Decorative stone with their hands

Many Goals decorative stone remained the best construction and finishing materials.Decorative stone is expensive, so the production of stone at home mastered many masters, for example, lightweight gypsum, or heavier and inexpensive - on the basis of concrete.

what makes modern artificial stone

in the 60 years of the twentieth century, artificial stone began to actively usein the West - the wall foundation and look organically in the concrete jungle of the metropolis.The idea of ​​manufacturing decorative stone and the decoration of buildings picked up by architects and interior designers, pushing the development of a business segment.Forgotten again popular building material.

ancient masters have long since learned to handle stone, they are distinguished by its type of application as:

• building or hewn;
• finishing or decorative;
• ornamental jewelry for work.

In the past century, in a curable gypsum was mixed sand and rock dust, grated pumice and shells, lime and chalk.Dyes take natural:

• black;
• colored clay;
• metal oxides.

Nowadays, the stone and its counterpart came to the contemporary construction and arrangement of rock gardens, and today it is difficult to imagine a modern house without them.Decorative stone, a photo of which is presented in this article demonstrates the potential of this building material.

Decorative stone with your hands to do today on a different basis, and there is available technology in the home.Forms prepare your own or purchase the factory model.The formulations, technologies and components are also known - they offer specialized firms.

The basis of simple mixtures - water, cement, fine, added pigment.The material obtained is strong enough, similar to natural stone, has excellent decorative properties.Variant close ancient techniques - gypsum and polymeric materials used today as a binder.

Texture rough stone has a different surface:

• fine-grained and smooth,
• layered and lumpy,
• batters and ribbed.

Natural stone crumbles and stratified in contact with the tool, but does not require artificial processing.He immediately give the desired shape.The most common varieties:

• rubble, like a natural boulder;
• crushed, uneven, chipped reminiscent of a stroke;
• sawn, with sleek and smooth edges;
• wild stone, natural form;
• decorative freeform, burly, folds or bumps reflect any imagination of designers.

Advantages and disadvantages of artificial material

Manufactured stone has advantages:

• the possibility of casting on-site placement to reduce transport costs and breakage, resulting in the 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 tiles;
• added to the mixture of pigment gives the desired shade;
• have an opportunity to get direct and stone of any shape;
• allows you to make the size of the tiles corresponding to the place of installation, even taking into account the curvature and irregularities;
• produced formulations make it possible to obtain a coarse texture and smooth, almost polished;
• easy to make the material any irregular shape and sloping front surface;
• some technologies enable us to obtain a more robust analog of the fragile natural stone;
• polymers provide flexibility, and even after production can reshape or consider edge for seamless connection;
• artificial material often has the best decorative properties;
• different from the simplicity of natural stone laying, thanks to smooth rear side;
• indispensable fireproof building material for decoration ovens, barbecues, fireplaces and rude;
• enough moisture resistant, suitable for wet rooms such as swimming pools or the wine cellar;
• price of an artificial decorative stone is less than the natural analog of requiring tech cutting and processing;
• does not need special care, long and reliable service;
• all sorts of options form, color and texture allow artificial stone to fit into any style of interior.

Possible disadvantages:

• some ornamental species have a complex manufacturing technology, increase the value of the material;
• not every wall for decoration wild stumbling because of its high specific gravity, an exception - plaster analogues;
• sometimes requires additional costs for transportation and high-tech styling;
• perfect butt individual blocks fancy shape can not always provide the required clearance gaps.

The main types of decorative stone

For quality assurance, finishing construction materials are made in strict accordance with the formulation and production technology.Components and production of the technology make it possible to obtain various types of decorative stone, and properties.

1. Concrete reinforced with stone, the so-called monumental, free molding material, it is done individually by hand where the set.This technology boulders, boulders and slabs of artificial granite.

Basis for mixing tin - the cement-sand mortar:

• into 3 parts cement by proportion - 1 dry sand;
• 2-6% pigment by weight of the solution;
• add polymeric additives.

2. Such material - stone tin of the same cement-sand mixture.Suitable for construction and decoration.It features high strength and frost resistance.It is made in the 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 requires large amounts of energy due to the presence of a large and free heated area.In addition, you need a trained operating personnel.

4. The plaster cast decorative stone - a simple technology and a minimum of equipment.Make at room temperature, but it is only suitable for interior finishing, does not like changes in temperature.The mixture quickly becomes viscous.

It is made in small batches and immediately pour into prepared pan, but not later than 3-4 minutes from the start of kneading.For citric acid and 1.3% by weight of dry gypsum, it will slow down the solidification, pigment - 2-6% by weight of the gypsum plus water.It is better to make several test patterns to adjust the aspect ratio.

5. Decorative polyester synthetic material.Made by hot quenching with the addition of mineral fillers.It exceeds the many natural counterparts, but hardening technology requires a vacuum, make the shop floor.

6. Liquid stone on the gelcoat.Inferior to the hardness of the cast stone, the gel takes less mineral fillers.The mixture is suitable for the production of complex products on the configuration, the type of stone puzzle, but a stone on the gel-acrylic-based is more expensive.

There are 2 staff - a primer and face, different percentage of filler and composition.Primer: gelcoat - 20% microcalcite - 73% Hardener - 1% and the accelerator - 6%.Face composition: gelcoat - 40% hardener an accelerator and - a 1st part, the rear part - pigment plus filler to 6% by weight of the solution.The composition hardens in about half an hour, one day a stone can be laid.

