DIY decorative stone

For many millennia, decorative stone remained the best building and finishing material. The decorative stone costs expensive, so many masters have mastered the manufacture of stone at home, for example, light gypsum stone or heavier and inexpensive - based on concrete.

What is the contemporary artificial stone are made of

In the 60s of the twentieth century, artificial stone began to be actively used in the West-the walls and foundation look organically in the stone jungle of the metropolis. The idea of \u200b\u200bmaking decorative stone and decorating buildings was picked up by architects and interior designers, pushing a whole segment of entrepreneurship to the development. Forgotten building material is popular again.

Ancient masters have long learned to process a stone, they distinguished it by the type of application, as:

• construction or cesan;
• finishing or decorative;
• contractor for jewelry.

In the previous centuries, sand and stone crumbs, grated pumice and shells, lime and chalk were mixed in the hardening gypsum. Dyes took natural:

• soot;
• color clay;
• metal oxides.

Nowadays, a stone and its analogue have come to the modern construction and arrangement of climbers, and today it is difficult to imagine a modern house without them. The decorative stone, the photo of which is presented in the article, clearly demonstrates the possibilities of this building material.

Do -it -yourself decorative stone today is made on a different basis, and there are technology available in everyday life. Forms are prepared independently or acquire factory models. Recipes, technologies and components are also known - they are offered by specialized companies.

Simple mixtures are based - water, cement and small, a pigment has been added. The material is quite durable, similar to natural stone, has excellent decorative properties. The option close to ancient methods is from gypsum, and today polymer materials are used as a binder.

The texture of wild stone has a different surface:

• fine -grained and smooth,
• layered and tuberous,
• stab and ribbed.

The natural stone crumbles and relaxes when in contact with the instrument, and artificial is not required processing. He is immediately given the required form. The most common varieties:

• ward, similar to a natural boulder;
• chopped, uneven, resembles chips from a blow;
• sawn, with smooth and even edges;
• wild stone, natural shape;
• decorative arbitrary form, with influxes, folds or tubercles, reflects any fantasies of designers.

Advantages and disadvantages of artificial material

The manufactured stone has advantages:

• the possibility of casting at the installation site to reduce transportation costs and scrap formed in delivery;
• make small thin plates to reduce the weight of the finished structure;
• its strength does not depend on the size and shape of the tile;
• the pigment added to the mixture gives the desired shade;
• it is possible to get a stone of direct and arbitrary shape;
• allows you to make the size of the tiles corresponding to the installation site, even taking into account curvature and irregularities;
• the produced finished forms make it possible to get a coarse -grained and smooth texture, almost polished;
• it is easy to make material of any irregular shape and broken front surface;
• some technologies make it possible to get a more strong analogue of fragile natural stone;
• polymers give plasticity, and even after manufacturing you can give a new shape or think through the edge for a seamless connection;
• artificial material often has the best decorative properties;
• it differs from natural stone with simplicity of laying, thanks to the smooth back side;
• indispensable fireproof building materials for decor of furnaces, barbecue, rude and fireplaces;
• it is quite moisture resistant, suitable for wet rooms such as a pool or a wine cellar;
• the price of an artificial decorative stone is less than a natural analogue that requires technological sawing and processing;
• does not need special care, serves for a long time and reliably;
• all kinds of options for the shape, shade and texture allow the artificial stone to fit into the interiors of any style.

Possible shortcomings:

• some decorative species have a complex manufacturing technology that increase the cost of the material;
• not every wall is suitable for decoration by wild stone due to its high specific gravity, the exception is gypsum analogues;
• sometimes it requires additional costs for transportation and high -tech styling;
• an impeccable joint of individual fantasy form blocks can not always be provided, clearance design is required.

The main types of decorative stone

To guarantee quality, finishing building materials are made in strict accordance with the recipe and production technology. The components and technology of release make it possible to get a decorative stone of different names and properties.

1. The concrete reinforced stone, the so -called monumental, the material of the free molding, it is made by manually where it is installed. This is a technology for cobblestones, boulders and plates of artificial granite.

The basis for molding is a cement-sand mortar:

• on 3 parts of the cement according to the proportion - 1 dry sand;
• 2-6% of the pigment from the mass of the solution;
• add polymer additives.

2. A similar material is a form of a mold from the same cement-sand mixture. Suitable for construction and finishes. It is characterized by increased strength and frost resistance. It is made in hangars, workshops and garages in the cool season.

3. Ceramic - the most expensive material that requires firing or hardening at a certain temperature. Its production is required to be associated with large energy costs and the presence of a large free heated area. In addition, trained workers are needed.

4. Gypsum cast decorative stone - the simplest technology and minimum equipment. They do at room temperature, but it is suitable only for work on interior decoration, does not like temperature differences. The mixture quickly becomes viscous.

It is made in small portions and immediately poured into a prepared form, but no later than 3-4 minutes from the start of the batch. We need citric acid up to 1.3% of the weight of dry gypsum, it will slow down hardening, the pigment-2-6% by weight of gypsum plus water. It is better to make several trial samples to correct the proportions.

5. Decorative polyester from synthetic material. It is done by hot hardening with the addition of mineral fillers. It exceeds many natural counterparts, but the hardening technology requires vacuum, they do in the workshop conditions.

6. Liquid stone on a helmotome. Business is inferior in hardness with cast stone, the gel takes less mineral fillers. The mixture is suitable for the release of products complex for products, such as stone puzzles, but a stone on a gel acrylic base is more expensive.

There are 2 compositions - primer and front, differ in the percentage of the filler and the composition. Loarking composition: gelcout - 20%, microcalcitis - 73%, hardener - 1%and accelerator - 6%. Personal composition: Gelkout-40% accelerator and hardener-as the 1st composition, the back composition-filler plus the pigment up to 6% of the mass of the solution. The composition is grasped in about half an hour, in a day the stone can be laid.

