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In the design of a house and apartment, I want to use natural materials, but this is not always justified. For example, the use of natural stone for interior decoration. It is expensive, difficult, and requires high qualifications. There is a very similar to natural artificial stone. It is also made from natural ingredients, but it weighs several times less and costs much less. Moreover, decorating the hallway with decorative stone can be done by hand – its installation does not require special qualifications.
Types of decorative finishing stone
Today, there are three types of decorative artificial stone used for interior decoration:
- based on cement;
- on the basis of gypsum;
- agglomerate.
In appearance, these products are very similar to natural stone, only they weigh much less (from 14 kg / m2 up to 50 kg / m2). The cost is also much lower (compared to natural), especially if the manufacturer is Russian or Belarusian. The pluses include easier installation – only the front part is textured, the other three are more like tiles or bricks.
Actually, there is another type of decorative artificial stone – clinker tiles that imitate various types of brickwork. It is made from clay almost according to brick technology – it is fired in a kiln and glazed. The difference in thickness is 1-3 cm. This type of finish is good in many modern interiors – from high-tech to loft.
On the basis of gypsum
Gypsum finishing stone is the most inexpensive of this type of material. Its second plus is that it is the lightest. It is he who is used when mounting on drywall, since he simply cannot withstand heavy loads. Cons – it is rather fragile, hygroscopic, and can collapse when wet. Finishing the hallway with a decorative stone based on gypsum is possible only if, after laying, it is treated with a special protective impregnation or acrylic-based varnish.
Based on cement
A strong and durable finishing stone is obtained from a gypsum-sand mixture. It can be washed, even with a brush using liquid detergents. Its disadvantages:
- Hard to cut. You will need a grinder with a diamond disc so that there is less dust, you can moisten the tile.
- Big weight. This is when compared with a gypsum counterpart, and compared to natural weight is more than two times lower.
- higher price. In the manufacture of cement decorative stone, high-quality cement is used, but it costs decently. In addition, the production technology affects the price – cement takes longer to gain the required strength (28 days), and the molded tiles must be stored somewhere until this moment, and under certain conditions (at a temperature of about 20 ° C and sufficient humidity of 40-50%). This means that significant areas are needed for storage facilities, and these are additional costs.
All these shortcomings are compensated by durability and ease of care, so this is one of the most common decorative stones for interior and exterior decoration.
Artificial stone from agglomerate
This type of finishing decorative stone has appeared recently. It consists of natural rocks crushed to crumbs – marble, granite, quartzite – to which polymer resins or cement are added. To obtain bright colors, a coloring pigment is added. Such a decorative stone looks great – interspersed with natural fragments, reflections on the edges of the crumbs … It really looks good, suitable for finishing work in rooms.
Painting methods
When choosing a collection of gypsum or cement, pay attention to the method of staining. The pigment can be added to the solution, and then the whole tile will be of the same color. Shading tones are then applied to its front surface, which give the surface a more natural look. With this technology, even with a chip, the difference will be imperceptible, since the shades are close.
In another embodiment, the pigment is applied only to the surface. Then, if it is chipped or cut, the color will be very different.
Do-it-yourself artificial stone laying
Before starting work, you need to determine the quantity. It’s not as easy as it seems. If you look at the collections, you will see that they mostly consist of fragments of several sizes and shapes. The exception is ceramic stone and collections imitating brickwork. Knowing the size of the fragments, you can figure out how you want to arrange them.
Outline the proposed borders of the finish on the walls. Now you can more or less accurately calculate how many “squares” of decorative stone you need. Add about 10-15% to the resulting figure – for trimming and possible changes in the process. This will be the required amount for finishing.
Pre-layout
Masters who have experience working with decorative stone first “figure out” where to place which fragments, how to turn them. You can make a layout on the floor, you can – in design programs (if you know how to work with them), you can try to draw a plan on graph paper or a piece of paper in a box. The main condition: it is necessary to observe the proportions and do not forget about the seam. It can be quite small – this type of installation is called seamless or continuous, or it can have a thickness of up to 1 cm or even a little more.
Many people skip this stage when decorating walls with decorative stone on their own, hoping that everything will become clear in the process of work. It is possible, of course, and so, but keep in mind that the glue seizes very quickly and there is very, very little time for rework. The plan will make things easier.
