Flexible stone with their hands

Flexible stone - innovative material for finishing, which has already managed to earn the respect and love design.The low cost and ease of installation, coupled with excellent performance characteristics allow its use both in the home and for facing facades.In this article we consider in detail the manufacture and installation of flexible stone technology.

Featuresflexible stone

flexible stone manufacturing technology was invented in Germany a little over 10 years ago, and she has appeared more recently in Russia.Despite this, the material immediately gained popularity, which is not surprising - the coating of flexible stone has many advantages.It is suitable for decoration of all kinds of surfaces - walls, floor, ceiling, columns, furniture, facades, staircases, etc.

material advantages of a flexible stone:

1. functionality - a small thickness (4 mm) allows for flexible stone for cladding all surfaces, including rounded, angular, irregular shapes.
2. ability to withstand high humidity, and direct contact with water provides new opportunities for decoration of bathrooms, swimming pools, kitchens, etc.
3. Flexible stone made from natural minerals, so it is absolutely safe from an environmental point of view (can be used in the children's room).
4. Product form - tiles and sheets, so installation takes place very quickly and easily.
5. special structure allows you to create seamless coverage that mimic the whole surface of a monolithic stone slab.
6. Flexible stone easily cut with scissors or a knife stationery.
7. absolute fire safety - the material does not burn or support combustion.For this reason, it is selected for finishing stoves and fireplaces.
8. Simple maintenance - coating of flexible stone is easy to wash with plain water and a sponge, so if you live at home little children, they can not prohibit the paint on the walls.
9. immunity to temperature spikes that can be used for exterior finishing material, even in the northern regions of the country.
10. drawing uniqueness - a special production technology eliminates template.With all the desire to not be able to make two of the same pattern, that only speaks in favor of the uniqueness and naturalness.Natural colors exactly mimics the surface of natural stone, of course, if the source material (chips) is not colored pigments.
11. Another unique flexible Stone property - translucency.They can hang floor lamps or light sources do camouflaged in the room - rays will break through the surface, giving a soft soothing light.
    
12. On it can be applied to printing, which further expands the boundaries of its decoration.

flexible stone Manufacturing

As we have said, a flexible stone is a relatively new building material, invented in Germany.The specific technology of its production could be attributed to the German or European practicality frugality, but the fact that the flexible stone produces a strong, durable, beautiful and natural coverage, while saving natural resources.

There are two ways of manufacturing: in quarries and in the workshop.In shop, we mean as large factories and modest domestic production.In the first case, during excavations in the quarries make clean cut sandstone slope, cover it with a gauze cloth, impregnated with glue and carefully cut off after drying.The layer thickness of the material in this case is from 1 to 3 mm, so a filigree requires special precision equipment.As a result, the web is a natural image, the way nature intended and formed several thousand years ago.Clay forms a brownish and red stains, iron oxides give the saturated shades of brown, sandstone - yellow tone, etc.

With regard to the production of a flexible stone with their hands, there will need to show imagination and create your own patterns.

for flexible stone will need the following tools and materials:

1. stirring device - installation, consisting of the construction of the mixer, and high capacity.For the production of small batches, you can use an ordinary hammer beater-mixer.
2. Natural crushed marble, sandstone or quartz sand.To make a multi-colored coating, the particulate material can be colored with iron oxides.This is one of the most stable, durable and natural colors, which can be used for exterior finish.
   
3. acrylic adhesive for impregnation and consolidation of rock dust.Acrylic has high elasticity and flexibility, and to enhance these properties in some cases added to the polymers and plasticizers.
4. basis on which crushed stone is mounted.Fiberglass in this case is most suitable as has a high strength, good adhesion with adhesives and flexibility.
   

work is recommended on a wide desk with good lighting.On reinforcing fabric (glass cloth) coated sand granules and is impregnated with an adhesive composition (acrylic resin) and then leveled and sent to dry.Drying wet stone flexible sheets are recommended in a separate well-ventilated room, laying them on wooden pallets.To save space, you can make the pallets with their hands out sheets OSB and bars on the sides of the width of 10-15 cm. So they will be folded on top of each other, leaving a sufficient interval for stable ventilation and drying of flexible stone.

