living room paint ideas with light wood trim
add a decorative accent to almost any wallin your home with the natural look of stone veneer.new engineered stone veneers are lighter and more budget-friendly than traditional stone,and they’re easy to install only requiring a few tools and special adhesive. follow the manufacturer’s directions foryour type of stone. start with prep. calculate how much stoneyou’ll need by measuring your work area and subtracting areas that won’t be covered.then add 10% for extra. let the stones and adhesive acclimate in theroom for 24 hours. this is a good time to remove any bumps or nubs on the stones, andto plan your layout. mix stones from different
boxes and alternate sizes to break up verticalseems. as for your work area it must be flat, clean,and smooth. lightly sand surfaces painted with oil-based paints. also check that the floor, countertop, ormoulding is level. if not, find the lowest spot, hold a stone in place, mark the top,and extend this line along the work area. this will be your guide for cutting the firstrow to fit, keeping things level. here’s a tip for wood floors: use shims under thefirst row for future floor repairs or renovations. now mark the vertical layout on a long, straightboard. this is called a jury stick. hold it against the wall and adjust the starting lineas needed.
start the install at the bottom corner. witha putty knife, apply a thick layer of the adhesive to the back of the stone, sort oflike icing a cupcake, and press it onto the wall.do the same for the next piece--keeping the joints tight--and finish row one. make sureeverything is level. then start the second row. remember to staggerthe joints and keep them tight. at the row ends, use a natural stone edge for a finishedlook. to cut a stone, mark it and cut face-side-upwith a masonry blade or hacksaw. hide the cut edge toward the middle. for corners, reverse the special corner pieceswith each row.
continue installing, periodically checkingfor level, and wiping off any adhesive that gets on the face of the stone before it dries. and that’s all there is to it. clean up is as easy as using warm water (anda brush) for interior adhesive. an ordinary wall gets an extraordinary makeoverwith the natural beauty of stone veneer. want more great ideas and how-to’s? go tolowes.com/howto or just click to subscribe. next, learn how to hang drywall.