How to Install Cultured Stone on a Wall for a Freestanding Woodstove

Measure the length of the bottom part of the wall around the entire section you will be putting stone on. Transfer this measurement to your roll of felt paper and cut a piece with the utility knife. Put it up against the wall and staple it in place with the hammer tacker. Repeat the process with another row but ensure that the upper row hangs over the bottom row by at least a couple of inches. Do this for every row until you cover the entire installation area.

Lay out your sheets of wire mesh in an area where you can work on them. Use the same width measurement as from your felt paper and cut the mesh with a pair of tin snips. Place the bottom row against the wall and fold it into the corner. Staple it on top of the felt paper. Repeat the process for each row and work your way up, ensuring that the metal cups on the mesh are angled upwards so they catch and hold the mortar mix for the stones.

Mix up some mud in the wheelbarrow with a shovel and water. Use a measuring cup to add sufficient water as instructed by the manufacturer. Different manufacturers have different requirements for how much water they want you to add to their mortar based upon the size of the bag. Stir everything up with a shovel until the mixture is blended into a creamy concrete mud.

Spread a layer of mud on top of the wire mesh with your metal flat trowel, but only cover the bottom portion of the wall roughly two or three feet up. Press the mud firmly into the mesh so that it works its way around and bonds to all the mesh holes and cups. Smooth the surface with the trowel so that it just barely covers the wire mesh.

Coat the back of each individual piece of cultured stone with concrete. Use the mason trowel to apply at least an inch of mud on each piece. Press them into the mortar and mesh on the wall. Start at the bottom and work your way up. Stack the pieces on top of each other so you can have a stacked-stone look that doesn’t need to be grouted. Cover your flat-troweled area, then smooth more mud onto the mesh and repeat the mud-setting process for the stones until you are finished.