TECHNICAL SPECIFICATONS
DIY Cladding Installation Guidelines

Unlike natural stone, the installation and maintenance of Chiba Stone does not require a qualified stone-mason. Chiba Stone is a DIY cladding product, however, for a quality result the following guidelines should be followed by a suitably experienced tradesperson.

Recommendations & Cautions

• The success of your Chiba Stone installation lies in the quality of the joints between stones. As joint width can be affected by the condition of individual buildings, we suggest attaching a 1 to 2 square metre sample before commencing full installation.
• Ideally, installers should sample a range of joint widths for comparison before commencing.
• Seamless, smoothly textured joints provide the best visual effect. To achieve the smoothest result, it is necessary to clean the wall before the mortar is fully set.
• If possible, avoid the use of multiple craftsman on a single wall. Even subtle differences in technique can have distinct visual impact.
• To achieve a successfully random pattern, we recommend mixing stones from 3 to 5 boxes as you install. However, before installing this random mix, it’s vital to check that colour matches do not differ greatly.

Installation Guide

Chiba Stone can be used as a DIY cladding product, but for the best results, Chiba Stone should be installed by an experienced professional using the following guidelines. For a list of authorized Chiba Stone installers click here

Wall surface preparation

Check and confirm the wall strength. Use specially designed interface compound or specially designed waterproof compound for smooth low-absorbing walls, or stiffen the wall surface with galvanized iron wire meshes before plastering with a mix 1:3 cement to mortar.

Remove any unevenness or loose mortar on the wall surface. Damp the wall surface moderately by spraying water before attaching the finish.

Product preparation

Before unpacking, pre-check the selected brand, drawing and effect of the atlas. Determine the overall effect and balance of your cladding on the wall surface by taking into account the size, shape and textures of the stone.
Define the termination pattern of the cladding as it meets doors, windows, corners and columns.

Auxiliary attachment

Attaching: Attach the stone with conventional 1:2 cement mortar; use adhesive suitable for exterior wall heat insulation systems.

Caulking: Caulk with conventional 1:2 cement mortar, or use colour caulking compound for the desired decorative effect.

Stone attachment

Use auxiliary snaplines at 500-800mm intervals along the length of the wall before attaching the stone.
Construct the angles, lines, window profiles and door profiles first, starting from the corners and working from bottom up.

Ensure angles are constructed in staggered lengths to prevent visible joins.
We recommend attaching selected stones at random from 3 to 5 different boxes to achieve the most natural look. At the same time, it is important to check that colours from different packages are harmonious.
Make sure the attached stone is fully and evenly compacted and that the mortar is evenly extruded from around the block. Extruded mortar should be immediately removed before it can set.

Mortar joint construction

In general, the recommended mortar joint width is 18-25mm.

DIY cladding with Chiba Stone should always be done following the above guidelines as closely as possible, for a quality result. If you are planing a DIY cladding installation, and any of the guidelines are unclear to you, please feel free to contact us directly with any questions.