I have some thin-stone veneer I am applying on a new home. I'm wrapping outside corners 27" a side and 72" high. Stone is Ledgestone-Colorado Buff Sandstone about 7/8 to 1 1/4 thick.
The manufacturer and everyone I checked with in the trade says they don't use a brickledge. I wanted to dry stack it.
The mason I have coming says that it will be stronger with grout joints (and easier to lay).
Comments on drystack vs grouted?

This stone veneer strength is based on lateral cohesion. Not vertical support as in a brick or a regular stonewall. Therefore mortar joints become a matter of looks. The only diff in joints as opposed to no joints, is the rain laying in those joints and freezing to pop the veneer. Sealers is a good way to prevent that.

Now if you are laying a real stone wall it needs a stone/brick ledge. A perfect stone ledge is 6" wide.

If this is real lateral laid stone then the stone can be tilted when laid in mortar in the back of the stone wall and you tilt the front ti hit the other stone. This Is called laying 'Shadow Rock" which looks like this.

http://www.pavers-retainingwalls.com/EldoradoCore.html

Get back to let me know roughly how wide is the stone.

I get a kick out of the public when they say 'dry stacked" Basically there's no WALLS on a building that are dry stacked laid walls. Only a farmers retaining wall in an earthen bank or a field dividing a field.

Signed 21 Boat

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21boat-
The stone is 3/4 to 1 1/4 thick and random lengths and widths. I am using flats and pre cut corners. Some of the corner pieces are fairly large, many of the flats are long and narrow as is common w/ledgestone.
I went to the link you posted but am not savy enough to understand what I was seeing-re the "shodow rock".
If I understand you dry stack literally means no mortar and what I meant has the back of the stone buttered w/mortar.
Stone is under a 3' eave, but I hear you about water and freeze/ thaw. I live in the desert but still...
Can you dumb down your term "lateral cohesion"? Wouldn't mortared grout joints kind of tie the veneer together strength-wise?
Thanks for the input!

Sorry. I'm a mason and using trade terms.

Basically there are 3 types of stone finishes.

One is real stone laid on a foundation ledge as mentioned before". That was until the 'fake" stone that came out in the late 70s ( cheaper )

This was a man made product that was limited in color and looks but can be applied to a wall and requires no stone "Ledge"

After realizing that the "fake" stone stuck fairly well on a wall that was (Galvanized wired/scratch coated stucco for veener base ) The quarry's that had stone with good cleavage was marketable. It can quarry real stone and get it thin enough to be applied like the "fake" stone.

Alas real stone thin enough to be applied on a vertical surface that would stick and have the "Real stone look" because it is real.

The "fake stone can be and should be laid from the top down to the ground. Reasons for that is you get a good finish look where it stops at the overhang/soffit and the stone can be cut down on the bottom grade and so so cuts gets hidden. The other big reason 'fake" stone is done from the top down is if you have mortar flop off from laying that piece it doesn't hit the stone below it. If it does it can and will stain the fake stone. Surkleen/mortar acid can't be used to clean it off like real stone.

Real stone thin veneer needs to be laid from the bottom up. Temp wedges/spaws/stone chunks needs to be used now and again until the stone above sets up enough to pull the temp wedges out Again both thin veneers rely on the mortar smeared on the back of the stone and the semi parged coat holding it by suction on the mortar smeared on the back of the stone.

Basically the suction cup effect hold it intil it sets up.

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I have the same question ans still m confused by above: I had real "thinstone" laid and like the look without grout. Does anyone have reliable information about the likelihood of pieces popping off if not grouted? I am aware that the grout can be put in and scraped out to keep some of the 3d surface appearance but that assumes the mason is willing to take that time.