Cladding fireplace with stack stone

[loggie]

Hello,

I'm looking to clad an open brick fireplace with stack stone. I was thinking of attaching cement sheets to the front and sides to give the stone a flat smooth surface to attach on to. Does this seem like a reasonable way to go about this?

Cement sheet - https://www.bunnings.com.au/james-ha...62sqm_p0715374
Adhesive between cement sheet and painted brick - https://www.selleys.com.au/products/...ls-rapid-cure/
Screws for added support - https://www.bunnings.com.au/ramset-1...-pack_p2260701

Thank you for reading and have a great day

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @loggie. It's fantastic to have you join us and many thanks for your question.

What you have described sounds like a reasonable way to go about the build. The only alternative I can think of would be to remove all the paint from the bricks, as I wouldn't advise gluing stonework over the top of it. This will expose the bricks but wouldn't give you a perfectly flat surface to work with.

If you are going to use Tapcons, you should at least go up in size to Ramset 14G x 55mm Tapcon Countersunk Masonry Ankascrew. With your selected screw there will only be 17mm of thread in the brick, and I do not feel this will hold the weight sufficiently. Preferably I would advise you to use a Ramset 6 x 60mm DynaBolt Plus Flat Head Bolt every 500mm around the perimeter of the board. This might appear to be overkill, but once you have glued the stonework on, there is likely to be a significant amount of weight.

If the stack stone is natural, then they are susceptible to tile glues that are acidic and have long cure times. I've had some discussions with our various glue suppliers, and Sikaflex 11FC Plus Polyurethane Adhesive Sealant would be the best D.I.Y. product to use. I would advise to purchase the sausage 11FC and apply a liberal amount of the adhesive all over the back of the tiles and not just in dots or lines. You should find a QEP 6mm Square Notch Handyman Adhesive Trowel useful in getting a consistent coating.

Please let me know if you need further help or had questions.

Mitchell

[loggie]

Hi Mitchell,

Many thanks for the quick response.

Thank you for the link to countersunk dynabolts - I didn't realise there was a countersunk option, that's why I thought of using Tapcons. Dynabolts are definitely a better option thank you again. I was thinking of cement sheet over the brick because it allows for a quicker and less messy install compared to removing the brick paint.

The stack stone is natural quartz (picture attached); the company I bought them from suggested Mapei Kerabond Plus with Mapei Isolastic 50 as this is what their installers use even for large scale commercial projects. Does this sound like an ok alternative to Sika 11FC?

[MitchellMc]

@loggie,

I would strongly recommend you follow the manufacturers' directions and what they suggest, I'm sure they know their product best. The only reason you would use Sika 11FC on slate, is to stop staining coming through the front of them from acidic glues. Quartz will not suffer the same issue as it is not particularly porous.

Mitchell

[loggie]

Thank you Mitchell. Will upload pictures of the completed project in a few weeks 🙂

[MitchellMc]

I look forward to seeing the finished result @loggie.

Please let us know if you run into difficulties or need assistance. We're here to help.

Mitchell

[loggie]

Hello,

Quick update on the project - it came together quite well. I built a floating mantle and added some lights with a trim above to blend in with the existing crown moulding. Also lightly sanded the clay tile base and sealed with a gloss sealer. Apologies for the photo quality and shadows - the photo was taken late evening

Next step, painting and flooring

I took a few photos of the build process of each part; if anyone wants specifics feel free to ask.

[MitchellMc]

Fantastic work @loggie! That has come up amazingly well.

I trust our members would really appreciate you adding the images of the build that you have. Undoubtedly, they would provide many with an indication of whether this is a project they could also complete.

Many thanks for updating us on your project. Well done.

Mitchell

[loggie]

thanks @MitchellMc the plan is now to paint the walls a warm white (haven't decided the colour just yet) and replace the carpet.

Here's a few build photos - 

1. Started by removing the previous shelf and cutting the top layer of the brick corbels. The layer is used as a support for the floating mantel.

2. Cut and attached cladding using countersunk dynabolts (apologies didnt take a photo of this step).

3. Built the mantel using DAR pine. I routed a channel into the inside (bottom) of the mantel to accomodate the brick corbel before gluing, clamping and nailing from inside to avoid nail holes on the outside.

  

4. built the double returns on the mantle, routed an offset roman ogee trim layer on the underside and dry fit to check if it needed any adjustments.

5. Added support brackets for the first layer or stone just above the fireplace opening.

6. Continued with attaching the stone (approx 1m at a time) and built the light surround to match the thickness and length of the crown moulding.

Another angle of the finished fireplace:

 

[Jason]

Great job @loggie. And thank you so much for sharing plenty of photos and information for other members who might like to replicate your great work. We have featured this on our Project Gallery and are confident it will inspire other Bunnings Workshop members.

Jason