Decoration of walls with decorative artificial stone

Contents

1. Advantages of a decorative stone
2. Types of artificial stone
3. Surface preparation
4. Necessary tools for laying decorative stone
5. Laying decorative stone

Although decorative stone is not quite the material that can be used for a solid wall decoration, but it caneffectively combine with other materials, highlight zones, set accents. In addition, this decoration gives the room elegance, shades of naturalness, it can even help turn an ordinary room into a part of a medieval castle.

Let's try to understand the main advantages of a decorative stone as a finish, how to prepare surfaces for its installation, and how to properly make a decorative stone installation on its own.

Advantages of the decorative stone

Of course, as a decoration you can use not only artificial stone, but also natural. However, now we will focus our attention on its artificial counterpart, since it is more practical: natural stone is very heavy and expensive, which makes it less popular in the modern market. That is why we will immediately turn to the main advantages of an artificial decorative stone:

1. compared to natural stone, it is lighter than at times, which pleases, because you will not have to further strengthen the foundation;
2. The durability of an artificial stone can be compared with natural analogues, i.e.this cover is not for a couple of years;
3. The variety of possible shapes, sizes and colors is simply amazing: you can make a wall under a brick, granite, shell rock, etc., especially since you can always order the production of a stone of the desired design, or even make it yourself, which is not socomplicated;
4. artificial stone is quite is easy to install , because the back side is completely flat, which is not true of natural stone, so there should not be any special difficulties;
5. is another plus - versatility of in terms of possible surfaces. So, the artificial stone can be laid over concrete, brick, wooden and metal walls;
6. coating is not afraid of fire , so you can use it to decorate stoves and fireplaces, which looks very nice in the interior. Stone is also used in pools, saunas and baths, since its water absorption is low and the additional hydrophobic protective film completely eliminates the effect of moisture on the material. In addition, the stone is very resistant to fungal effects, temperature extremes, direct sunlight, so it can be used in almost any room;
7. features harmoniously fit an artificial stone into the interior - mass. It blends well with wood, plaster and wrought products, so it fits into almost any interior. It is good to accent certain elements in the interior: columns, arches, niches, doorways, fireplaces, separate walls, headboard, etc., but laying out all the walls in stone is not a good idea. It is very simple to get here not a stylish room, but a cold castle;
8. care for the stone is also not difficult - as needed, you just need to wipe it with a damp cloth, you can with detergent, but do not use abrasives and cleaning tools.

It is also worth noting that you need to be very careful with stone in narrow dark rooms - there it should be used only in a minimal amount or not at all. Also, be careful with the lighting: the more stone is used in the room, the brighter should be the artificial lighting so as not to make the room gloomy and dull.

As for the shortcomings of , it is difficult to isolate them, since depending on the composition of the artificial stone, they may be different. So, there are species that are not very resistant to abrasion, others are afraid of moisture and require the use of protective agents, and still others are afraid of high temperatures and the influence of chemicals. But here the choice is based on the room in which the stone will be used, so you can not even notice the shortcomings.

Types of artificial stone

Depending on the composition, preparation method and scope of use, artificial stone can be divided into three types:

• porcelain tile consists of clay, feldspar, mineral and coloring additives. All this is mixed and pressed under great pressure, and then burned. Keramogranite is more like a tile than a stone, it can be glossy and matte, have a different texture, convey the relief of many natural stones. Its main advantage is durability and resistance to temperature changes, but the resistance to chemicals is not very high;
• agglomerates is a type of artificial stone, which consists of polyester resin, and marble, granite chips, and other additives. Such a material can have almost any color and shape, which allows to imitate the surface of a natural stone as accurately as possible. Agglomerates withstand temperature changes well, are very strong and durable, but there are also disadvantages: low resistance to chemicals, direct sunlight, high fading. As for strength, it largely depends on which minerals are part of the stone: for example, quartzite, for example, will make the stone very strong and durable. All these properties determine the use of such a stone as decoration for furniture;
• colored concrete stone - this is exactly the material that is used most often in the decoration of walls. It consists of Portland cement, sand, various additives that affect color, strength, etc. So, even fiberglass can be used as a reinforcement base, which will bring the artificial stone closer to natural and even metal in terms of strength.

In any case, an artificial decorative stone has a natural basis, which means that you can also add its environmental friendliness to in the list of benefits.

Surface Preparation

The preparation of walls for laying decorative artificial stone begins with an assessment of their condition. They must be smooth, smooth and strong enough to withstand future loads. flatness of the walls deserves special attention: the deviation should not be more than 2 mm per 2 meters of the wall. Especially this rule should be followed if you put smooth stones, such as river stone or brick - then all the irregularities can affect the appearance and strength of the finished coating. If coarser stones of different shapes are used, then the flatness of the wall no longer plays such decisive significance, and the deviation may be slightly larger than indicated, because due to the relief of the stone, the drops are leveled. But anyway, the bumps in the wall should be cut, and the holes and cracks should be puttied.

