Styling decorative stone can be done completely independently. Installation is not particularly difficult, but the result exceeds all expectations. The surface turns out incredibly beautiful, sophisticated and very original. It should be noted that the stone carries not only decorative properties, it allows you to obtain a coating that will have excellent performance properties.
Laying decorative stone with your own hands can be done in any room. It is actively used for lining various openings, highlighting columns and partitions. Combinations with living plants and fountains look good. Of course, many people think that this finishing material used exclusively for creating classic style. This is not true, the products look great even with newfangled trends in the design world.
On a note! If most of the room is planned to be decorated with stone, then additional lighting should be considered in advance. The fact is that such a surface can turn out to be quite gloomy. Although there is another solution - to alternate light and dark shades of the material.
When using decorative stone in the interior, it is necessary to take care of additional light sources, otherwise the room may seem gloomy and cold The advantages of this finishing option a bunch of:
- The work is completed without much difficulty. The stone is laid using a special glue, preparatory activities don't take much time. Naturally, if you don’t have any construction skills, then you need to practice a little.
- Environmental friendliness. Indeed, the presence of artificial stone in an apartment does not pose a danger to human health. Therefore, it is used to decorate children's rooms and bedrooms, which are noticeably transformed.
- Durability. If you want to get a coating that will last for decades, then this is the most good option. Resistance to mechanical damage and almost complete absence of burnout - they make the material great solution in many situations.
- Large selection of textures and colors. Modern technologies allow us to produce products that can imitate any natural coating or be completely individual.
To get the most impressive interior, you need to use your imagination. Decorative stone can be glued according to a certain pattern or completely randomly.
On modern market presented a large assortment decorative items, differing in color and texture Preliminary preparation
You should be careful when purchasing all necessary materials. Sometimes the question arises: what to use to glue decorative stone to walls? To do the job correctly, it is better to buy special glue. It is designed for installation of such a product.
Selecting a stone is a very responsible process. The fact is that the technology of its production allows it to be stamped even in garage cooperatives. Naturally, this affects the final quality, because many manufacturers use low-quality components. Therefore, it is better to give preference to reliable companies that have proven themselves well.
When choosing materials, due attention must be paid to the glue on which the decorative stone will be laid On a note! Many manufacturers provide detailed recommendations for working with their material. In particular, the label or instructions indicate the glue that is most suitable for laying the elements.
There are two main installation methods: with or without jointing. According to the first option, cladding is performed with products that have the correct shape, for example, brick. The second method is used when working with a material that imitates a complex texture, for example slate.
It should be taken into account that the jointing option requires the presence special tool, as well as the mixture that will fill the space. Special attention paid to the choice of color. It is necessary for tinting the mortar for joints in order to achieve matching tones or contrast.
Necessary tools and equipment
Installation of decorative stone requires the following tools:
- Putty knife. It is used to distribute the adhesive composition over the surface, and if necessary, along the wrong side of the decorative material.
- Rubber mallet. This is a very important device; it is used to tap the stacked fragments. Many masters believe that this process is best performed with a fist.
On a note! Do not use a simple hammer; it may damage the surface. But if there is no other option, then a wooden block must be placed.
- Container for mixing the solution. It is better to choose a container that is convenient for scooping.
- Grinder with a suitable disc (for concrete). Cutting is carried out in compliance with basic safety standards. Trimming is carried out in order to place decorative stone in the corners.
- Sander. This device is necessary when work occurs with natural stone who has facial defects.
The tools are prepared in advance so that during the facing activities everything is at hand.
Working with the base
Laying artificial stone with your own hands begins with careful preparation of the surface. This process has great value. Of course, the technology for installing stone on a wall suggests that the base may have some unevenness, which will be leveled out decorative material. But you shouldn’t get carried away, because if you allow significant damage, the structure may collapse.
Preparation work is divided into several stages:
- The old one is deleted decorative layer. The surface is thoroughly cleaned.
- The wall is tapped for voids and hidden cracks. Such defects must be eliminated. For covering, gypsum or acrylic putty is used.
