I wanted to add a little bit of class to the outside of the building. Having just steel siding would have been ok but I wanted it to look more like a garage than a pole barn. Looking at other buildings, I liked the color contrast with the wainscotting. I decided to up the appearance a little and go with either a brick or stone veneer.
When the builders were finishing the siding, they added a drip edge and then put half-inch plywood the bottom three feet of the wall. Finally they wrapped the plywood. I would have to take it from that point
There are basically two ways get stone or brick to stick to a wall: lath or cement board. I opted for the board. It may have been a few dollars more but for me, it went a little faster. The board came in 3×5′ panels which fit perfectly height-wise. I chose a 1/2″ thickness. The board is easy to cut. All you do is score it with a knife on one side, then snap it along the cut line and then cut the backside. Kind of like you can cut drywall.
If you look carefully at the picture, you can see the first layer (scratch coat) of mortar applied to the board. Once the scratch coat had an hour or so to set up, I would ‘butter’ the back of the stone, then set it on the wall with a little twist. This allowed the mortar to squeeze into the scratch coat grooves, holding the stone in place. I could do a 10-12′ course then go back and start the next course and for the most part, the stone held in place. If a stone fell off, it was usually because I had squeezed out too much of the mortar.
It took me six days from start to finish. I used 14 pieces of cement board, 30 boxes of stone (180 sq. ft.), and over 40 bags of mortar. Also 10 lbs. of screws, a new brick saw blade, flashing and other little stuff.
I think it turned out pretty good.