Natural Stone Blog

This post is by our guest contributor – Morton Stones

Want to make your home look gorgeous? You need to invest on the stone veneer. Making your home comfortable is a common practice. Whether one uses interior wall stone or exterior brick veneers, the idea is only to make your home beautiful and pleasant. Well, I think those people who know how to use the empty places of their home can use stones veneers efficiently. Although, interior decoration looks simple and easy, but it’s not easy. The good thing is that stone or wood veneer can easily occupy the empty space in the house.

If you want to make your home more comfortable, here are some ways that will help you:

Choose a Stone Veneer Type suitable for your Home

As you start working on your home interiors, the first thing, which needs to be considered, is the type of stone veneer to be used. No doubt, a natural stone veneer is unbeatable. They provide a natural look on the walls that puts a beautiful impact overall. However, the only drawback it has is the cost, which is usually too high. Due to this, it doesn’t come under the budget of all. However, don’t get disheartened, one can use manufactured stone that looks exactly like the natural ones. It is a budget friendly option that creates the good appearance and warm feeling at home.

Make the desired Combination

Stones lovers very well understand the importance of the appropriate type of combination. Personally, I strongly recommend a style that suits your home design. There is no need to ask for a suggestion from people about a reliable bricklayer stone veneer. You can look online to explore different samples and match the need according to your home. You can also visit stores to share your idea and space available in your home. If you find the perfect combination, all you need to do is buy and install the stone.

Analyze the Spot Properly

Some stones might look good at some place in your home but might not look appropriate at any other place. For example, stones at kitchen wall might not look appropriate at the main entrance in your home. There are several blogs and websites available on the internet that can guide you in selecting the right type of stone from the right place. Moreover, some websites also offer interior designing services.

Look for appropriate Installation Guidance

As you select the right stone, the next important step is to fix the stone veneer appropriately. However, installation can be tricky at times. Only experts with right knowledge and experience can help you. In addition, after spending too much, no one can take a risk in the installation process.

If you want to make your home more pleasing and beautiful, using interior or exterior stone veneer will be a good decision. Hire professionals with immense knowledge and experience to make your home better than ever before. Add spark to your home!

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The content of this article is a general guideline for the basic process of fixing stone tiles  and should not be considered a definitive guide to laying natural stone and porcelain tiles. The information in this document is compiled from several different sources and our own experiences. If it is your first experience in laying such materials I highly recommend you seek professional advice before you start your project.

Things you will need –

• Tiles
• Tile adhesive
• A notched trowel
• Diamond tipped saw or grinder
• Diamond hole saw for any radiator pipes or other holes
• Grout
• Sealant
• Rubber float
• Tape measure
• Bucket and warm water
• Sponge
• Level
• Chalk line
• Pencil
• Tile spacers (depending on what kind of tile you are using)

Process –

1)      preparing the surface

2)      choosing and using adhesives

3)      laying the tiles

4)      sealing the tiles

5)      grouting the tiles

6)      aftercare and maintenance

1) Preparing the surface – It is very important that your surface is perfectly flat and as smooth as possible. You may need to use some floor levelling compound to sort out any divots, holes and differences in sub-flooring heights. Not doing this may result in a cracked tile further down the line. Your surface should also be clean and free from dust, dirt or grease.    

When tiling onto plaster if the plaster is new it should be left for 4 weeks and thoroughly dry before tiling. It is ok to tile onto old plaster, provided that it is sound. Plasterboard is suitable for tiling as long as it is at least 12.5mm thick and well supported.

When tiling onto concrete the surface should be thoroughly dry and new concrete should be left for at least six weeks.

2) Choosing and using adhesives – The adhesive you use will depend on the type of floor you are tiling onto and the tone of the stone you wish to lay. If you are laying onto a wooden floor or plan to have under floor heating you will require a flexible grout and adhesive. If you are laying a light coloured stone you should always use a white adhesive, if the stone is dark then you should consider grey.

You will need a notched trowel to spread the adhesive evenly across your surface. Do small sections at a time, using the notched edge of the trowel to make a rake motion once the adhesive is spread.

3) Laying the tiles – When laying the tiles start from the exact centre of the room, do not twist a tile, simply press down on each tile firmly yet softly. Once you have finished laying all your tiles check the manufacturers guidelines on your adhesive and make sure that you leave the surface for the recommended length of time for the adhesive to dry, or cure. Use a notched trowel to apply the adhesive to your surface. When applying the adhesive it is best to work in small areas of around one square metre in order to ensure that the tiles are fixed before the adhesive forms a skin.

4) Sealing the tiles – Sealing the tiles will prevent any un-wanted stains or blemishes and will make future maintenance much easier. The best way to do this is to seal the tiles before grouting and then add a final coat after grouting to seal the grout and totally saturate the stone.

5) Grouting the tiles – When grouting apply only enough grout as you can effectively work with, press the grout into the joints to an even level with the tile. Skim excess from tile with a rubber float. Similar to adhesives, the type of surface you are tiling onto will dictate the type of grout you choose to purchase.

6) Aftercare and maintenance – As long as the material has been properly and effectively sealed the aftercare of natural stone tiles is minimal. Clean with a damp cloth and luke warm water. Use this same method to clean porcelain tiles also. Your natural stone may require resealing at later intervals eg once every three or five years, this will depend on the kind of stone you purchase and you should also be aware of the guidelines layed out by the sealants manufacturer. For regular cleaning of grout use a grout and tile neutral cleaner.

Hints and tips

Check your stone tiles are sealed properly – You can do this by pouring an egg cup full of water onto the floor, it should form a small pool on the surface, leave it for about ten minutes. When you go back to the pool it should still be there, if the water has absorbed into the stone leaving a dark stain patch then the stone requires more sealant. You can check your wall tiles by throwing a mug full of water at the surface, the water should trickle down the surface like rain drops on a window pain.

Kitchen tiles, what comes first the units or the tiles? – When laying tiles into a new kitchen area you will need to consider whether you wish to lay the tiles or install the units first. This will be dictated by your timescale and what’s easiest and most efficient for your builder. We recommend tiling the whole of the floor before installing the units, this way appliances are easier to take in or out if they need to be replaced or repaired. This also means that if you want to change your kitchen further down the line you won’t have to retile your floor.

Cleaning grout – At the end of the laying process you may need to clean excess grout from the surface, to do this use grout haze and latex film remover. Never clean up grout with any kind of acidic solution. This will remove your sealant.

Laying Slate – If you are laying slate tiles it is a very good idea to go through them and group them together by thickness and give them a quick wipe-down before you start laying.

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