installation procedure

Installation procedure for Stoneart Natural Stone Veneer

Stoneart is a flexible slate veneer which can be applied over concrete, ceramic, wood, metal, plywood, backer boards, tile, drywall, painted surfaces, MDF, door skins, and many other substrates. Stoneart has been tested as a decorative laminate in many different environments. It has proven to be a superb material where a real stone finish is desired. We do not recommend it for commercial flooring or kitchen countertop applications.

Flexibility

It may be used the same way decorative laminate products are used. It will bend to a minimum radius (depending on color or type of backing) before cracking. With the assistance of heat, smaller radius can also be achieved. Testing should always be done prior to any installation. Fiberglass reinforced polyester (FRP) backing provides it the strength and flexibility.

 

Layout & Patterns

Preparation of the area to be covered and the layout of the Stoneart sheets is the same as for natural stone or tile. A preliminary dry fit of Stoneart allows for arrangements of orientation of individual sheets, patterns, textures and colour before final placement. It is recommended that each sheet be dry fit exactly where it will be placed on horizontal or vertical surfaces. Numbering the sheets to track relocation before cutting and trimming is recommended and will save time.

 

Cutting

Cutting straight lines and curves is best done using long nose tin snips. It can also be cut with a metal shear, wet saw or table saw with carbide blade. Stoneart may also be cut with standard circular saws or a laminated blade.

 

Precautions

Always use the proper gloves, goggles, and dust mask when cutting or routing Stoneart, due to the fiberglass backing. Industry standards recommend a NIOSH/MSHA approved respirator. The power tools should have proper filter and exhaust equipment. Always cover exposed skin.

 

Safety

Avoid breathing silica dust. This product, when cut, drilled, or abraded produces dust containing free silica, which may cause cancer or delayed lung injury (silicosis) if inhaled. Work outdoors or use mechanical ventilation.

 

Sealers

It is best to pre-seal Stoneart sheets prior to installation. This protects and seals the face from adhesives and grout during installation and handling. Stoneart can be sealed with the same sealers used for slate, stone tiles and wood. There are many sealers in the market with various recommended applications. Like other natural stone products, Stoneart requires sealing using a good quality stone sealer or wood-type lacquer for protection against staining and promote ease of cleaning.

 

Adhesives

By understanding the specifics of the adhesive a good deal of time and cost can be saved. All adhesives should be tested prior to any installation including onsideration of moisture and temperature in the planned environment. If the application is outdoors, consideration to thermal expansion needs to be taken into account. Since Stoneart is a veneer it must expand and contract with the substrate or delimitation may occur. Where adhesive primers are recommended the bound should be tested by the installer before final installation.

 

Recommended Adhesives

  • Heavy duty construction adhesive
  • Solvent free FRP adhesive
  • Premixed grout and tile adhesive
  • Acrylic copolymer based tile adhesive
  • Polyurethane wood glues and PU construction grade adhesives
  • Wood, parquet and outdoor carpet adhesives

 

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR EXTERIOR APPLICATION

  • Epoxy or Silicone (with primer only)
  • Construction grade multi-purpose adhesives or Polyester resin with filler
  • Double sided foam adhesives (peel and stick)
  • Contact glue

The back of Stoneart may require a filler type adhesive for some applications. For wet environment – epoxies, polyester resin and water proof adhesive is the best candidate. Contact adhesives are not recommended due to not so even backing of Natural Stone Veneer. Do not use where the substrate is a moisture barrier when using non-catalysing (water vapour type) cure adhesives. Adhesives may not adhere properly if applied between nonporous materials.

 

Hand rollers

A hand roller is recommended to remove air between Stoneart and substrate. To properly roll out trapped air, start in the middle of a sheet while firmly rolling to the edge. Do not press too hard while rolling as this may cause back-filled areas to push adhesive out and leave an air void. By proper preback-filling and using good rolling techniques a solid, hard surface will be achieved.

 

Trowels

For best results of adhesive to substrate, a notched trowel is recommended. Use a straight trowel for back filling of voids. Any bump in the back surface should be sanded flat prior to back filling. The back on Stoneart may require a filler type adhesive to backfill or level out voids of the natural stone. It is always best to back fill of back butter voids or depressions in the material before application to a substrate.