Surface preparation
You can finish with artificial stone walls from any material, but they all require preliminary preparation. If the walls were previously finished with something, the entire finish is removed, a bare wall with plaster should remain. Gluing a decorative stone on old wallpaper is a waste of time and money: the finish will simply fall off. Some very light collections can be glued onto wallpaper, but these can only be fragments – a few tiles. And then, no one will guarantee that the wallpaper will not tear and everything will not collapse.
The easiest process for preparing walls is if they are plastered. Just cover them with primer. Its type is selected depending on the material (gypsum or cement). Then you can proceed to the actual finishing.
If the walls are made of bricks, building blocks, or any other similar material, they are first primed, then plastered with a suitable plaster. It is also possible to level the walls with drywall. But at the same time, you greatly limit yourself in choosing a finishing stone – you will need to choose from the lightest collections in terms of weight, and this is mainly a decorative stone made of gypsum.
If the walls are wooden, they are first coated with waterproofing impregnation, after drying they are treated with a primer. Then a paint grid is nailed to the surface and only then plastered. When choosing a plaster, it is advisable to choose from those that “breathe” and will not interfere with the wood to regulate moisture. With glued tiles, this will be problematic, but the decoration of the hallway with decorative stone is usually fragmentary – the tiles are glued only in some places, and the rest of the surface will remain vapor-permeable.
What to glue
Most manufacturers of decorative stone advise using special adhesives designed specifically for working with this material. They are of three types:
- for lightweight finishing stone weighing up to 30 kg/m2;
- for heavy from 30 30 kg/m2 and higher;
- for low temperatures (below +5°C).
It is necessary to dilute the glue in small portions, strictly following the recommendations of the manufacturers. It is better to stir with a drill with an appropriate nozzle – it is easier to achieve uniformity.
You can also glue on good quality tile adhesive, only it must be really good – you will have to keep a decent mass. The third option is for liquid nails. This method works great on drywall, with plastered surfaces it is better to use an adhesive solution.
Sticking technology
Plastered or plasterboard-leveled walls are coated with a primer. While it dries, dilute a portion of the glue. When laying, it is important that the rows of finishing stone are laid horizontally. To achieve this, markings can be applied to the wall. This can be done with a paint cord, or you can draw with a pencil using a bubble or laser level.
Laying decorative stone in the hallway starts from one of the corners. Some collections have special corner tiles that are easier to work with. If there are no such fragments, you will have to decorate the edges with “end” fragments. They are in some collections – their edges are also painted. The same elements are used last in a row where it is necessary that the ends have a decorative look.
Before laying, the back of the decorative stone tile must be inspected. There may be remnants of cement milk – this is a thin, foamy coating of light color. It must be removed. This can be done with a stiff brush.
If the air temperature is high or the humidity is low, the back of the stone is moistened with water. Then, a layer of glue is applied with an ordinary spatula, leveled, and the residues are removed with a toothed one (with a tooth of 4-5 mm).
The fragment is pressed against the primed surface, moving it slightly from side to side, making close contact with the wall, setting the fragment in the desired position. You can knock on the surface with a rubber mallet for better adhesion.
This option of laying the finishing stone on the walls requires a significant amount of time. It is used when it is required to lay only a few tiles or along the edges of a large fragment. If you need to lay a significant amount, it is easier to apply glue to the wall, and also remove the excess with a notched trowel. And press the tile moistened with water to the glue on the wall.
Otherwise, the entire sequence of actions does not change.
If the masonry is seamless, the next element is installed closely. If a seam is needed, the distance between the tiles is fixed with plastic, wooden wedges of the same size, pieces of drywall are also suitable. If the seam is small, you can use plastic crosses.
When working, glue can be squeezed out from under the tile. If it gets on the front surface, it must be removed immediately. Concrete finishing stone can be used with a damp cloth, gypsum – only dry. The glue sets very quickly, and then it is almost impossible to remove it without damaging the surface.
According to this principle, the planned volume of finishing is laid out. When the glue sets (indicated on the package), you can start filling the seams.
Grouting
A special compound is used to fill the seams. In color, it can imitate masonry mortar or be in contrast to the color of the finish.
The composition is diluted with water to a pasty state (the proportions are indicated on the package), put into a special syringe or a tight bag with a cut off corner. The paste is squeezed out between the seams. Depending on the type of finish, the seam is filled almost completely or only halfway (up to 5 mm can remain to the edge of the tile). The result is either relief masonry, or more even.
Until the grout has set, they take a special joint and level the seams, giving them a convex, concave or flat shape.