Laying decorative stone: technology and examples

Decorative stone is a wonderful building material, which is used for various types of decoration, external and internal. Lining this material is much easier than ceramic tiles. Moreover, it can be done independently. At the same time, laying decorative stone is carried out using a minimum of materials and tools. Many home masters fear that nothing will come of their undertaking. But nowhere to retreat: all materials are purchased, tools are waiting in the wings, and friends and relatives are looking forward (and someone with secret gloating) are waiting for what the new apartment will look like. So, for the work!

Advantages and disadvantages

First of all, about the benefits:

  • Decorative stone is an interior decoration that gives it an unusual and non-standard look. Do not pay attention to it is simply impossible;
  • It is very simple to work with an artificial stone. The reasons - the lightness and the correct form. In addition, to care for the stone is very simple. Enough ordinary soap solution;
  • Environmental cleanliness, safety. The material does not corrode, does not rot, is unattractive to fungal lesions and bacteria;
  • Reliability, durability. The material serves for a long time, without losing its operational qualities;
  • Extensive selection of styles, textures and shades. This allows you to create exactly the interior that you like best;
  • Hypoallergenic. The artificial stone made by classical technology contains exclusively natural components: water, gypsum, quartz sand, marble chips and inorganic additives;
  • Low cost. Gypsum is not among the expensive building materials. Its price is comparable with materials such as alabaster, drywall and chalk. This makes the repair not only effective, but also low-budget.

There are disadvantages:

  • The fragility of the material. A minor blow is enough to destroy the material;
  • Insufficient moisture resistance (this applies to gypsum stone). When used in the kitchen or bathroom, you need an additional moisture-resistant coating.

    

The advantages of stone wall decoration

Decorative stone looks great as a finish for window and door openings, as well as the fireplace area. It goes well with indoor plants, as well as aquariums and home fountains. If we talk about style, then this finish looks best with a classic interior, adding to it notes of aristocracy and chic.

In order to facing looked really beautiful, you need to take into account one of its features. It will take quite bright lighting, otherwise the room will look a bit gloomy. This problem can be solved by stacking a stone not solid, but alternating it with plain wallpaper, paint or decorative plaster of a light shade.

    

Types of decorative and natural stone

The most common types of artificial stone - based on cement and gypsum. Gypsum finishing material is unstable to high humidity. Therefore, it is used in living rooms, bedrooms or hallways. Facing artificial stone made of cement, on the contrary, is moisture-resistant, therefore it is used in rooms with a high level of humidity, for example, in a bathroom, on a balcony, bathroom or in a kitchen. Fashion trends of today - facing materials with realistic imitation of brickwork and slate. The surface of a brick or clinker is perfect for modern loft interiors, decorating the area near the fireplace or stove, as well as for decorating the walls of loggias and balconies. As for the imitation of slate, this is the only type of decor that forms a single stone surface that resembles natural rocks. Each element has its own individual appearance, and the whole composition as a whole looks very impressive and charming.

Of the natural stones used to finish houses and apartments, the most common are granite, limestone, marble and sandstone.

  • Marble is a beautiful aristocratic material with which you can create magnificent "palace" interiors. The color spectrum is the richest, but the most popular, in addition to black and white, are shades of beige, red and brown. Best of all it looks in spacious rooms. With a limited number of square meters of "royal" finish will look like something ridiculous.
  • Sandstone has 3 primary colors: red, chocolate brown and green. There are three names of the material according to the degree of graininess. Sandstone processing and laying is very simple. Material inexpensive, but quite spectacular. Apply to buildings and as a finish;
  • Limestone is an alloy of stones laid in horizontal rows. Hue may be pink, gray, yellowish or white;
  • Granite, in addition to the beautiful noble look, is distinguished by its special strength and durability. It is used for interior and exterior decoration. It looks good with other finishing materials.

    

Installation Features

The specificity of the technology of working with an artificial stone is that it does not have a smooth facial structure, like ceramic tiles, so removing the plane "to zero" is completely unnecessary. Do I need to respect the rows? Preferably, since the appearance of the lining benefits from this. Now consider the main stages of work related to the laying of artificial stone.


    

Preparatory work

An important point before mounting a decorative stone is to thoroughly prepare the surface. The walls must be freed from the remnants of old coatings and degrease. It is not necessary to level the wall to the ideal state, since the lining will reliably hide all the flaws. But you need to check the adhesion of the surface. Sprinkle it with water and see if there are areas where the water is not absorbed, but hangs on the wall with drops. These areas need to be subjected to particularly thorough machining, and then repeat the experiment with spraying. Scratch the surface of the wall thoroughly with a brush on metal, then use a paint brush to grind stones from the back and the outside.

Before you begin facing work, place the elements of the finish on a flat surface, consider the future drawing. This will allow you to find in advance the best option for placing stones on the wall and avoid confusion.

