A stacked stone accented wall can give your home a rustic, vintage touch. If you’ve been thinking of giving a new look to your living room, taking up a stacked stone DIY project can be a worthwhile endeavor.
You might be feeling queasy about the prospect of taking on a DIY home renovation project, but thanks to precast veneer panels, installing a stacked stone couldn’t be easier. These panels are made of natural stone and come in a variety of finishes. And you won’t be able to tell them apart from classic masonry.
However, most DIY homeowners tend to make the same common mistakes when it comes to installing these panels, which ruins how their wall turns out in the end. Thankfully, these problems are easily avoidable.
Read on to learn what installation mistakes are common while installing stacked stone walls and how you can avoid them.
Panel Gaps
A stacked stone wall should not have any gaps between its panels. Gaps are a sign that the installation was not done correctly. Some common reasons for this could be using panels with uneven edges or installing the panels on a rough wall surface. It is essential to ensure that the wall can support the stacked stone and that there are no irregularities on the surface.
Panel Slippage
When you’re installing a stacked stone wall, it’s common to have your panels slip out of alignment when you move on to the next piece. To avoid this common problem, you can use a high binding, adhesive mortar with a quick dry time, so your panels stick to their place quickly.
Misaligned Corners
When installing a stacked stone wall by yourself, corners can be tricky to get right, especially with pre-cut panels. For the corners to align, they need to be miter-cut at an angle of 45-degrees. If the cut isn’t precise, the result will look misaligned and shabby. Fortunately, you can now get pre-cut and pre-assembled corner panels which you just have to fit into place.
Installing The Panels In An Identical Manner
When installing pre-assembled identical wall panels, it’s essential to keep a certain level of offset between the panels and avoid lining them up column-by-column. You want the stacked stones to look natural rather than deliberately stacked together in a uniform arrangement. You can prevent this issue by using panels that are not identical or have different patterns.
Choosing The Wrong Starting Position
It’s essential to start from the right place when installing stacked stones. Otherwise, you’re going to end up with a misaligned wall. Begin from the corners at the lowest point. We would also advise you to lay out the stones in rows before fitting them on the wall. This step is to make sure everything fits in order and get the panels lined up.
Using Insufficient Mortar
To ensure a uniform installation, you must ensure that you use a sufficient thin-set and apply it evenly. Check to see if you have enough mortar to last you throughout the installation process. Apply the thin-set on the wall and panel both. To make sure you don’t run out of the mortar in one go, mix it in small batches as you need it.
All these problems are easily avoidable and should not stop you from trying out a DIY stacked stone wall installation for your home or office. Now that you’re more aware of these problems and what steps you can take, you’ll be better prepared to avoid them.
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