondly - Go and rent the saw and mitre the joint. Yes, it's three time the cuts, but the saw is designed to do the work and the results are so much better. My brother and i did his gas fireplace in a day. I have one of those small saws and they're not designed for this material....just sayin'.
Another great video! I'm getting ready to do a project like this for the first time and I feel much more confident in getting a good outcome after watching it! One question--how did you make the cuts around the mantel to match the curvature of the mantel trim? Thanks in advance!
I work at Home Depot and I sell those small QEP saws often, I always disclose that they are good for small and thin tile. I am not sure if QEP advertises it or not, but in the Home Depot stores we have signs above all wet saws describing what they are good for. The one you bought is good for basically only small and thin tile, to cut that thick natural stone ledger, you would have needed the 10” Wet Saw, it runs almost $300 but cant cut stone up to 3” deep or so.
As a stone mason this made me cry 😢 so many things done wrong
Can you elaborate?
Every time I have to do a project there you are with expert advice! Thanks for being there!
I'm looking into doing my fireplace, it is currently brick, would that cement stick straight to the brick or would i need to remove it and start from scratch. Thanks
I'm thinking the same thing. People tile on top of floor tile.
This guy is awesome and it's just a joy to watch his videos.
What if the wall is already painted? Would I need to remove the paint?
Thanks for showing the "mistakes" and how you overcame them, great for the DIY person.
Your fingers and that saw made me nervous! Thanks for the video
LOl no worries. a little burn at worst maybe!
You can touch the sides of one of those blades and it won't even hurt. Touching the edges likely won't even break the skin unless you stayed against it. Not like a regular saw blade.
Mike's Beardeds as long as it doesn’t have a nick in the blade it won’t cut you
Isn’t it more like the saw that takes off casts? Those won’t cut you-occasionally sort of a burn.
The tile blade won't cut you like the angle grinder blade will.
Thank you for showing edging. I'm looking to do this outsized my house as well as inside accent wall what stone should I use for exterior? Also what would you suggest for real stone that is afforable or expensive for better cuts?
I would definitely butter the stones before just placing them on the wall. Thats how you have pieces fall out. Not enough adhesion.
I bought a 7" wet saw from Harbor Freight for $230 - $27,0 that works like butter. The brand is Diamondback. The table slides into the blade. Not a drop of water went into my face. I highly recommend it.
Very good finish, and the video was very well done. Little hints such as leaving the spacing for the adhesive helps for those of us who haven't completed this type of project. Thanks!
That’s some nice looking stone work around that fireplace. I think I would want to put some wooden trim around the corners, eliminating the need to play puzzle.
That was the most micky mouse wet tile saw ive ever seen. I was looking for a Little Tikes logo on it somewhere 😂
Bud I love you channel, I been watching for year and it has help me with some many projects, and it's make me look like a pro to my wife (no tell her 🤫)
I loved the honest frustrations with the saw. It was so worth not editing out. I keep thinking I want to tackle projects like this for our house, but I am a worst case scenario type DIYer. I need to how to get myself out of the jams I find myself in! Keep the content coming and I will keep watching and recommending. Also, fun to actually see Max in the video!
Thanks Jeff. Only thing I wish had been in it was how you did the pieces around the mantle. Looking to do mine soon and have that conundrum.
You guys should put everything you used in the video down in the description box so we know what we need or where we can get them!
Thanks for the idea Dorthley, unfortunately I don't promote products or stores at this time unless I am asked to specifically.
If you have any questions feel free to ask we answer every comment.
What brand of stone is this?
Home depot stone
Floor and decor ultra bomd or home depot tile saw
Jeff, my corners are flush cut.. would u suggest filling corners with silicone to fill the gaps?
Angle grinder works wonders for this process . Heeeeelllluva alot faster as well .. And I'm sure its been beat to death but ? Wear ya some safety glasses 😉
im putting slate ledgestone over my brick fireplace. Does it require A metal lath or wire mesh between the stone and mortor ? great video ! thanks !
Hi, I’m about to install natural stone on a fireplace wall. I watched your video and plan to use the same tile and follow your advice not to miter the corners.
I’m wondering how you dealt with the unfinished edges.
Thanks
Les
First time watching new subscriber. I love the outcome. I always wanted to add this to my living area I have a dead wall 8x 5.3. As a female I will take my time and follow your video it will save me hundreds on this project. That's a lot.
I would just buy product with with corner pieces unless you're absolutely in love with that stone.....but they make a ton of products in many styles with corner pieces now days....way...way easier.
Totally agree. But this one was on a huge sale. I wonder why?