Flexible stone: technology

mounting One of the main features of a flexible stone as a finishing material, is that it can be used to create a whole seamless coverage.To work you need and plastic trowel with 3 mm teeth, rubber roller, hair dryer building, and stationery knife.

addition to the finishing material reserved by acrylic adhesive (can be universal), if you leave the seams (rough stone effect), buy a grouting composition.In some cases, you may need to fill in the gaps between wall tiles and floor (ceiling) - Use this clear acrylic sealer.In order to improve adhesion to the substrate, treat it with primer deep penetration.

mounting Features:

1. Flexible stone can be glued on any surface, but it is better if it is flat and smooth - then decoration will look more impressive.If you can not align the base, or it does not provide design, just clean it from the old coatings and dust.
2. If finishing works are in the room with high humidity levels, the wall waterproof plaster is recommended to handle the deep penetration.It can be purchased at the store or make your own hands from construction PVA glue, cement and water.
3. Flexible stone can be glued on uneven walls, but if there are chipped and knocked down the corners, it is better to first restore, otherwise the finish will last less provisions.
4. After preparing the base coat primer for improving its adhesion and wait until it dries.
5. When using flexible stone rolls is recommended to apply the adhesive to the wall, otherwise lubricate the back surface of the material.Apply a small amount of glue and spread it with a notched trowel.Working with rolled stone, by and large, it does not differ from conventional sticking wallpaper.
   
6. Attach stone tiles on the wall, and roll over the entire area using a rubber roller.Facing interior items (columns, lamps, etc.) must be carried out in small fragments, so they can be easily adhered to hold for a couple of minutes.
   
7. angles for cladding flexible stone building is heated dryer, folded and glued against the wall.High temperature acrylic resin melts, holding rock dust and does not allow the material to crack.When the tile cools, it retains the form that she gave in flexion.As a result, you get accurate corners without joints.
   
8. Speaking of joints - if you want to make a monolithic "stone" wall, just a small segment of joints powertrowel sandpaper or the same flexible stone.When mashing peeled baby and fill the joint between the elements, making it invisible.There is another way to eliminate seams - hot.For this purpose, the sheets of material are placed with a slight overlap, then heated to the abutment until the dough is formed from acrylic with a crumb.This mass is quickly leveled with a spatula, and the surface hardens without seam.
   Video of stone and features a flexible mounting:
   
9. If between tiles made glue, immediately remove it with a rubber spatula and wipe it with a damp cloth.
10. Grouting special structures or sealant is carried out in the same way as when laying ceramic tiles, ie after the complete drying of the adhesive.
11. remove the protective film from the surface of the stone is possible only after the completion of all finishing and painting work indoors.
    
12. At the end of wall tiles should be treated with a water-repellent primer, which forms an impenetrable protective film that protects the stone from the negative influence of the environment.Blot better in two layers, causing a second after the complete drying of the previous (must be at least 2 hours).The clearcoat can be used as an alternative to the primer.

Wild stone

This is a special stone flexible installation technology, we decided to examine separately because of its specificity.Placement of the material under "wild stone" is widely used for decoration of facades of buildings, fences, interior decoration.It allows you to create a simulation of the wall, lined with boulders of the rough and on - reliable and durable.

to create original interior of the house is also used "wild stone".In this case it is not necessary to adhere to any strict forms and shapes - the "rougher" will form, the more natural it will look wall.

How to finish a "wild stone»:

1. Prepare the base by removing the old coating and lining up, if necessary.
2. Turn flexible stone and make marks on the back side using a marker.Draw a variety of fragments of irregular shapes.
3. Take stationery knife or scissors and cut the usual flexible stone on the planned lines.
4. Paste elements to the wall in a chaotic manner, leaving a gap of a few millimeters between them.
5. powertrowel seams with a special compound.
6. Cover the surface of the hydrophobic primer or varnish.

for flexible stone Care

Since the production of a flexible stone involves the use of high-strength acrylic adhesive, mineral grit keeps very tight.Furthermore, after covering the surface facing repellent composition (primer or varnish).For these reasons, it cares for flexible stone is very easy.

surface is not afraid of moisture, so it is enough to wipe with a damp cloth.Since the baby creates a certain roughness and ribbing such cladding collects dust, so it can be vacuumed from time to time.

Over time, lacquer or primer Waterproof wear, so it is necessary to update the wall.For this purpose it is enough to wash, re-cover the protective structure and forget about it for another 5-7 years.

flexible stone manufacturing technology has only recently emerged and is still improving, so do not be afraid to make it their own adjustments and use all sorts of additives.For example, for the facing of facades in winter plasticizers can be used which will not freeze the adhesive.Staining of marble chips in different colors help to achieve unique and original graphics and photo printing altogether will create real masterpieces.

Flexible Stone: photo

In conclusion, we offer you to see how designers are using flexible stone for interior and exterior.