How to Get stone veneer look with vertical concrete stamping

Stone veneer is certainly one of the hottest looks in new houses, especially around the East coast where I live. But what if you missed the boat on your house but would still love the look without the high cost? Whether or not you hire this out or decide to do the job yourself you will save money over installing real stone or cultured stone, see my article( http://www.ehow.com/how_5700084_make-stone-veneer-cheaply-yourself.html ) The problem with cultured stone is it is time consuming and labor intensive, but there is a new technique which duplicates the look without duplicating the cost.

trowel
vertical rated concrete
stone stamps according to desired look
powdered concrete colors

Instructions

- 1
  The product that makes this technique possible is a type of concrete that is troweled on vertical surfaces from a thickness of one to three inches, this allows the concrete to be stamped deep enough to recreate the look of stone veneer without having to cut, put cement on each stone, than place stone where it will fit. This doesn't even mention grouting between stones than cleaning up the grout lines after it hardens with pointing tool. This product is called Flex-C-Ment and can be found on their web site flex-c-ment.com where you can find suppliers or contractors in your area.
- 2
  
  To apply this product on exterior or interior surfaces they must be clean enough to apply the special primer for this product. If used on the outside I would suggest not putting it directly on wood sheathing but on a surface prepped with xps foam sheets, or some other surface, to block moisture migration. If the product is to be used on interior surface it can be put on any clean vertical surface including wood, drywall, styrofoam, or brick. This product would make a great natural stone look fireplace hearth.
- 3
  After this step the wall is primed and the actual cement is mixed with a liquid polymer to the proper consistency. The cement is troweled on, at an eighth of an inch, in a thin coat called a scratch coat . After this dries apply one or two more coats to get the thickness desired and while the concrete is workable push the stamp into the concrete firmly until proper stone impression is created than continue moving across the surface until the troweled portion is finished. Rinse and repeat until the surface is covered.
- 4
  
  . Coloring for the stone can be sprayed on, brushed on, or added to the cement itself before being troweled on. There are many ways to color the veneer but it all depends on what affect you are trying to achieve, I would suggest if a do it yourselfer that you practice on a board on a small scale to visualize what it takes to achieve your preferred look.

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