Because of the price on the stone lmao
1xraydoc day you
First of all I love the way you explain the process and the materials, keep it up. Now my first question will be: I recently received a quote for a 190sqt wall (stone wall), but I required not to be with a frame because I don't have the space, so it will be cement board on the wall and the the stone. Could I do that? or do I really need a frame to support the weight of the stone if my walls already have studs. Thank you
if you attach cement board to you studs then you will be just fine. be sure to use the proper screws for it of they will rust out and then the wall will fall. Cheers!
If you put a segmented blade on those cheap saws they cut much faster and cleaner 45s
A better blade would have made a huge difference. This video was shot like a reality show. We filmed it from the homeowners perspective to show the kind of problems you can run into.
That is amazing! Thanks and also you have not only skills but also great humour
i would like to have seen the process of hanging the cement board. maybe there is some b roll of that laying around that you can post..
cut and screw my friend. no secrets there. Cheers!
I have that same QEP saw. It's slow even with ceramic tiles. But worth it for small home stuff. Great vid! Love how you show the fails along the way
Mason here:
Sorry i had to laugh because its always kinda funny to see a tile guy work with real stone. Its a different ball game.
nice video, great info
Any recommendations?
@@neocount6397 Git gud?
Amen to the Mason guy .I'm Mason guy to lmao
Thank you for posting this video. I'm about to install ledger panels myself, but I have a question if I may. The ledger stone ill be using is marble, it has a smooth finish and the size and thickness of each tile in the panel is different. Being that its a smooth finish, should I avoid angle cuts and just do straight cuts or would angle cuts look better? One more thing, my fireplace is placed in the corner of the family room. So the small side walls are outward not straight back, like a 60 degree outward angle if that makes sense. Would you suggest the use of an angle measuring tool to measure the angle cut.
That sounds about right Tony. I would suggest a miter especially since marble cuts like butter. Cheers!
And I was all ready to buy that saw. Sheesh!
I would suggest a little larger motor size!
Hi Jeff. Whats your take if the wall has dry wall on it not cement board and if i wer apply or use stone ledger do i use something for prepwork for better adhesion or use the same technique you did.
Hi! I want to tile-over-tile my fireplace. The new tiles are not heavy. Would you recommend that? I sure hope so.
You should really remove it. It won’t bond well even with a primer. And you don’t want anything falling off the wall it could be dangerous
Your user name tells it all. Use cement board or you'll have problems.
Great video! I'm in the process of installing MSI Terrado stacked stone and ran into an issue. Turns out that the drywall originally installed against gas fireplace insert was 3/4 inch. How do I make the cement board flush with the fireplace front? I can't seem to find 3/4" cement board in my area.
This is the very first video of yours that I've seen thus far and I really found it to be informative! I loved that the Oops's were left in the video and used as teaching moments (YES!), and the finished product looked very, very cool! Thanks for the video!
Life has a way of throwing curves. we like to show the reality of renovating.
Not a hater comment but,i have been working on construction long enough,i have always used a regular sheetrock knife to cut the 1/4 and 1/2 inch durock or cement board.by the way,nice finished project!!!👍👍
Great Video. Want to know if you removed the old brick or did you just place the cement panel over the old brick. Thanks.
you could. in this case it was all drywall.
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY Can't the tile just go over the brick? How would someone even begin to remove bricks? Sounds like an impossible task for a DIYer.
Do you put the cement board directly over the drywall or did you remove the drywall, put up plywood and attach the cement board to the plywood?
"Just about perfect!"...dumps in another 1/4 bag of powder..
DaManDaMythDaLegnd 🤣😆😆
I would have put something down on the porch where I was mixing
😂
Thanks so much for sharing this project video!! We just bought a house in Arizona, and it has a wood-burning fireplace that has no mantel and what looks like very nice grayish 12” x 12” tiles around the firebox and then a nice hearth. We both really think it needs some stone for definition, and we wanted something we could do together.
Love seeing the trial and error. I don't feel so daft :-)
Life is like a box of chocolates....Cheers!
Jeff, I am about to add similar stone to my floor to ceiling fireplace (14ft) so I am looking at about a half tonne of rock. Can the cement board carry the load ok or should I use plywood? I noticed the screw spacing on the cement board in the video seems to be over 12 inches, I was looking at doing 8 inches if I go with cement board to secure it. Any recommendations? Thank you for your videos.
Haha. Thanks for your.advice regardng a spouse! Love your.sense of humour.
Wow, I can't believe this hasn't been viewed more, this vid completely opened up my eyes to different design ideas!
To the people yammering on and on about the corners; are you deaf or did you not bother to watch any of the vid except the last 3 minutes? They clearly explained what the issues were when discovered, and then offered legit workarounds! That wall looks GREAT!
Thank you James , glad to see someone is paying attention. Cheers!
OMG Max, that room has turned out beautiful. I absolutely love it!
