Can I use construction adhesive to put natural rock on a wall?

Question

I want to put natural rock on a interior wall can I use Liquid Nails™ to glue them to wall?

Answer 1

I'd expect that to work just fine, considering that it won't be exposed to weather. In fact, I've done some repairs to my fireplace with construction adhesive and the artificial stones are still secure about 8 years later. Natural stone is heavier, but the bond with be as strong.

I would use "heavy duty" (solvent-based) adhesive instead of water-based "project" adhesive, though. The former is stickier and stronger.

One significant drawback is that construction adhesive doesn't have the initial grab and hold that mortar designed for the job would. You may have to secure the stones with bracing for a few hours.

There's also a remove-reapply technique you could try wherein you press a stone into place, pull it off, and reinstall it after a few minutes of curing time. This makes the adhesive stiffer. You may have to experiment a bit to get the timing right. Be careful to not let glue strings land on finished surfaces.