ᐅ What should be considered when building a natural stone wall using slate?
Created on: 25 Apr 2020 10:37
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MarkosGarten
Dear forum members,
I would like to build some freestanding natural stone walls made of slate in my garden as property boundaries. They should look like ruins, so the top edge should not be smooth but uneven, varying between about 1 meter and 1.8 meters (3 feet 3 inches and 6 feet).
I cannot find any posts in the German-speaking area that specifically address slate and what to watch out for when using it. What I do find are posts about natural stone walls in general. These cover basic points such as:
I would appreciate any tips. I don’t want the wall(s) to be damaged after five years.
Thank you and best regards,
Marko
I would like to build some freestanding natural stone walls made of slate in my garden as property boundaries. They should look like ruins, so the top edge should not be smooth but uneven, varying between about 1 meter and 1.8 meters (3 feet 3 inches and 6 feet).
I cannot find any posts in the German-speaking area that specifically address slate and what to watch out for when using it. What I do find are posts about natural stone walls in general. These cover basic points such as:
- Foundation down to the frost line
- At least as wide as the wall will be later
- Reinforcing bars in the foundation, ideally extended up to the top of the wall to create a stable unit
- Washing stones before installation
- Using through-stones for tension relief within the wall
- Always building freestanding walls with a double layer
I would appreciate any tips. I don’t want the wall(s) to be damaged after five years.
Thank you and best regards,
Marko
Yes, I think the question of the shape is probably crucial for how to proceed. I am more of a theorist myself, so I’m not the best person to quickly give a secret tip. I could imagine that it would be helpful for you to first build a kind of hybrid between a brick carrier and a mortar board, especially when working with "freeform" stones — this could serve as an extra hand. Then, overall, you might want to work layer by layer. I would probably first dry layout each next layer beside the wall. As far as I know, mortars mainly differ in how much water each type of stone absorbs during curing. Regarding the foundations, I could imagine starting with a layer of formwork blocks, embedding the first layer of natural stone into the fresh concrete at the same time. You will likely come across my favorite cookbook phrase: "beforehand we have ..."
Do you have any low walls where you can practice first?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Do you have any low walls where you can practice first?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
M
MarkosGarten26 Apr 2020 15:28So the stones have very different shapes. But I would say they look like in the picture I posted. Some are a bit more elongated, some are rounder, but as is typical for slate, they are all fairly flat and relatively even.
I will already have some walls that I can use to lean on. However, I am not yet sure if the mortar will withstand frost. I assume the hardware store will provide the right material that is suitable for natural stone and frost-resistant.
Can anyone say if I can take a break for a day in between, or do I need to build continuously because the mortar must be applied wet-on-wet?
I will already have some walls that I can use to lean on. However, I am not yet sure if the mortar will withstand frost. I assume the hardware store will provide the right material that is suitable for natural stone and frost-resistant.
Can anyone say if I can take a break for a day in between, or do I need to build continuously because the mortar must be applied wet-on-wet?
MarkosGarten schrieb:
I guess the hardware store will give me the right product that works well for natural stone and is frost-resistant.Opinions vary widely among experts regarding the qualifications of sales assistants in hardware stores. However, manufacturers usually have hotlines as well. MarkosGarten schrieb:
Can anyone say if I can take a break for a day in between, or do I have to build continuously because it has to be wet-on-wet?Even with normal masonry work, you stop at the end of the day, regardless of whether the floor slab can be placed on top or not. The last layer is simply covered to protect it from rain. In your case, I would probably take a break after emptying a mortar tub.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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MarkosGarten26 Apr 2020 22:00Thank you in advance for your answers!
I have now read that trass mortar is probably the preferred choice for natural stones. However, I understand that in this case I can omit the steel rods in the middle of the wall, as they are apparently not compatible with trass mortar.
I have now read that trass mortar is probably the preferred choice for natural stones. However, I understand that in this case I can omit the steel rods in the middle of the wall, as they are apparently not compatible with trass mortar.
MarkosGarten schrieb:
Which cement should I use so that my wall doesn’t crumble again next winter?I have slate in my garden... a few knee-high walls, like raised beds... delivered by us, installed by the landscaper. Mortar or cement: for heaven’s sake, not with slate. Natural slate is stacked, not mortared!H
hampshire26 Apr 2020 23:48I would like to clarify the question about the format – do you have completely different sizes or are they already cut for joint gaps? For the latter, I would recommend no mortar. It’s not a simple task.
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