About to start a corner build

[Chach]

Looks great! it's definitely a project you should be proud of.

Ricky

[Grahamstein]

So I've still been plugging along when I have time. I acid stained and sealed the lower counters, got about half way with pointing the stone. Just a few more things to finish still. I need to make a cap for the fireplace, get the electric working, finish the pointing and I want to build a brick outer done over the oven then waterproof it.

[Chach]

I copy everything else you said, except for the part about using a backfill. Does that mean to fill the gap with some sort of foam filler rod or something to that effect? Like the sort of thing you might use to fill gaps around window jambs before sealing it with spray foam?

No a backfiller is a pointing tool to pack the mortar usually a 1/4" pointing trowel. The foam filler is called backer rod and is used for expansion joints and between commercial store fronts with a flexible sealant over the top such as urethane sealant.

Ricky

[Grahamstein]

Piping bag works fine and use a backfill to pack the joint and after a bit use a masons broom or stiff painters brush to brush the mortar and clean off the excess on the stone. thats how I did my fireplace inside my house. Mortar has to be on the looser side for the bag to work.

Ricky

I copy everything else you said, except for the part about using a backfill. Does that mean to fill the gap with some sort of foam filler rod or something to that effect? Like the sort of thing you might use to fill gaps around window jambs before sealing it with spray foam?

[Chach]

Piping bag works fine and use a backfiller to pack the joint and after a bit use a masons broom or stiff painters brush to brush the mortar and clean off the excess on the stone. thats how I did my fireplace inside my house. Mortar has to be on the looser side for the bag to work.

Ricky

[fox]

I will be interested on what you find the easiest way to fill the stones, there are grouting guns available, just like a large mastic gun but they dont work with standard sand cement mix.
I think that trying to fill with a piping bag might work if you can find a fine sand that wont compress and block up all the time.

[Grahamstein]

Unless someone has better suggestions I was just going to mix up some type s and use a piping bag. I had planned on giving it an overgrout finish

[fox]

So do you have a method planed to point all the stone? A grouting gun of some description?

[Grahamstein]

That looks really good, how did you stick the stone to the cement board?

The instructions from the manufacturer of the veneer said to use a polymer modified thinset mortar. A little more expensive but it seems like it's worth it as the bond strength is really good. In one spot I tried to pull a stone of a day after setting it and it started breaking the cement board rather than shear off.

[Chach]

Can't wait to see it done. Everything is coming together. People don't realize how big of a project you just did is. Congrats.

Ricky

[fox]

That looks really good, how did you stick the stone to the cement board?

[Grahamstein]

I tried to stagger all my joints and my pattern as best I could to avoid any eyesores. I think it came out pretty well. I just need to cast two more counter top sections around the oven, cap both chimneys, stain and seal the counters, grout all the joints and I want to build an outer brick dome over the oven. It's getting much closer though.

[Chach]

Looking real good. I noticed you have a few outside 45 degree angles on your oven base. I had a few as well and I was trying to see what looks nice when I put the veneer on and what I came up with was take a piece and miter your angle you need and assemble them on the angled wall and it looks like you have a full piece of stone on the angle rather than a mortar joint on the angle. You will not regret the decision if you take that extra step it'll look money. The park by me has it with the joint on the angled wall and all you see is the vertical mortar joint.

Ricky

[Grahamstein]

In the heat this week I managed to get another layer of render on the dome and get all of my veneer corners on, as well as casting some of the counters.

[Grahamstein]

For me it was only aesthetics. I wanted my chimney to be squarish and be covered in veneer. So I used the steel chimney as my liner and the insulation and cement board to create the shape I wanted.