On a note! If we are talking about “bare” bases, then they are first coated with a primer and two layers: starting and finishing.
- Using a metal brush, brush well over the surface. This is done in order to leave numerous scratches, which will serve for better adhesion of the glue.
- Next, a primer is applied, which will increase adhesion and reduce the absorption of the solution.
Installation of decorative stone on the wall occurs only after it has been treated with a primer To obtain a more orderly laying pattern, the elements are first laid out on the floor.
Installation of decorative stone
Exist general rules, which allow you to lay fake diamond on the wall. They are as follows:
- It is necessary to lay the material subject to certain indicators. The temperature should be between five and thirty degrees. If this range is exceeded, then it is advisable to pre-wet the contacting surfaces.
- Preliminary marking is carried out. Conventionally, it looks like this: lines are drawn in increments of 45-50 cm. This will allow you to more accurately determine the placement order and fit if docking is intended.
Advice! When working with some products, a difficulty arises - both sides of the fragment can serve as front sides. But often the manufacturer indicates which side should be used as decorative.
Laying technology
Installation is carried out as follows:
- In preparation required quantity solution: if you intend to use the dry version. This is done very simply. Water is poured into the container, it should be room temperature. Next, add the dry substance and mix well.
- Decorative stones are mounted on the walls, starting from the corner. Gluing begins with the first fragment, which is placed at the very bottom. The order is:
- the mixture is applied to the wall and washed well;
- if required, cover the reverse side of the decorative item with a small layer;
- the fragment is applied to the surface, pressed well;
- tap the element with a mallet;
- Next, you can glue the next fragment.
Laying decorative stone starts from the bottom, from the corner On a note! If there is too much solution, it begins to go beyond the edges of the material. Such excesses are immediately removed. It is necessary to prevent them from entering front part, otherwise there is a high probability of damage.
Some products vary in size and are placed with great care. First, you must follow the chosen scheme. Secondly, if you immediately put large plot, then it can slide.
To make the work happen much faster, the elements are pre-numbered. This is done during the drawing up of the diagram.
Some styling features:
- The seamless installation option is considered the simplest. The fragments are stacked as tightly as possible. The result should be a surface that looks completely monolithic. The main thing is to immediately remove excess glue. If this is not done, problems may arise.
- Unstitching requires more effort. After all, it is necessary to form joints. Options where the seams have a more uniform size look good.
Laying with seams looks like this:
- The fragment is placed on the wall, the order completely repeats the standard technology.
- The next element is glued at some distance. To achieve uniformity, use a spacer. These can be pieces of plastic, hardboard, chipboard. Thus, it is possible to form the necessary joints.
- After a day, the laid material is processed. To do this, the seams are filled with a mixture, which is pre- or subsequently tinted.
If required, walls made of artificial stone are coated with paints and varnishes.
If you follow the installation technology, finishing the interior with decorative stone will become a simple and understandable process. From all of the above, it becomes clear that the work is quite simple. The main thing is to do it carefully and in compliance with the rules.
Some people who want to decorate a wall with decorative stone mistakenly think what to lay this material can be done in exactly the same way as ordinary tiles. This is only partly true. Such a stone has an unusual texture, size and material, so you will need to take into account some nuances.
Today, a distinction is made between natural decorative stone and artificial stone. The second one is much easier to work with; problems can only arise with its shape. Regarding real stone, it is worth knowing that it has a very heavy weight. In this regard, before asking the question of how to lay decorative stone, you will need to make sure whether there is sufficient load bearing capacity near the wall on which installation is planned. For example, if a wall is covered in fragments with putty, after some time it will collapse, losing facing stones one by one.
In order to give the masonry natural look, it is recommended to purchase corner elements.
List of tools needed to lay artificial stone
Tools for laying decorative stone: 1 - chisels, 2 - sandpaper, 3 - level, 4 - miter box, 5 - spatulas, 6 - construction mixer, 7 - sponges.
