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Cultured Stone Veneer Install Question

3K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  wifepleaser 
#1 ·
I created some nice big window wells for egress from my basement. The last step in the project is to cover all the exposed concrete: the basement walls around the windows.

I have stick-on stone veneer that I intend to apply. When applying over concrete, all that is needed is a layer of mortar. When applying over wood, a felt/lath backer is needed underneath the mortar.

Here is my question:

Around the windows are wood framing. Above one of the windows is pressure treated 2x10(s), a lintel. The sides and under-side of the frame has 2 2x. So over the top is almost 10 inches of wood, and around each side is about 3.5 inches of wood. Do I need to install strips of felt/lath for these bits of wood?

Here is what I think the answer is: for the 3" of wood around the sides, no. I can select large pieces of stone that will grip against the concrete, and the last three inches of overlap onto the wood will be okay with just mortar behind it.

But for the 10" above the window, I will need the felt/lath backing.

Comments, suggestions?
 
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#2 ·
Around the windows are wood framing. Above one of the windows is pressure treated 2x10(s), a lintel. The sides and under-side of the frame has 2 2x. So over the top is almost 10 inches of wood, and around each side is about 3.5 inches of wood. Do I need to install strips of felt/lath for these bits of wood?

Here is what I think the answer is: for the 3" of wood around the sides, no. I can select large pieces of stone that will grip against the concrete, and the last three inches of overlap onto the wood will be okay with just mortar behind it.

But for the 10" above the window, I will need the felt/lath backing.

Comments, suggestions?
You should apply the felt and lath over all the wood. The felt serves two purposes. First, it acts as a vapor barrier to help keep moisture that will migrate through the stone from getting to the wood, and second it is a bond breaker, isolating the wood from the stone, as the two materials expand/contract at different rates, and if you bond them together, something will fail (usually the stone veneer will crack)
 
#4 ·
Thanks, both, for your replies. If I have felt/lath on the wood, but not on the concrete, that will mean at the transition the lath surface will be somewhat higher than the concrete surface. Do I just deal with this by using a thicker coat of masonry compound slathered on the concrete than slathered on the wood, to match them back up? I suppose that if I had thought of this during install, I could have left a half-inch recess to account for this...
 
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