How to Build a Stone Wall for a Fireplace

A stone wall for a fireplace is one of the oldest building techniques practiced. There are two ways to do construct it. One is freestyle stacking and the other is done by using mortar. Freestyle needs to be done very precisely as the stones hold themselves in place. Using mortar will ultimately be a faster way to build a stone fireplace wall, but it will not look quite as pretty.
A lot of people want to add on a stone wall to their existing fireplace. In that case, they may already have a brick wall in place, and space will be at a premium. One simple trick around that is to choose which field stone pieces you like, and then make a straight cut across the back with a concrete saw. In this way, you will have a straight edge that will stack nicely against your brick wall, saving time and space as you go.

Things You'll Need

• Truck load of field stone Cap stone Gloves Mortar if so desired Bucket Trowel Concrete saw, optional Leather gloves

Instructions

1. Pick through the fieldstone to find the absolute flattest pieces you can find. These will be the base of the stone wall and potentially also the top layer of the wall that will hold the capstone. If you are stacking against a preexisting wall and want to cut them to fit, use the concrete saw.

2. Preselect stones that will fit together. As you are picking through the fieldstone, look for angles and edges that go together. You will have to be very careful about this if it is a freestanding wall. If that's the case, the pieces must interlock like a puzzle. Find pieces that fit well on top of each other. The size and shape don't always conform. They do not need to exactly, because you will can fill in the spaces with mortar which will automatically make them fit together perfectly.

3. Mix up your mortar. If you're using mortar (and unless you have a lot of experience, you should probably use the mortar), mix up a batch per instructions in your bucket. Usually this will just involve adding water to the mix and stirring.

4. Start building your wall. The flat pieces that you found first will go on the bottom, followed by the other fitting and semi-fitting stones. Fill in the gaps with mortar to hold the stones together. You will continue adding stones and mortar until you reach the top of the fireplace.

5. Make sure that the top of the wall is as flat as possible. You can level it out using extra mortar, or add on a layer of flat stones like the ones you used on the base.

6. Place the capstone on the top. Either free stand it, or put mortar it in. Either way it will be the crown on your wall. As stated previously, unless you have extensive experience with freestanding stone walls, do not rely on your stone wall to stand steady with the heavy capstone on top. A layer of mortar adds a great deal of security.

Tips & Warnings

• Picking through fieldstone for near-perfect fits may take more time, but the beauty will be well worth the trouble. This way your mortar will be less visible.

• Fieldstones are heavy, so always use leather gloves and caution when lifting them into place.