River Rock Veneer
The process of adding the river rock stone veneer from CSI All Things Stone to our bathroom wall.
I added the subway tile to the bathroom around six years ago… and as soon as it was done I knew it would be coming back down because my rookie job was far from “perfect”. Every time I showered, I stared at all the imperfections and I felt like the black grout on subway just wasn’t my personal vibe anymore. I began to think of other options I could do; and because tile seems to go in and out of style so fast, I was hesitant to even do tile. My stone fireplace in the living room was really doing it for me so I began to search for veneer that could be used indoors for this wall. I came across CSI All Things Stone and loved their options and customer service. Once we connected, they gifted me the product and it as at my door.
Down came the tile and up went cement board. We prepped the wall using cement board because it is mold resistant (used for showers) and it meant we did not have to do a scratch coat or mesh to apply the stones.
With the cement board secured, I mixed mortar to the consistency of peanut butter and placed out a pattern with the stones before applying to the wall. For the application, I back buttered the stones about 1/2 inch thick and wiggled them into place. To ensure an even application, you will see grout flowing out of the sides which is a good thing. Clean this up and place the next rock!
The whole process was very creative and enjoyable for me - I loved the freedom to place the rocks where I thought they should go and used nature as my inspiration. I had taken pictures of the natural river banks locally and worked off of that.
I let the mortar dry for roughly 48 hours and tested the strength with a rubber mallet. My son baths in this tub so I was not going to risk a rock falling down - haha! All was good and the next step was to tackle the over grout process.
First of all, I used white grout so I could tint it the colour I wanted to. Then, using a rubber putty scraper, I filled each groove and went back a second time to make the rock and mortar almost flush. As you are filling the grooves wait for the mortar to set up and smooth with a paint brush dipped in water. I cleaned off the rocks with a sponge and later used a foam sanding block to knock down high spots.
Now, the white mortar is pretty but a bit too stark for my liking. I wanted this stone to look super aged - like an old English cottage. The process to do this is not “standard” or “practiced” but it works and I also did the same technique on my fireplace. What you are going to do is find a paint or stain that is water based so you can dilute it with water. I am using Exterior Woodsheild in the colour Bark from Home Hardware. Why exterior? Because my windows are old and the sun bleaches everything in here. Once you have your stain ready, dilute it until you are happy. Use the diluted stain as a “wash” and cover the entire area.
I also trimmed out the window and brought the mortar up to the edge. I have a few little touch ups to make here and there now that I have sat with the rock for a few weeks but I am so thrilled with it.
So, what do you think? Would you do a river rock stone veneer wall treatment? If so, you should definitely check out CSI All Things Stone.