Install Guide For Veneers

General Fixing information -

Prepare the material & Substrate: Start by preparing the material. Lay on a flat surface all of the material you have purchased which is being fixed in the same area. Then adjust the position of each sheet until you are completely satisfied with the continuity of the colour and pattern. We recommend you prime to substrate with an SBR primer to get the best possible bond with the adhesive. 

Adhering: We recommend using a hybrid polymer adhesives that you can order from our store's accessories range. ​For dry internal walls and wet areas you can use our Soudal Fix All High Tack available in white and black and clear.

For translucent slate veneer and any areas that require a transparent adhesive you can use our Lite Stone Adhesive for translucent slate veneer. 

Apply a very thin layer of adhesive do not use wide notched trowel to create a bed. You can find the perfect adhesive spreader tool in our store's accessories range. It is important to spread the adhesive so you do not get any hollow points or gaps between the sheets and substrate where there is no bond. This is particularly important when the sheets are used in wet areas to ensure a waterproof seal and full bond between the sheets and the substrate. 

In most cases we recommend applying the adhesive to the back side of the slate and stone veneer sheets. Do not go all the way to the edge of the sheet as the adhesive will spread. You can also apply decorators tape or masking tape to the edges of the stone face of the sheets. by doing this if any adhesive comes through at the joints of the sheets it goes onto the tape and not the stone. It is very important to not get any adhesive on the stone face of the sheets. You can use alcohol wipes to clean off any residue left on the sheets from the tape. You can use a plasterers float to help press the sheets onto the substrate and you can use a soft bristled decorators brush to remove any loose chippings from the material after fixing the sheets.

Jointing and grouting the sheets: Most of our clients choose to butt joint our materials tight together and not leave a space for grouting. This makes the installation faster. However you can grout between each piece if you want the look of a traditional stone tile. If you choose to grout between the sheets apply masking tape to the edges of the sheets and be very careful to not get any grout on the stone face as it can be very difficult to remove.

Cutting: You can cut our slate and stone veneer sheets with a Dremel tool, a multi tool or small angle grinder. Use a circular blade made for tiles. You can also cut our sheets with a tile saw or bench saw. You can mark your cuts and cut from the back side of the sheets, you can also cut from the top stone face of the sheets with some cutting methods. You can use a sample to test your cutting process before starting to cut into the full size sheets.

​Fixing jumbo 240 x 120cm sheets: In most cases our jumbo sheets are shipped rolled up and packaged in a box. Before installing the sheets lay the sheets flat. The resin backside of our slate and stone veneer sheets can become stiff when cold and can keep the curve from being packaged in a roll. Rectify this by warming the resin side with a heat gun. Do not make the sheets too hot, just warm to the touch. this will make the sheets more malleable and easier to adhere to the wall.

​Fixing Translucent Stone Veneer for Back lighting: Adhere our translucent slate veneer to a transparent perspex, acrylic or toughened glass backing. This material should be thick enough to provide a rigid backing to the veneer. Then run LED light panels or modules behind. For modules we recommend a minimum of 60mm gap to ensure you do not see the bulbs and achieve good distribution of light. Our translucent slate veneer adhesive is a spray adhesive that adheres as soon as it makes contact so the sheet must be perfectly placed onto the acrylic for bonding. Use masking tape on all edges of the slate surface to avoid getting the adhesive on the stone.

​Making external corners: You can make a nice external corner with our slate and stone veneer sheets by butt jointing the pieces tight together. You can run a strip of masking tape down each side of the corner and use normal sand paper to sand the corner, this will remove the sharpness of the edges.

Sealing the stone surface: As with all other natural stone materials the top natural surface is susceptible to staining if it is not sealed. You can use any common stone impregnator and sealant which states it is suitable for slate and stone. Ensure the sealant is not ‘colour enhancing’ if you want to keep the original natural look of the material. We sell a sealer and impregnator that does not significantly change the colour and appearance of the sheets. You can find this in our store's accessories range. We recommend sealing the slate veneer after installation. We always recommend sealing when our slate and stone veneers are used in a bathroom, kitchen and for floors. it is not always necessary in general living areas.

​Ongoing care and maintenance: We recommend using our care cleaner for regular cleaning and you can find this in our store's accessories range.

You can also regularly clean our slate and stone veneer sheets by drying cleaning with a soft bristled brush, this will remove day to day dust and dirt. When wet cleaning the sheets do not use any cleaning solutions that are acidic or alkaline, use a cleaning product that is PH neutral. Do not clean the sheets with a hard bristled utensil like a scourer as this can leave hair line scratches in some of our materials.