Opinions Wanted, Please

[TinasArk]

My clearance wall is basically done and good to go for burning wood, although it's not "beautified" yet. It's simply sheets of Durock. I need your ideas, suggestions, advice, opinions on the following:

What material/product can I use to do a one coat, COLOR, wire-less/lathe-less, finish on this Durock?

I KNOW you guys aren't shy to offer up this kind of info...I appreciate any help in advance.

 

[Corey]

I guess you could always give it a skim coat of thinset mortar. That is what you would apply before putting tile, etc on the Durock anyway, so I can't imagine there would be any compatibility/adhesion issues. As for color, gray and white thinset would be pretty standard, though I suppose since you wouldn't be terribly concerned about adhesive strength, you could experiment with adding various concrete color pigments (yellow, red, brown, black iron oxides would be pretty common and give a wide range of earth tones). Combine that with various application techniques (trowl it, fling it, roll it, sponge it, venetian plaster, etc) and you should have a pretty decent looking wall.

 

[fossil]

It depends to some extent on what your future plan (if any) is for it. If you plan to tile it someday, then you probably should just leave the Durock surface as is for now. Rick

 

[TinasArk]

It depends to some extent on what your future plan (if any) is for it. If you plan to tile it someday, then you probably should just leave the Durock surface as is for now. Rick

I don't plan on tiling or brick. Unless of course my idea sounds wonderfully artistic to me on paper, but comes out looking hideous. :/

 

[Jags]

A thinset (base coat, top coat) plaster application could always be done with it. You could make it smooth, sand finish or swirls, which ever you would like.

 

[oconnor]

vertical hand tooled concrete - check out my install link below. basically, concrete the wall, trowel and tool for a stone look, add form releasing powder, and texture the surface again. Let dry, wash it down, and seal it.

You will however need wire lathe mesh screwed to the durock to get the cancrete to stick - may not meet your aim

 

[oilstinks]

do a stucco or knock down over it with thinset

 

[bjkjoseph]

dont they use adobe in them there parts.

 

[mtarbert]

I would shim the surface with Vinyl Spackle. Vinyl interior/exterior. It is a hard smooth surface that will take any top coat in the future if you chose to top coat it and if no top coat is desired it will stand alone.
Mike

 

[TinasArk]

Wow...you guys are coming up with some really good ideas.

 

[oconnor]

I would shim the surface with Vinyl Spackle. Vinyl interior/exterior. It is a hard smooth surface that will take any top coat in the future if you chose to top coat it and if no top coat is desired it will stand alone.
Mike

Keep in mind we are decorating a heat shield - non combustibles are needed. Vinyl may not be a good material...

 

[fossil]

I skimmed an exposed concrete block wall with drywall joint compound once. A bit tedious, but with a wide drywall knife and a bit of patience, and a few coats and a lot of sanding over the course of a few days, it came out smooth as a baby's butt...couldn't tell it from a drwall surface. Prime & paint, and it was done. Turned out just fine. But that was a wall, not a heat shield. No problem with the joint compound, but what you apply atop that needs to be appropriate for the application. Not sure why you don't just tile it. Rick

 

[TinasArk]

Not sure why you don't just tile it. Rick

Because I'm "artsy" (I know, lol)! I don't want it to look like a brick or tile wall. My plan is that I'm going to be painting or impressing (is that the right word?) petroglyphs from the area into the media used. It'll have local fossil imprints around the outer edge. See?!

 

[oconnor]

based on that, go with the vertical concrete. It will take the texture, and if you use the form releasing powder, you will add color variations when you press the mold (fossil, etc) into the powder and cement.

 

[karri0n]

Leave it as is, unfinished, and use a dremel tool/chisel to make something like this:

 

[Jags]

Hey, wait a minute. Did she say fossil imprints?? What the heck kind of freelance work are you into now, Rick?? For shame

 

[TinasArk]

Leave it as is, unfinished, and use a dremel tool/chisel to make something like this:

I can't leave it as it is and chisel/dremel into it karriOn, because it's simply Durock right now. But I've gotta' say, I really like that Celtic thing you posted!

 

[TinasArk]

based on that, go with the vertical concrete. It will take the texture, and if you use the form releasing powder, you will add color variations when you press the mold (fossil, etc) into the powder and cement.

Brent, I think you're on to something here! So are you saying I should use the lathe? Concrete sounds real heavy on Durock alone. On the other hand, I have no idea how thin I can actually go with it. Plus I can tint the cement. Hmmmm!

 

[oconnor]

Mine is as thin as 3/8 inch in spots. I'd worry some about any flex in the board - cracking would result. My installer used a sand mix with portland cement - essentially mortar I guess. He used brown sand, and we didn't tint the mix, but used a grey powder. We sealed it with oil based garage floor sealer (some flamability there when applied, but, like the paint onthe stove, it has been fine once it cured). There are colored sealers as well. It was great as we had a really rough/broken fireplace face and unlevel floor to turn into our hearth, so it made for an easy way to have a hearth extension flush with the floor and gave a new face to the fireplace without adding depth (we were trying to save inches so that we wouldn't lose floorspace in the living room). The great part is you can practice on a scrap piece as much as you like.

Plus, if you get good at it, there is likely a career in Hearth Design awaiting you

Do a search for textured concrete and vertical concrete online, and you will get some ideas for techniques and suppliers. They even make silicone molds that are used to give a slate or stone texture, so the hand trowel technique isn't even needed.

 

[TinasArk]

Thanks Brent. I just came back from your install page and asked you about thickness, lol.
BTW, your child is beautiful.

 

[Bobbin]

I just skimcoated a cement block interior chimney in my workroom. I used a product called "Structural Skin" (Conproco) for the job. I mixed it in a wheelbarrow, adding a milky-looking liquid in place of some of the water. I used a rectangular trowel (loading it with a pointed trowel) to apply it to the blocks and worked from the bottom of the chimney up (much neater and easier). I used a 50 lb. bag of the mix to cover a 2'x3' block chimney that is 8' tall.

I let it dry for a few days and then went over it with drywall compound that goes on pink and dries white (handy!). I applied 2-3 coats of that, sanding it smooth between each coat. I primed and painted it. Looks nice, now I have to finish the hearth, it will be my first "go" at tiling. But it can't be that hard.

Mixing the Structural Skin in a wheelbarrow sucked. If you can swing it, use a drill with a paddle and a nice big bucket. By the time I had it mixed satisfactorily my wrists were tired and my hands were getting there, too (I am not wimpy). I will use a drill and paddle to mix the thin set mortar for the tiles!