- Wood saw. Artificial stone can be easily cut using an ordinary hacksaw, so you don’t have to use a grinder, which can lift a large number of dust.
- Miter box with high sides - used to cut artificial gypsum stone at 45 and 90°.
- Spatulas. This tool is used to apply glue. It is recommended to use 3 spatulas: small (7-9 cm), medium (15-17 cm) and medium notched (15-17 cm).
- Putty. Will be used after the artificial gypsum stone has been laid. Necessary for sealing seams at corners and between joints.
- Paints from the manufacturer of gypsum stones required colors. Manufacturers are required to provide, along with the stones, bottles of paint of all colors in which the artificial stone is painted. It is used to paint over white seams after putty and accidental chips.
- Varnish on water based. After the paint has dried, all places on the artificial plaster stone where there were chips and seams were sealed will need to be treated with varnish.
- Kitchen sponges. It is quite convenient to use when filling joints with putty.
- Two brushes with a small diameter. The first brush will be needed to apply paint to artificial plaster stone, and the second brush will be needed for water-based varnish.
- Milk carton. This is such an ordinary thing, but it can help make it much easier to seal corners and joints with putty. The milk bag must be cut from the side where there was already a hole, from edge to edge. A new small hole with a diameter of no more than 4-5 mm is made on the opposite side. Putty is placed inside the bag, after which it is carefully squeezed out through a small hole into the joints of the decorative stone.
- Sandpaper, file, chisel. It doesn’t always flow in a perfectly even shape, which can make installation difficult. Tools like these can help you quickly match stones to one another. It is most convenient to use a chisel; it can be used to carefully and quickly remove a layer of big size, and small, then clean with sandpaper.
- Tile adhesive (5-7 m bag, see the packaging for consumption), liquid nails. Gypsum artificial stone has a small mass, absolutely any glue can hold it without any problems, therefore, there is no need to buy any expensive one. Liquid nails can easily support the weight of a stone. It is quite convenient to lay decorative bricks on these fastenings. They harden quickly and will not stain the edges.
- Building level. It is necessary to constantly ensure that the masonry is not level.
- A simple pencil so that you can distinguish the cut lines.
- A mixer for construction or a drill with an attachment for mixing putty and glue.
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Preparing the surface for installation
Before gluing the decorative stone, you should prepare the surface for installation. The wall must be smooth, strong and clean, not subject to shrinkage, and have fairly good adhesion. In order to check its extent, you need to spray the wall with water and see if there is an area where the liquid remains in drops or is not absorbed.
If such places exist, they must be subjected to additional machining. If installation is carried out on a very dry surface or in hot weather, working wall will need to be moistened. It is also recommended to moisten the back side of the material that will be laid. After the water has been applied, you must wait approximately 3 minutes. During this period of time, the moisture should have time to be absorbed. Surfaces that strongly absorb moisture should be treated using a primer.
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Selection of tiles for the pattern that will be laid out
Scheme of correct and incorrect laying of decorative stone.
Before laying the facing material, it is necessary to remove facing stones from several different packages and lay out at least 2 square meters on a flat surface. m of decorative stone. This will make it possible to select various elements by size, color, thickness and texture. In this way, it will be possible to get a clear idea of how the stone needs to be placed and where the elements that will be joined will need to be adjusted.
During the laying process, this will help reduce the concentration and number of sawn stones in places where the masonry elements will be adjacent to each other.
Should be divided total area into separate working areas, approximately 5 rows of stones each.
Decorative stone can be laid with or without jointing. Therefore, depending on what type of facing stone is chosen, it is necessary to calculate the distance between the seams. Most often, the distance between the facing elements is approximately 1-1.2 cm, however, the width of the seams can vary depending on what type and type of masonry is planned to be used.
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How to correctly lay a decorative plaster stone with your own hands
First of all, you need to see if the color depends on the viewing side.
It is worth noting that many secrets have already been announced in the list description necessary tools. Therefore, further we will talk about the direct installation process. First of all, it is necessary to consider facing stone. It can often be the case that the color of the stones will depend on the viewing side. It is very important. Initially, you should ask the manufacturer which side you need to lay it on, otherwise the installation process may not be performed correctly. If the color of the stones does not depend on the viewing side, installation should begin.