 

Tiling, Grouting & Jointing

Stoneart can be used to create a tiled effect by leaving a grout joint between cut pieces. Sheets may also be butt-jointed for the look of a smaller seam. Due to the thin nature of Stoneart a 6 to 12mm grout joint will produce better results. Tests show the use of water based epoxy and acrylic premixed grout work well to fill between the cut veneers. During the sponge off process, the epoxy will seal the surface of Stoneart as well. These grouts are also available in several colors to match the existing decor. If desired a deeper grout joint can be achieved by removing material just under the grout joint area with a scrapper tool. Modified grout and caulking grout can also be used.

 

Substrate

In some indoor and most outdoor applications expansion and contraction must be equal to prevent delimitation. A flexible adhesive may be considered in this case. Concrete and masonry substrates must be at least 28 days old. Hydrostatic pressure conditions and vapour transmission cannot exceed 1,46 kg per 100 m2 per 24 hours using a calcium chloride test and retained moisture should be less than 2,5%.

 

Composition and Variations

Stoneart is laminated to a fiberglass and polyester resin substrate. Since Stoneart is a natural stone veneer, colour and texture variances are not defects within the material but are inherent to it and part of the natural beauty of quarried materials. Stoneart cannot be guaranteed to match lot by lot, so it is recommended that orders take into account future maintenance or re-fit possibilities.

 

UV and Temperature

The stone surface of Stoneart, like most stone elements acts as a UV inhibitor and will resist high sun conditions for years. When adhered to a substrate, it will handle thermal contraction or expansion of most standard construction materials. Stoneart will handle both high temperatures and freezing without cracking.

 

Specifications

  • Size: 1200 X 600 mm ( 2400 X 1200 mm also available on request in selected slates). Due to the size, weight and flexibility of Stoneart, shipping poses little to no risk of damaging the product.
  • Thickness: 1.5 to 2mm varies with colours.
  • Texture: Varies with selection of slate
  • Colour: Being natural in origin, variation in colour, pattern & texture is common. Majority quartzite slates being metallic multi colour in origin, colour variation across different panels is common. Being a natural product, every sheet is unique due to variation in texture and colour.
  • Weight: Aprox.1.2kg/sheet of 1200 x 600mm
  • Packing: Each sheet individually wrapped in PP cover. 25 sheets in heavy gauge corrugated box covered with non woven poly sack. For exports, such packed corrugated box are put into a wooden case/crate.
  • Outer pack: Dimension approx 1270 x 635 x 40mm = 25 sheets of 600 x 1200mm/aprox30kgs
  • Moisture: Stone and fiber back are both stable in water and moisture. It can be easily used to cover moist & water affected areas
  • Temperature:  Veneer is stable from 25 to 80 degrees centigrade. The glue selection has to be according to the temperature exposure.
  • Heat transfer: Protection Veneer does not enable any sort of heat transfer on either side
  • Pressure: Veneer is stable up to normal pressure, it can resist high pressure provided it is not in impact form which might damage its surface.
  • Flexibility: Veneer is a flexible bendable material and can bend up to a 6’’ radius.
  • Expandability: Veneer does not expand or contract above 1mm. In total, a slight 1mm groove in application will be helpful to take care of this.
  • Protection: It is recommended to coat the surface of all external applications.

Maintenance

Cleaning

During installing with adhesives and joint material: When laying and grouting stone veneer should not have any rests of glue or adhesive on the surface. If this still happens, clean with basic tile cement cleaner (heavily diluted, short exposure, pre-test). If oil or grease contamination is on the surface use intensive cleaner.

To keep beauty forever

All natural stone surfaces, even if it is sealed, must be wiped regularly moist. As such we recommend using a shot floor cleaner in water (available at any hardware store) to clean and maintain in one operation. The material will not get exhausted but with regular use keep more beautiful and rich in colour. To maintain the gloss you should occasionally wipe with a gloss cleaner. In no case may leaching lubricating soaps, abrasive, or strong acidic cleaners degreasing agents be used.

Remediation of old surfaces

Oily contaminants and residues of floor care equipment can be easily removed with basic cleaning or intensive care products. Refreshing of faded surfaces is easily done with oils.