How to fix exterior stone cladding?

[JoanneVincent]

Hi there, need some advice on how to fix up 2 outdoor pillars that have stone cladding on them. All the cladding has been slowing falling off bit by bit, and on the weekend a large chunk fell off. We have tried outdoor glues to re-attach individual stones but the underneath is crumbling away, and also due to the complex shapes it is like a jigsaw that can't be solved and we can't find where each one fits (there are some really tiny pieces). Could I please get recommendations of what we should do to fix up these posts? Strip away the cladding & start from scratch? Is this something we could do ourselves fairly inexpensively?  Thank you

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @JoanneVincent 

Sorry  for delay  in replyng  Yes  that finish is called stack stone  and was very expensive in  its day.  But  your glue is failing underneath the stone not news to you of coarse.

Normally I would say glue  em in  but I suspect it will all fail again as under layer perished.  So the next step would  be to  scrap them off tap them  with a hammer and broad flat screw driver or  if  brickies chisel is best as we dont know  whats under neath which is important when its time to  do some sort of reconstruction.

We  would  love you to scrape that white glue back and tell us  if they mounted on  concrete pillar  or brick work etc.

You may wish to  tile  that later or paint it or some vertical slats of treated pine might suit you.  

Please  keep us  upto date to support you better.

[EricL]

Hello @JoanneVincent 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's marvellous to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about how to fix your exterior stone cladding.

My apologies for the late reply. It's great that you've received excellent advice from @Jewelleryrescue. I agree that the stone will need to be taken apart as it looks like the adhesive has finally failed. I suggest grinding the old adhesive off the wall and the back of the stone with a grinder.

It's good that you took a photo of the stone face. You can use this as a guide when putting it back together, I also suggest putting each section in its own container so that you won't get confused when it comes time to re-assemble. Make sure to take photos of all the sides so that you will have a guide.

I recommend using Davco 20kg SMP Evo Tile Adhesive as it is compatible with stone, marble and porcelain tiles. Plus, it can be used outdoors.

If you need further assistance, please let us know. 

Eric