Laying must be done level. It is necessary to ensure that the joints do not coincide. The glue is diluted with water and beaten with a mixer until the consistency of a thick paste. Next, you should check the floor level; the first tiles must be laid level. Decorative stones most often have different sizes (lengths). Try not to have any overlaps.
In the process of laying the second row and all subsequent ones, it is necessary to ensure that the new joint does not coincide with the previous one. If it matches or is close to it, you will need to replace the tile with a different size.
Complex elements can be done correctly using a chisel or other available tools.
If you need to beautifully bypass, for example, a switch, you need to pick up a simple pencil, chisel, saw and carefully cut off all the excess. After this, the edges will need to be smoothed with sandpaper.
Next, the corners are cut using a miter box. In order for the corners to fit well together, you should cut them off using a miter box. When laying 2 cut tiles, you need to try to ensure that they fit snugly against each other. It is also recommended to use a miter box for cutting right angles. If you don’t have one, you will need to use a corner or an object that has a perfectly right angle.
Shaped cutting of edges is carried out along the contour of the texture. The texture of the decorative stone itself tells you how beautifully the stone can be cut. You should cut with a hacksaw along the texture lines. This is due to the fact that, firstly, it is thinner (it will be easier to saw), and secondly, it will turn out more beautiful and natural. After cutting, do not forget about sanding with sandpaper.
Next, the joints, places of figured cutting and corners are sealed with putty. The milk carton is filled with putty, after which it is necessary to carefully squeeze it through the hole small sizes exactly into a corner, seam, cutting edge or around the switch. After this, you will need to take an ordinary dish sponge and remove all excess. Don't forget to wash your sponge periodically. You will need to thoroughly wipe the stone so that no putty remains on it.
Next, you should paint the putty areas and cuts using paint from the manufacturer. Only after the putty has completely dried is it possible to begin painting all the white areas: cut edges of stones, corner joints, switches, and so on. If the stone has several colors, you need to be careful and ensure that the colors match.
Probably everyone in childhood dreamed of living in a medieval castle. It is unlikely that such a dream will come true, besides modern man cannot live for a long time without such amenities of civilization as heating, bath and shower. But it is possible to partially make your dreams come true, and wall cladding with decorative artificial stone will help us in this. It can be performed both in an apartment and in a private house, both outside and inside the building, in the hallway and bathroom, and in other rooms. If funds allow, you can.
Contents of the article on how to properly lay artificial stone, video
Selection of decorative artificial stone
The edges of the tiles should be free of noticeable mortar sagging, which can remain due to poor-quality molding. Having opened the boxes with purchased decorative artificial stone for, carefully lay out the material on the floor in order to plan future masonry. To decide on the design of the masonry, alternating stones different sizes and flowers, you can make a sketch on paper.
We bring to your attention catalogs of well-known companies selling artificial stone:
Preliminary work before laying tiles
We work at above-zero temperatures!
Before you start laying tiles, measure the air temperature. Work on laying decorative artificial stone should be carried out at positive temperatures in the range from 5 to 25 degrees, since most adhesive compositions are most efficient precisely under such conditions. More recommendations can be found in
Working conditions when decorating the facade of a house with artificial stone
Using cement-adhesive mortar
The most popular mixture for laying artificial stone on a wall is cement glue solution. The adhesive mastic is applied to the wall in an even layer using a notched trowel. The layer should be 2-5 mm thick, and at a time it should be applied to an area of no more than 0.5-1 sq.m. in order to have time to stick the stone before the cement glue has hardened.
Artificial stone laying works
Fixing artificial stone on the wall
We adjust the slabs to size
Standard decorative artificial stone in the form of tiles does not always fit in size to the junction of the wall and the door and window openings, so sometimes it needs to be trimmed before installation. Decorative artificial stone is easy to process. You can adjust the stones using a grinder equipped special disk for cutting concrete. After processing with a grinder, the sharp edges of the cut are dulled with a file. If it is necessary to chip off small pieces of stone, ordinary pliers will be an excellent help in this matter.
