OPINION PL400 vs "mud" for a stone groutless stacked backsplash

whitefish gal

I have a questions. Never posted here before so I apologize in advance for my naiveity.

My husband is installing a stone stacked backsplash in the kitchen. It is groutless. My question is this, he would ike to use PL 400 to adhere the stone to the durarock instead of messy and hard to work with "mud". Is this a good idea? Are there benefits for or against doing this? Why would anyone use "mud" when using the pl 400 is so much easier and less messy.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.
Traci

troubleseeker

Not really sure of the product you refer to as stone stacked. Is it a thin stone veneer product intended to mimic a dry stacked stone?
I have never seen anyone use a construction adhesive for stone veneer application. Besides being unsure of long term holding power, since most such adhesive become brittle and dry with age, the solvents may soak into and discolor the stone. Natural stone is porous and many types are very sensitive to oil or solvent based products under them. By "mud", I'm guessing you mean thinset mortar, the norm for stone and masonry installation. I'd stay with the thinset. If spread on the backer board with the recommended size notched trowel, there should not be a problem with messy visible squeeze out.
Before using anything, check the product manufacturer's recommendations. If not installed with their recommended adhesive, they will not honor the warranty should there be a defect in the materials down the road.

whitefish gal

Thank you for your response. Let me clarifiy. We are using thick stone looking (but made out of concerete) stacked stone. They come in pieces 6, 8 and 12 inch pieces. They are very heavy. This is stone you would actually put on the outside of your home but we are using it for a backsplash. Thet is why he wants to use pl400. It's basically concrete being attached to durarock. Discoloration would be an issue as the stone is quite think. Any other thoughts based on those details?

troubleseeker

I'd stick with the mortar adhesive. If you get a bit of squeeze out, just leave it alone until it gets fairly dry, then brush it off with a toothbrush or small brass wire brush (softer than regular steel brush, so it will not damage the surface) . If you are going to seal the surface of the veneer, it makes any cleanup a lot easier if you apply a good coat of sealer to the faces first.

Most of this type of veneer I have seen is pretty thick. Be sure to check that you will have enough counter depth for the sink and faucet to fit.

Also be sure to randomly use pieces from several boxes at a time when installing to get a blend of the color variations.