And Jeff, it's a good thing you can keep a sense of humor about these things. I know it's not easy sometimes (like this project), but I'm impressed that you can keep smiling through it all. Thanks for another great video guys. Merry Christmas Everyone!!!
Jeff, can I adhere the stone directly to my brick fireplace? Or do you recommend using wonderboard or other cement board product?
Great job as always Jeff.... you've got a unique presentation style that is both informative and friendly. I especially thought the "pivot" (and the explanation) that you made with the miter vs. straight cut was great. That type of dynamic change is what separates good DIY from failures.
Happy Holiday wishes to you and your family!
Thanks Clinton, Just trying to keep it real. Have a great 2018!
I’m adding a similar stone product to my hood fan enclosure which is made of 3/4” plywood. Is the mortar (thinset) acceptable or should I use an adhesive?
"Its almost perfect"...adds like 3 times more mortar...😂...mixing on a wood deck without protecting?...
This dude doesn't know how to install this brick
Totally agree. This dude should stick to just talking and maybe take some deep breath’s cause he is running out of breath by second row. No protection on flooring, no protection on deck, doesn’t even know how to mix the thinset. Has no level, knows nothing about this type of work...
This is the first video of yours that I've watched that made me wonder. Was the guy who played the handyman a actor?
I like this video. Now that I watched it, seems like maybe one more thing a person can do to prepare to apply the stone is to layout all of the stone on the floor, in the position it will eventually be installed on the wall. This way, if there are any imperfections, they can be identified and replaced before mixing and applying the adhesive.
Helped me save 3 grand thanx lol this video was dope
That is what I like to hear!
p orio fh f fire call IRS guitars guitars
I plan on doing a lot of projects around the house... what wet saw would you recommend for tile and stone?
Did you try to use a cold chisel to make the end cuts? Perhaps a fractured stone edge would look a lot better than the cut off a tile saw? Jeff, great tips otherwise, but please go to Ottawa Fastener and buy a few $6 pairs of safety glasses and flip them onto your forehead when you aren't cutting. Not trying to be a safety troll, just want to be able to see more videos while you can still see to make them!
Thanks Don, I have them and use them regularly when needed.
Will a regular saw blade work to cut? I just bought the same stone ledger, and looking for best cutting method. Or renting the way to go?
That little saw was scaring me....
Just taking a look into the real life of a homeowner! There are definitely better options out there but they all cost more money!
I watch all the videos and after I watch each, it makes me want to go start a new project around the house.
I have the same problem. Max has been working a lot on his new house and I am getting the itch to start a few at my house as well.
DIY ... STEP 1: hire someone STEP 2: Grab a beer and enjoy!
Put a sealer on the cut edge along the corner, it will darken the cut a bit and makes it a bit less noticeable
Almost perfect..adds a shit ton of powder..🤣
Was this application done over a new fireplace install or a renovation of an existing fireplace?
Seeing cement tripping and flying everywhere gave me anxiety
Yeah same here
Noticing you used that mapai ultralite above a fireplace. My question is, what temperature would you start being concerned about the mortar failure? I couldn't find anything online about it.
Where are your eye protections bud?
Certainly I save most of your videos and watch it more multiple times.
If the fireplace is bricks, would you use cement on the bricks directly or still fix cement board on the bricks, where screwing the boards to the bricks might be a real challenge
Thanks
Nice job! If leaving drywall on the wall above a fireplace, can 1/4" cement board be used over the drywall vs. 1/2"? Thanks. TS
When placing natural stone what’s the likelihood of thunder holding up versus mortar???
When using it in the shower area do you need to seal this? If so with what type?
You should always back butter the stone pieces. The backer board will suck the moisture right out of your mortar, you know that Jeff!! So I am curious why you didn't preach that?? and as I do myself as a professional Masonry Contractor - I would pre moisten the backer board before applying my thin set and you should always protect the surfaces horizontal and vertical around your work from being damaged with your trowel and thin set mortar!! Your beating up that mantel pretty good!! curious why you seem to always be in a hurry and not take more consideration to making a mess!!! Other than that you do really nice work and produce great videos.
That was amazing! Thank you for sharing. So informative and inspiring and educational. I needed this video ❤! Thank you
Hey Jeff, what can I do when installing the veneer on a red block wall. I m guessing it will a lot harder to install the cement board on brick?
So I had this installed recently and I think there's a leak in my chimney because some of the panels got darker near the top. Do I have to have the discolored ones removed and replaced or will it dry and go back to normal?
Mr. Thorman, I've watched several of ur YT posts, great work!
I appreciate u sharing ur practical / knowledgable approach & professional tips.
I'm a DIY'er and your content has helped me do my own fantastic work.
Beautiful project, Kind regards.