How to Do Stone Fireplace Walls With Wire Mesh

Cover the entire installation surface with a layer of felt paper. Cut the pieces to fit with a utility knife and overlap them 1 to 2 inches from the top up, so that the upper pieces overlap the lower pieces. Stick the pieces to the wall with the hammer tacker. Cut wire mesh to fit with the tin snips, and use the same process to mount it over the felt paper.

Mix concrete in your wheelbarrow according to the manufacturer’s instructions (which vary depending on the type of concrete you have purchased). Add water to the mixture and use a shovel to turn the mixture in the wheelbarrow. After it is mixed, shovel some of the concrete onto the bottom of the fireplace installation as a base for the first layer of stones.

Start at the bottom and work your way up the fireplace. Add a layer of stones in the bed of mortar, and press the mortar and stones against the wire mesh. Use the mason trowel to transfer more mud onto the wire mesh on top of your first row, and ensure the concrete mixture coats the wire mesh and leaves 1 or 2 inches of excess mortar for the stones. Stack each stone on top of the one below it.

Hold larger stones in place with a nail and wire. Sink a nail into the installation surface, and cut off an appropriate length of wire with your wire cutters. Wrap the wire around a piece of stone, and tie it off to the nail after you set it in the mortar. This holds the stone in place while the mortar cures. Smooth excess mortar between the stones with your finger, and fill them as full as you want with mortar for grout joints.