Weekend Remodel: How to Clad Concrete Steps in Stone

By: Jennifer Stimpson, This Old House magazine

Shopping List

Supplies You Will Need

work gloves for handling steel lath and stones

2½-gauge steel lath

stone veneer mortar

acrylic bonding agent

self-adhesive flashing

canvas drop cloth and painter's tape
for creating the layout

stone veneer Get about 20 percent more than you need for the risers and sides of the steps.

bluestone treads Add 1½ inches to the finished width of the steps (including lath, mortar, and side veneer stones) for the overhang at each end. Have your supplier "torch" the ends and front edge of each tread for a more finished look.

bluestone pavers Measure the landing and have your supplier help size the stones to include the correct overhangs, grout lines, and a gap against the house.

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Tools List
Tools You Will Need
- utility knife
- pry bar
- circular saw to cut the trim board
- tin snips to cut the steel lath
- powder-actuated nailer and nails (Masonry nails may suffice on newer, softer concrete)
- hammer
- plastic bin and hoe for mixing mortar
- hose to rinse the mixing bin between batches
- finishing trowel with a 3/8-inch notch
- grinder fitted with a diamond masonry blade
- mason's chisel and maul
- brick hammer
- chip brush to apply acrylic bonding agent
- brick trowel
- grout bag
- striking tool
- 4-foot level
- rubber mallet
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Photo: Kolin Smith

Introduction
Overview
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8 hours a day over three to four days
$1,000

Difficulty: Hard Lifting and placing the heavy treads takes endurance and patience

Though you may wish you could take a sledgehammer to those drab concrete steps tarnishing your home's curb appeal, we have a better plan. Veneer them in handsome stone to turn your embarrassing entry into a welcoming focal point. This Old House senior technical editor Mark Powers will tell you it takes at least one strong buddy to place the bluestone tread caps and that you should check your local codes about riser heights. He'll also show you, on the pages that follow, the simplest way to tackle this value-boosting project.

Granite veneer: New England Thinstones' Chesterfield Square & Rectangle, about $12.50 per square foot, and corner stones, about $15 per linear foot; New England Thinstones. Treads: 1½-inch thermally treated bluestone, about $13 per linear foot; Fairfield Stone and Landscape Supply. Landing pavers: 1-inch thermally treated bluestone, about $7.25 per square foot; Fairfield Stone and Landscape Supply. Mortar: Quikrete Veneer Stone Mortar, about $5 for an 80-pound bag; QUIKRETE