    

Required styling tools

The most common tool that is used when laying artificial decorative stone on the wall.

  • Hacksaw for woodworking. She cuts gypsopolymer stones very well, no worse than a grinder;
  • Stouslo. Indispensable if you need to cut the material at an angle of 45 or 90 degrees;
  • Spatulas of different sizes for applying adhesive composition;
  • Kitchen sponges. They are convenient to use when filling joints;
  • Chisel, sandpaper, file. With these tools you can easily adjust the stones, as they are not always cast in an immaculately smooth form. The most convenient way to use a chisel for work, and then to clean the surface with emery paper;
  • Construction level and simple pencil;
  • The mixer is construction. It can be replaced with a drill with a nozzle. It is convenient for mixing adhesive and filler compositions.

You will need the following materials:

  • Putty. It is used for sealing seams at the corners and between the joints;
  • Varnish on the water. It will be required to cover places in the area of ​​seams and chips;
  • Tile glue (it can be replaced with liquid nails).

It is necessary to breed tile adhesive so that to use ready-made solution within 15, at most 20 minutes. Longer - not because the mass starts to harden. The best consistency of the adhesive is creamy, like toothpaste. In any case, you need to read the instructions.

Laying technology

In order to properly and beautifully decorate the walls with artificial stone, it is not necessary to have experience in construction or design work. A little diligence, patience and desire to do something yourself - all you need. Lack of experience compensates for the building material. General conditions for finishing work are as follows:

  • Temperature range when facing an artificial stone - from 5 to 30 degrees. If the air temperature exceeds 30 degrees, then approximately half an hour before the start of work, the wall and the back surface of the stone are moistened with water.
  • Before you start laying inspect each stone. Sometimes the opposite sides have a different shade. It does not hurt to ask the seller which side is better to lay the material.
  • Make a markup on the wall. Its pitch is up to 500 mm. It is necessary to know in advance how the elements of the decor will go.

Styling methods

There are 2 ways of laying artificial stone: with jointing and without. The first method is used for decoration "brick" texture. You can lay out the wall without jointing with artificial stones that imitate slate. Seamless styling is easier and faster. Its essence is that the stones need to be placed one from the other at a minimum distance. Excess glue must be removed on time, otherwise it will then be difficult to do. The essence of laying stones with jointing is that the cladding elements are placed at a distance from one another. In this case, you need to add the previously purchased jointing to the list of tools and accessories. It will be required and dye to match the finishing stone (or, on the contrary, a contrasting shade), for the seams.

Now the process itself - step by step. Stone laying begins with corner elements, alternating short and long stones. To create support, facing lead from the floor up. When the glue dries in the bottom layer, you can proceed to further installation. The time of glue polymerization depends on the specific brand. For individual adhesives, polymerization time is not needed at all. In each case, you must read the instructions. If you use a seamless installation, it is necessary to ensure that the glue and went to the front of the stones, not falling on the front part of the decor.
Design features curvilinear or complex areas:

  • Complex elements are performed using a file and (or) chisels. This skill is useful if you need to gracefully bypass the outlet or switch, as well as when you design slopes, entrance doors and interior arched openings.
  • For perfect cornering, the miter box is used. When laying the stones, cut at an angle, monitor their tight fit. Convenient use of the vessel and for the formation of right angles. If the craft is not at hand, you can use an object with a precisely adjusted right angle.
  • Figured cutting performed on the contour of the texture.

Sealing of the seams with putty can be done with a plastic bag from under dairy products. Fill the package with filler solution, and then release through a small hole directly into the seam. Surplus sponge is removed from under the dishes.

    

Finishing

To keep the stone properties a little longer, it is covered with special impregnation. Apply it, after ideally clearing the wall. If you need a shiny surface, then apply acrylic varnish on top. If they want to achieve maximum naturalness, the impregnation, on the contrary, is diluted with water. Beautifully looks decorative stone, painted in various shades.


    

Errors that should be avoided when laying stone

Beginners when facing walls with decorative stone often make the following mistakes:

  • A wide seam that does not decorate, but spoils the whole impression of the composition;
  • Bad wall priming. After some time, the lining begins to fall off;
  • Damage and chipping of individual trim elements during trimming;
  • Wrong choice of texture and color;
  • Row errors made from the very beginning. This leads to the fact that the material fits randomly. The appearance of the wall from this much loses.

The cost of repair depends on the amount of work, prices for materials and prices of specialists. Laying your own facing makes it cheaper.

    

Conclusion

Work, especially not very experienced craftsmen, you need without haste, then the result will be much better. It is advisable to fug and rub the seams 2-3 days after finishing the facing work, when the glue is completely dry. If you perform all the steps according to all the rules, the result will be truly impressive.

Watch the video: Laying a block edge course (March 2024).

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