fieldstone on the exterior?

[forgeblast]

Hi all i have a modified a-frame that has t111 for siding and an exposed concrete block for the basement. (the house is an "A" stiting on a square or box) The previous owner, did not have the gutters long enough or put any drainage leading away from the house.
Since that time i have made sure all water is running away from the house and the basement is super dry.
Since the block is covered with a thin layer of cement, i almost want to say stucco, and since it flaked off in places due to the moisture problems that i fixed, i would like to cover or clad it in fieldstone. (to me it looks like they skim coated the cement, and then used stucco or a colored cement product to put a texture on the blocks.)

1. do i have to put a membrand down to keep out water? (can the membrane be elastomeric paint?)

2. or do i just have to put lathe down and skim coat and then start sticking on the fieldstone

3. any issues with fieldstone i should be aware of.....i have walls and walls of it, i will have no problem with matching widths, i have expericence cutting it also.

4. do i need to leave weep holes or will the lathe channel any water away from the house.

5.how do i start the base? do i have to pour a footing or add a steel shelf hanger to start the bottom course?
thanks.

 

[forgeblast]

Wow I think i hear Crickets on this topic. Anyone have any suggestions? Anyone ever put fieldstone on their house?
I am building a fieldstone garden shed, but thats an actual structure not just cladding.

 

[ToadHill]

If you use real fieldstone and not the cultured stuff, you'll need to dig a trench and pour a footer to support the weight. If you don't you are looking at redoing the job in 8 to 10 years.

If you are going to use the cultured stuff, I'd put down a scratch coat with a mesh backing then apply the product.

 

[forgeblast]

thank you, i am going to use the real stuff. would i still use the mesh too?

 

[dave1949]

thank you, i am going to use the real stuff. would i still use the mesh too?

I agree with Toad Hill, the real stuff is so heavy, you will have difficulty keeping it bonded to the block wall if it is just hanging there with no support below it. Think how a brick veneer house is built. There is a brick ledge on the outside of the foundation wall and brick ties nailed to the exterior sheathing to keep the bricks from peeling away from the wall.

If you can duplicate something like that, you will be okay, otherwise, it could have a relatively short life span.
Dave.

 

[forgeblast]

I wonder if putting in a piece of angle iron on the bottom would be better. I could attach it where i wanted to and then backfill?
or do you think the footing is the better way to go?

 

[ToadHill]

What happens to iron in the ground, rust, decay, disaster when the wall falls down.

 

[forgeblast]

Makes sense, I am worried about the footer though, if i dont go deep enough i am going to have frost heave that could crack the mortar joint. Might be a big pita, i might be better off using the elastomeric paint and just doing it in grey.

 

[dave1949]

Makes sense, I am worried about the footer though, if i dont go deep enough i am going to have frost heave that could crack the mortar joint. Might be a big pita, i might be better off using the elastomeric paint and just doing it in grey.

I thought about angle iron too, I rejected that thought because it would mean drilling a series of holes all at the same level across your block wall. That might be inviting a crack.

Also, if you put stone on, be sure to put a drip flashing at the bottom of your siding out over the stone to keep rain and snow melt out.

How thick is the stone - average?
Dave.

 

[JDGreenGrass]

ForgeBlast...

My g/f lives on the southern Maine coast and I just returned from a visit. I saw alll kinds of stone walls and posts with fieldstone. It made me think of this post.

Most of what I saw looked to be mortared in. Can't for the life of me figure how they do it. But, many of the styles I saw were on properties worth a million dollars. The stone walls are gorgeous with the stone laying flat on the vertical walls.

The stone thickness looked to be at least a couple inches. Hard to tell as they are set into the mortar. An inch or 2 exposed.

Can be done.

Good luck.