Slate Hearth

[chainsawaddict]

Im thinking about making a slate hearth behind and underneath my woodstove. I have access to a lot of slate from the black hills of SD. Here comes the incredibly stupid question though....How does a guy go about putting 1" thick slabs of slate up the wall. Surely there is more that goes into that than just grout...

Feel free to laugh at my lack of carpentry knowlege

 

[RaisedByWolves]

You need to nail heavy wire mesh to the wall, then grout them on.



You may want to contact a local mason and spend a buck to have it done right since the materials are the expensive part.



.

 

[Fubar411]

a couple things....

1) 12" square tile is about $1 a square (unhoned). It is pretty cheap and easy to work with in that size.

2) Slate doesn't radiate heat nearly as nicely as soapstone. We did our fireplace insert surround in slate tile. It looks great, but it doesn't radiate the way he had hoped.

 

[reachtreeservi]

If the rock is heavy, you can only lay one or two courses at a time.
Let the course dry and come back the next day and lay some more.
Mix your grout in a 5 gallon bucket with a 1/2 in electric drill and a paddle.
That way you can mix just enough and not waste any.

Find a picture of the type of rock you have or something similar in a pattern you like. tape it to the wall beside the work and have at it. Slowly.....

Good luck !

 

[Dale]

Not to sound mean, but if you have to ask how to lay 1" thick slate, DON'T You'll surely F%^& it up. You may want to start with a project outside that you can learn on. Little footwall, or rock garden wall.

 

[chainsawaddict]

Not to sound mean, but if you have to ask how to lay 1" thick slate, DON'T You'll surely F%^& it up. You may want to start with a project outside that you can learn on. Little footwall, or rock garden wall.

Ive done a little bit of that, foot walls, rock patios, etc. Im just curious how to get it to stick to the wall securely. I know I could get it to stuck up there, I just want to do it right. its definitely not rocket science, but far from easy.:monkey:

 

[58hydraglide]

CSA,
the proper way to stick the slate on a vertical surface is to first prep the surface by (as someone stated earlier) stapling or nailing metal lath to the wall with a vapor barrier in between (felt paper works well). then apply a "scratch" coat of mortar to the lath. (Mortar mix and a steel concrete trowel, pressing it into the lathe until all of the lath is "sealed". (make sure that the lathe is tight to the wall with no movement, also fasten it through the wallboard and the studs. not just the wallboard. As it is setting up, "scratch" the surface with a piece of the lathe or a rough mortar brush to provide a bonding surface. Once the scratch coat is set up you can start installing the slate. Mix up a batch of mortar, but do not use mortar mix, buy portland cement and sand mix and mix it yourself as vertical stone installations adhere better if it is a little "richer" with portland cement. Using a trowel butter up the back side of your first piece of slate generously, spread it over the entire mating surface and create a small depression in the mortarwith the tip of your trowel. Apply the slate to the wall with steady pressure and a slight twisting motion and hold for e few seconds. The purpose of the depression is to creat a slight "vacuum to the slate when applied to help hold it. Once you have perfected the proper mix and your slate holds ,then start fitting the rest of the slate together like a puzzle. Take your time. Masonry is not for the impatient.once you have the slate installed and it has had sufficient time to cure, you can grout the joints with a slightly thinner mortar mix and a grout bag. Fill in all around the edges and let the mortar set up until steady finger pressure leaves a depression but doesn't leave mortar on your finger. Then strike off the mortar joints with a dull edged striking tool ( a spoon will even work) pressing the mortar into the joints and smoothing out any edges. Lightly brush the joints with a whisk broom or similar and your all set. Hope this helps some and good luck.
Mike

 

[chainsawaddict]

CSA,
the proper way to stick the slate on a vertical surface is to first prep the surface by (as someone stated earlier) stapling or nailing metal lath to the wall with a vapor barrier in between (felt paper works well). then apply a "scratch" coat of mortar to the lath. (Mortar mix and a steel concrete trowel, pressing it into the lathe until all of the lath is "sealed". (make sure that the lathe is tight to the wall with no movement, also fasten it through the wallboard and the studs. not just the wallboard. As it is setting up, "scratch" the surface with a piece of the lathe or a rough mortar brush to provide a bonding surface. Once the scratch coat is set up you can start installing the slate. Mix up a batch of mortar, but do not use mortar mix, buy portland cement and sand mix and mix it yourself as vertical stone installations adhere better if it is a little "richer" with portland cement. Using a trowel butter up the back side of your first piece of slate generously, spread it over the entire mating surface and create a small depression in the mortarwith the tip of your trowel. Apply the slate to the wall with steady pressure and a slight twisting motion and hold for e few seconds. The purpose of the depression is to creat a slight "vacuum to the slate when applied to help hold it. Once you have perfected the proper mix and your slate holds ,then start fitting the rest of the slate together like a puzzle. Take your time. Masonry is not for the impatient.once you have the slate installed and it has had sufficient time to cure, you can grout the joints with a slightly thinner mortar mix and a grout bag. Fill in all around the edges and let the mortar set up until steady finger pressure leaves a depression but doesn't leave mortar on your finger. Then strike off the mortar joints with a dull edged striking tool ( a spoon will even work) pressing the mortar into the joints and smoothing out any edges. Lightly brush the joints with a whisk broom or similar and your all set. Hope this helps some and good luck.
Mike

Thanks!! I read a bit into it today, Im gonna start as soon as the stove is shut down for the season.

 

[Dok]

'58 answered your question perfectly, so I'm just going to offer encouragement. We did this same thing last October. We had a friend help us with the first course and we did the rest (my wife and I). Follow '58's instructions and take it slow. We used grouting spacers and were extra careful about all the tiles lining up. Turns out with slate the hardest part was getting the tiles embedded so that none were sticking out more than the rest. You can do it and every time you see it you will feel good that you did it yourself.
Dok

 

[Mike Van]

Just a thought - 1" thick is some awful weight when you add it all up - I'm guessing it's an outside wall? If it's an interior one, be sure the floor can take the weight of the stone, mortar, stove, etc. Hate to see it all crack when you're done because the floor sagged.

 

[chainsawaddict]

Just a thought - 1" thick is some awful weight when you add it all up - I'm guessing it's an outside wall? If it's an interior one, be sure the floor can take the weight of the stone, mortar, stove, etc. Hate to see it all crack when you're done because the floor sagged.

Good point, I am picking this out of a quarry myself, ill try to find the thinnest pieces.

 

[AKRover]

I have been thinking about doing my hearth out of slate to because I like the randomness of it. The only concern I had with it was the un-uniform surface and thickness. I want to set my stove right on top of the slate but I'm worried that it will be wobbly. Have you considered this at all?

 

[Fubar411]

not a concern.

Inserts usually have adjustable feet or you shim them. Otherwise, they'd never balance with the unevenness of brick.

 

[AKRover]

not a concern.

Inserts usually have adjustable feet or you shim them. Otherwise, they'd never balance with the unevenness of brick.

Ah I see. My Jotul has fixed legs that aren't adjustable.

 

[Fubar411]

Not a problem either. You can make shims out of slate to get it level. Make em small enough to fit under the feet.