How to Install a Slate Ledgestone Panel Around a Fireplace

Sand the entire surface of the fireplace surround where you intend to install the ledgestone panels. Wipe the area clean. Use a hammer drill to make 2-inch deep holes in a 12-inch grid across the entire area where you will install the ledgestone.

Spread out metal lath across the fireplace area, screwing it in place at each predrilled hole using a 2-inch masonry screw and a washer. Continue to add the lath until you cover the entire area with tightly stretched lath.

Apply thinset to the lath using a trowel. Spread it all over the area to a depth of a quarter inch. Allow the thinset to dry for two hours. Spread thinset at a quarter-inch depth on the back of the ledgestone panels, one at a time. Stick the panels against the thinset-coated lath, starting at the bottom, and hold them in place for 30 seconds each. Attach each successive board in a uniform pattern, sliding the tongues of one end of the panel into the grooves of the other, continuing to work from the bottom up so the floor absorbs much of the weight.

Cut the panels on a 45-degree angle using a saw to line them up together at the corners. Push the two cut edges together with a little thinset between them. Wipe off any excess thinset when the job is completed. Allow the installation to dry for 48 hours prior to starting a fire in the fireplace.