The final stage is rustication
When laying artificial stone on a wall, a seam remains between the tiles, the width of which depends on its type: for slates, no gap is left, for rubble stone or boulder - a few centimeters. For brick, the jointing is 12 mm.
When can I start unstitching?
The jointing must be done no less than 24 hours after laying the artificial stone, that is, after the tiles have completely dried. Grouting is carried out using special grouting compounds using a grouting gun or a grouting bag. When filling joints, you must carefully ensure that there are no voids left in them. The seams are smoothed with a spatula, and excess mortar is removed with a rag. An hour after the grout has dried, the seams are treated with a hard plastic brush.
Seam filling
If extruded mastic is not enough to decorate the rustication or a different type of glue was used when laying the stone on the wall, you need to fill the seam. To do this, the jointing solution is collected in a special bag, from where it is convenient to squeeze it into the seam space.
Surface cleaning
The last stage is cleaning the surface of the artificial stone, because during work the solution gets on it. A dry brush is suitable for cleaning.
Application of protective coating
The technology for laying artificial stone involves applying a protective coating. This is not necessary; you can complete the work at the previous stage. In addition to this you will need.
Choose protective covering with increased adhesion to gypsum-containing compounds. Hydrophobic compounds are also suitable. Note that solvent-based coatings are more effective than water-based ones, in particular armor coatings that form a protective film.
A protective coating is necessary in case of frequent contact of the wall with water, with people or animals, or if it is necessary to paint the stone, to increase durability.
Here is a video about laying artificial stone
This material looks very original, so everyone who wants to decorate walls in an unusual and non-standard way is showing interest in how to lay and glue decorative stone. Well, you also need to be able to stand out and move away from the standard. That's why they are interested in how to do it.
Moreover, such a design is quite appropriate both inside an apartment, where the surroundings of a certain medieval castle(with appropriate lighting it looks generally shiny), and in façade cladding own home, if you want to introduce into everyday life a semblance of antiquity and sublime grandeur.
Only if for interior works Any type of decorative stone is suitable, but for external ones you need to choose from natural and cement. Gypsum remains very hygroscopic; If you cover the facade with it, you will have to take additional measures to prevent it from absorbing moisture. Otherwise, it will very quickly lose its decorative effect due to precipitation.
Natural stone is preferable in many respects. However, its cost will be too high for many. Artificial varieties are a little worse, and in some respects can even outperform natural ones - not only because of accessibility, but also due to the fact that they are decorated by manufacturers in a variety of ways, and therefore allow you to recreate completely unexpected things both indoors and outdoors. effects. In addition, artificial stone (especially those made from gypsum) is much lighter. So it holds stronger, and the load on the walls is less - to the point that they are allowed to finish even plasterboard partitions
How to lay and glue decorative stone? The process is in many ways similar to the process of tiling a wall. However, naturally, there are certain differences.
What to glue
- The choice of mixture depends on what kind of stone you purchased.
- Plaster fragments are placed on glue with the same base - then the adhesion will be as reliable as possible.
- Natural and cement stone can also be placed on the DSP. However, elements mounted on cement adhesives look neater and stick faster.
- If the design area is small, you can use liquid nails for all types of stone. When covering the entire wall it will be quite expensive, so it will be more economical to buy the appropriate glue.
Preparing the walls
- Since any decorative stone has a textured surface, when gluing it, it will become impossible to level the cladding.
- Finishers recommend that the walls be at least rough leveled: putty on the most noticeable depressions and cracks, cut down rough protrusions. If as facing material decorative brick has been selected, you will have to apply finishing leveling, since it is laid according to the principle of tiles and will highlight all the flaws. If the stone has an irregular shape close to natural, minor defects can be ignored.
- As for the old finish. Peeling plaster will definitely have to be knocked down. Old wallpaper must be removed.