Next, is to plaster the walls of the with the laying of reinforcing mesh, although for some types of decorative stones, you can do without the mesh, since their weight is not very large. But you still have to plaster some defects of the walls.

Naturally, before embarking on such a finish, you need to get rid of traces of old finishing materials: paint, wallpaper, plaster. It is not very difficult to get rid of them: the wallpaper can be removed with a spatula, sometimes wetting them with plain water will help. The paint is also removed with a spatula, it can be heated with a building dryer, or solvents can be used.

When everything hardens, the wall should be primed and should proceed to the preparation of the adhesive .So, for the stone it is best to use a special glue for the stone: it is prepared according to the instructions, according to which most often you need to pour powder into a certain volume of water, mixing the mixture in parallel with a construction mixer. The result is a thick glue, ready for use.

Liquid nails, glue for ceramic tiles and even cement-sand mortar can also be used as glue. In addition to the latter, additional PVA construction glue is added, as well as plasticizers.

Before embarking on the direct laying of a decorative stone, you need to clearly understand for yourself how everything should look in the end. It is advisable to draw a sketch, where to consider which part of the wall the stone will occupy, what form this square will take, how the stones will be stacked - butt or with the formation of a seam, how many stones you will need, because it is difficult to saw them without losing appearance.

The completed drawing is transferred onto the wall to make it easier to navigate the laying process. Moreover, if an area with a stone in some place should have a flat edge, for example, near the floor or in some part of the wall, then it is better to install limiters in advance - corners that are attached to the wall. In this case, the wall will look quite aesthetic.

Required tools for laying decorative stone

• selected type of glue;
• capacity for the preparation of glue;
• spatula or trowel for applying glue;
• drywall, cardboard, crosses for tiles to form a seam of the required thickness;
• level to monitor the flatness of the masonry;
• grout or putty and a sponge or gun for its application;
• protective hydrophobic layer and roller for its application.

Laying a decorative stone

It is easy to lay a stone: glue is applied with a spatula with a comb or a trowel to the width of the row, which is laid first, and then alternately glue the stones, carefully pressing them. Moreover, if the excess solution flows out, then they should be removed as quickly as possible so as not to spoil the appearance of the stone. If the installation is end-to-end, then each next stone gently leans against the previous one. If you need a seam between the elements, then in order to make it even, you can use, for example, drywall sections - the seam is wide, but it looks very good with certain types of stones. You can use cardboard - its advantage is that you can select the width. You can also use the crosses for the tile: it will be quite comfortable, and you won't have to cut anything.

Starting sticking is better from the corners of the room, stacking on one row: it’s better not to start the next row until the previous one is ready. As for where to start laying - from above or below - then there are no rules here, but if you start from the bottom, then parts of the solution may fall on an already laid stone.

Please note that some types of decorative stone, such as bricks, are best laid with an offset in order to achieve a more natural result. If you need pieces of a whole stone, it is best to use the grinder or a special machine for cutting ceramic tiles.

When the entire stone is laid out, and the solution has dried, and this happens after a couple of days, you can remove the auxiliary elements. If there are stitches between the stones, then you need to prepare a grouting solution: it is difficult to apply it with a rubber spatula, as in the case of ceramic tiles, so the grout can be applied with a sponge or even a damp cloth wrapped around a finger. You can also use silicone grout, which is applied with a pistol, which is very convenient.

The grout usually consists of cement adhesive mastic, which can be tinted in a specific color to improve the decorative effect, and you can also use putty. If the cement composition was used as an adhesive, then when it is squeezed from pressing on the stones, it forms a sufficient amount to use it as a grout. When the solution hardens a little, it can be leveled with a wooden spatula to give the desired shape. This is a great way to imitate brickwork. Otherwise, proceed as described above. After all the work done, you need to check whether parts of the mortar or glue have fallen on the stone, and if necessary remove them with a dry cloth.

The stone is not necessary from above, but in some cases it is just necessary to cover with a protective layer .So, if the stone is in constant contact with moisture, if people constantly contact it, if the stone was painted on top, then it is better to use a protective layer. As the latter, water-based compositions are used, which are more pleasant to use, or solvent-based, which create a stronger film on the surface of the stone. Apply such compounds with a roller or spray.

The care of for an artificial artificial stone is simple - it will be enough just to wipe it with a damp sponge, sometimes with a detergent, in order to clean any possible dirt.