7. cold-curing acrylic resin Cast Acrylic Stone.Easy to manufacture, it requires strict compliance with instructions and additional equipment, such as shaker.For many properties superior to other synthetic material.At high temperatures up to 210 ° C can be changed without changing its shape quality.

Tip: Lack of long and acrylic stones Chemicals stability in the decoration provide a perfect hygiene, so it is suitable in premises where there may be frequent contamination and cleaning of surfaces - entrance hall, kitchen, porch and a covered terrace.The material is also known for its low thermal conductivity, it gives a feeling of warmth - this is the best choice for the bath, WC and basin.

Forms for decorative stone

There are many methods to produce molds for their own stone in the chosen method, but it is easier to buy ready-made.

There are about a dozen species of molds for the production of artificial stone with their hands, but most often use 3 types:

1. Ready polyurethane, for a small production, they are offered by firms for the production of equipment and sale of wild stone technology, comfortable and durable, but arelot.

2. Clay in the form of melted wax using a model suitable for modeling and art casting.

3. Silicone molds, suitable for home-made tiles one by one, they have enough for dozens of castings, deform over time.

Tip: Sand bed is required for silicone molds, with vibration and heating them bursting.Before casting form deepened in the sand in the pan up to 3/4 of the height to reduce strain and horizontal immersion check the water level.

Additional components and accessories

1. Pigment for building mixes available in stores and catalogs for materials in different forms of production: liquid, paste and powder.Synthetic pigment powder is uniformly introduced into the plaster or other dry filler, pigment paste, is introduced into the prepared batch.By the way, thanks to the pigment paste is easier to obtain the uneven coloring - layered or spotted, it was injected directly into the batch at the end of mixing.

2. Separators are of different types:

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

They are sold to the final instructions and detailed recipe.You can also use a high-quality lubricant - Tsiatim, Fiol.

3. Melt - a small device such as a hair dryer building with a strong jet of heated air.

4. Shaker - basic machine for the manufacture of stone with their hands, which guarantees the high quality of the final product, ensures uniform solidifying mixture.

Tip: this stand you can do it yourself - on the Internet there are detailed instructions and video, for example, for the production of decorative stone on cement-based, using a homemade shaker.

simple technology of artificial stone on cement-based

1. The sand is mixed with cement for the first layer 3: 1 until homogenous, for coloring with a suitable coloring agent about 2-3% with respect to the cement, mix with water to a density of sour cream, liquidpigment pre-diluted with water.

2. Ready-mix evenly laid out in the shape of half, sealed and distributed by shaking and tapping.For reinforcement of stone on the 1st layer is placed a metal grid, pour 2nd layer without pigment and nail strike sharply crosswise grooves for adhesion during installation.

3. After 10-12 hours of finished stone can be removed from the mold and put to complete drying.Form then need to clean and wash with a Fairy after each casting.

4. In the process of forming a large monumental boulders, the foundation formed on the ingot Hovit wire mesh and wire, which spread thick layers of cake without the dye.When the foundation of a little grab, prepare a solution with the addition of the desired consistency of the pigment and make the final shape.Artificial boulders during solidification, for about a month, film cover from the rain.

Production of gypsum stone simplest way

decorative stone At home, make a number of ways.Let us dwell on the description of a proven in practice.

1. It is recommended to purchase a pair of pre rough stone patterns and shapes on them to make the size of the stone, for example, a plywood box in the form of a trapezoid - for the convenience of the recess.

2. It is uniformly squeezed 1 liter of silicone sealant on acetic acid, a layer of grease with grease or other separator to the finished stone is stuck.

3. Stone-pressed specimen in a box with silicone as long as he completely drowned in it, down to the back surface of silicon is necessary to clean off the excess, the form dries up a couple of days.

4. After drying, the sample is gently removed from the box for the form.Ready silicone soft and elastic.

5. The gypsum mixture of the formulation is kneaded until thick sour cream with a pigment and poured into a mold greased with grease.After the first layer of tiles is desirable to reinforce fine metal mesh, filled with 2-layer without dye, achieve alignment by shaking and leave to dry.If the plaster hardens quickly, preventing the process of reinforcement, the mixture was diluted with milk - then it longer thickens.

6. Form better to drown in the sand on a pallet, for the safety of the silicone mold, and the top pin plaster embossed glass to the uneven back surface was attached to the wall better.

Tip: There are labor-intensive methods of production of stone, such as quartz, you always get the best quality and durable building material for lining.Having mastered a few techniques you can open your own business.

Self laying artificial stone

1. Ready decorative stone attached to any dry surface with an extra crate.Installation with jointing or without them, is on the mortar, construction adhesive, stone cut grinder at low speed with the disc on the concrete.

2. Before installation is better to make a sketch of the finished work, or use a picture with the same material.Stones on the spread on the surface of the drawing for the most beautiful location and fitting pieces.

Additional decoration stone in landscape design

From ancient times, the stone is not only widely used in architecture, Japanese gardens adorned them tobiisi.Today, for special design purposes optional stone paint or primed surface portion thereof, to form a more in rock gardens green shoots.Rub ocher with black, old, and bulge on the south side - iron oxide for sunburn visibility and weathering.