- If they are new and you need to cover a piece of the wall with stone, the coating is carefully cut along the contour slightly smaller than expected. Inside the outlined outline, the wallpaper is dismantled, and the outer edge is trimmed and folded in order to mask the junction of the wallpaper and the stone. But with paint they act according to the situation: if it holds tightly and does not peel off, a test is carried out to determine the strength of the element’s grip on the surface, and if the result is satisfactory, the paint is not removed.
- If gypsum stone is laid out, the wall is treated with a primer deep penetration. If it is cement or natural, spray it with water from a spray bottle. The same manipulations are carried out with the reverse side of the stone, which will be adjacent to the surface.
- Before starting work, several square meters elements. This is especially important when facing with stone of any shape - this will help you imagine how it will look on the wall and choose the most harmonious arrangement of elements. In addition to placement in shape and size, at this stage they also pay attention to the color design: the accumulation of only dark elements in one place can give the room a gloomy or unkempt appearance.
Laying decorative stone
- Unlike tiles, gluing this finish is less of a craft and more of an art. However, some rules still exist.
- If the wall to be finished has a corner, the layout begins from there. Moreover, first a kind of guide is laid out in several elements, and the rest of the panel diverges from it.
- When finishing with tiles, the direction of gluing must be observed: from bottom to top. This is not an indispensable condition for laying with decorative stone. Moreover, many finishers prefer to start from the top: this way there is no risk of glue staining already attached elements. This is very significant, because due to their textured surface It is quite difficult to remove the composition.
- In addition, when gluing from top to bottom, solid stones will appear in the most visible place, and the sawn ones will go to the floor.
- There are a great many ways of gluing decorative stone. Some of them manage with virtually no gaps between separate elements. However, if you leave seams, put tile crosses in them.
- The composition is applied to a not very large area of the wall in a rather thick layer, about 6 millimeters.
- The selected element is applied to Right place and presses slightly so that it sits in place.
- Exposed glue is immediately wiped off with a damp sponge.
- Decorative stone is easily cut with a grinder or jigsaw, so there are usually no problems with adjusting the size. To make installation easier, you can purchase ready-made corner elements.
- The seams between individual stones are most often unstitched. Especially if they are quite wide and the base is visible from under them.
If it was initially planned to do without sealing the gaps, you need to ensure that they are vertically offset relative to each other. Moreover, the shift should be at least 5 cm - otherwise they will be noticeable and spoil the appearance.
After you have finished laying and gluing the decorative stone, the adhesive has finally dried and you have sorted out the grouting, the surface is treated either with a hydrophobic compound (with external cladding), or varnish, for interior design. Hydrophobe is required; As for the varnish, this is rather a recommendation. Without it, your stone will last as long as with it, it’s just that the varnished one looks brighter and more natural.
Thanks to the variety of colors, sizes and textures, decorative stone can beautifully decorate any interior. The stone looks especially organic on a loggia or balcony, in a large cozy hall, around a fireplace or in winter garden. Stone is not only placed indoors. On the street, they can cover the base of a house, decorate window openings or corners of a building. They decorate with the same stone outdoor gazebos, patio, high flower beds. In order for a decorative stone to please the eye for a long time, it must be laid correctly.
The principle of laying stone is absolutely the same as the principle of laying ceramic tiles. It is simply glued to the selected surface. But if in tiles you have to strictly control the vertical plane, then in the case of stone you don’t need to do this. Its rough, heterogeneous surface allows you to visually not see some flaws in verticality. The main thing in laying the stone is that it adheres securely to the surface. To lay the stone you will need:- stone;
- adhesive composition for gluing stone;
- primer;
- primer brush;
- small hacksaw for cutting stone;
- notched spatula for applying glue;
- rubber hammer;
- pencil;
- ruler.
Decorative stone is much easier to lay than tiles. It does not need to be calibrated, it can be easily cut using a thin hacksaw for metal and can be mounted on any cement mortar, even with special glue, even with “liquid nails” or transparent silicone.