7. Cast acrylic stone of cold hardening based on acrylic resin. It is easy to manufacture, requires strict implementation of instructions and additional equipment, such as vibro -stand. In many ways, other artificial material is superior to another. At high temperatures up to +210 ° C, you can change its shape without changing quality.

Tip: the absence of pores and resistance to acrylic stone chemistles in the decoration provide impeccable hygiene, so it is suitable for premises where frequent pollution and cleaning of surfaces are possible - hallway, kitchen, veranda and covered terrace. The material is also known for its low thermal conductivity, gives a feeling of heat - this is the best choice for a bath, bathroom or pool.

Forms for decorative stone

There are many methods to make forms for stone yourself according to the chosen method, but it’s easier to buy ready -made ones.

There are about a dozen types of forms for the production of artificial stone with your own hands, but most often 3 types are used:

1. Ready -made polyurethane, for small production, they are offered by firms for the production of equipment and the sale of technology wild stone, are convenient and durable, but they cost a lot.

2. Clay forms on the model smelted using wax are suitable for modeling and artistic casting.

3. Silicone molds are suitable for home -made tiles in the ebb, they are enough for dozens of castings, and are deformed eventually.

Tip: a sand pillow is required for silicone shapes, with vibrations and heating them bursts. Before casting, the shape is deepened into the sand in the pallet to 3/4 of the height to reduce the deformation, and the horizontal immersion is checked by the water level.

Additional components and devices

1. The pigment for building mixtures is offered in catalogs and stores for building materials in different forms of production: liquid, pasta and powder. The synthetic pigment-powder is evenly introduced into gypsum or other dry filler, the pasta-pigment is introduced into the prepared kneading. By the way, thanks to a pigment paste, it is easier to get an uneven color - layered or spotted, it is introduced with a syringe directly in the kneading at the end of kneading.

2. Separators are of different types:

• for cast acrylic;
• for concrete solution;
• for gypsum composition;
• for liquid stone.

They are sold with finished instructions and a detailed recipe. You can also use high -quality lubricant - cyatim, fiol.

3. Thermal pistol is a device of the type of small construction hair dryer with a strong stream of preheated air.

4. Vibrosten - the main machine for the manufacture of stone with your own hands, guaranteeing high quality of the final product, provides uniformity of the hardening mixture.

Tip: such a stand can be made yourself - there are detailed instructions and videos on the Internet, for example, for the manufacture of decorative stone on a cement -based using a home -made vibration stand.

The simplest technology for obtaining artificial stone on a cement basis

1. The sand is mixed with a cement for the first layer of 3: 1 until a homogeneous mass, for coloring, add a suitable dye about 2-3% relative to cement, knead with water to a density of sour cream, the liquid pigment is previously diluted with water.

2. The finished mixture is evenly laid out in the form to half, compacted and distributed by shaking and tapping. To reinforce the stone, a metal grid is placed on the 1st layer, the 2nd layer without pigment is poured and cross-shaped grooves for adhesion during styling are struck.

3. After 10-12 hours, the finished stone can be removed from the form and laid for complete drying. After that, the form must be cleaned and washed with Fairy after each fill.

4. In the process of monumental forming of a large block, the base is formed on a blank, a ovid reinforcing mesh and wire, where thick cakes are laid out in layers without dye. When the base grabs a bit, the solution is prepared with the addition of the pigment of the desired consistency and make the final shape. Artificial boulders when hardening, for about a month, are covered with a film from the rain.

Production of gypsum stone in the simplest way

At home, decorative stone is made in several ways. Let us dwell on the description of the proven in practice.

1. It is recommended to purchase a couple of finished samples of wild stone and make forms according to the size of the stone, for example, from a plywood box in the form of a trapezoid - for the convenience of excavation.

2. 1 liter of silicone sealant in acetic acid is evenly squeezed into it, the layer is lubricated with a solidol or other separator so that the finished stone does not stick.

3. A stone-image is pressed into a box with a silicone until he completely drowsily drowned in it, up to the back surface, the excess silicone needs to be cleaned, the form dries a couple of days.

4. After completely drying, the sample is carefully removed from the box for the mold. The finished silicone is soft and elastic.

5. The gypsum mixture according to the recipe is kneaded to the density of sour cream with the pigment, and poured into a form lubricated by solidol. After the first layer, it is advisable to reinforce the tiles with a small metal mesh, it is poured with 2-layer without a dye, with shaking they achieve alignment and leave to dry. If the gypsum quickly settles, interfering with the reinforcement process, the mixture is diluted with milk - then it thickens longer.

6. It is better to drown the form in the sand on the pallet, to preserve the silicone shape, and pressed gypsum with corrugated glass on top so that the uneven back surface is better attached to the wall.

Tip: There are labor -intensive methods of manufacturing stone, such as quartz, allowing you to obtain the highest quality and strongest building materials for facing. Having mastered some methods, you can open your own business.

Self -laying of artificial stone

1. The finished decorative stone is attached to any dry surfaces with an additional crate. Installation, with or without stimulating the seams, is done on a cement mortar, construction glue, the stone is cut by a grinder at low speeds with a concrete disk.

2. Before starting installation, it is better to make a sketch of finished work or use a picture with similar material. Stones are laid out according to the pattern on the surface for the most beautiful placement and fitting fragments.

Additional decoration of stone in landscape design

For a long time, the stone was not only widely used in architecture, the Japanese decorated them with Tobiisi gardens. Today, for special design purposes, the stone is additionally painted or primed for part of its surface, so that green shoots are more likely to form in the climynaria. They rub ocher with soot, aging, and bulges on the south side with an iron reserves to obtain the visibility of tanning and weathering.