Mounting of artificial stone by own hands

Qualitatively laid facing artificial stone is able to protect the walls of the building from the negative influence of external natural factors, while giving them an imposing appearance, dividing like small locks. Therefore, the owners of private houses, who decided to make facade finishing works, very often the question arises, is it possible to install an artificial stone with their own hands? To answer it, you need to first get information about how this process is done and what is needed for it, as well as about the materials from which the artificial stone is made, and on what solutions it is possible to produce its masonry.

Artificial stone is used as a decorative decoration for individual sections of walls, or completely cover all surfaces. For cladding, one type of this material can be used, or a combination thereof may be used, that is, they combine several variants of facing having different sizes, textures and coloring, which makes the surfaces of walls and socles even more decorative and original.

To ensure that the masonry has turned out to be of high quality and lasted for several decades, it is necessary to take into account a number of nuances related both to the characteristics of the material itself of the masonry work process and the manufacture of the lining material itself, as well as to the technologies of its installation. What is an artificial stone made of?

Artificial stone can be manufactured using different technologies and based on various raw materials. By purchasing the finishing material in the store, or by making it yourself, it is important to keep in mind that the composition that will be used to fix it on the wall must have the same base as the artificial stone itself. Compliance with this condition is especially necessary for facade works, since if the materials having different characteristics will be exposed to significant temperature changes( and this is inevitable on external walls), the tile will simply peel off from the substrate.

So, for the manufacture of artificial stone, the following components are used:

• Basis. Two materials can be used for an artificial stone: cement or gypsum. Due to differences in their physico-chemical characteristics, the technologies for manufacturing artificial stone cladding also have their own characteristics.
• Filler. This component directly determines the quality and strength of the artificial stone. As a filler to the base, fine-grained expanded clay, sand, ceramic or marble chips, pumice, other mineral and even polymer components are used.

In different versions, the composition of the mortar for the production of stone tiles can differ in both components and in their proportions.

• Supplements. To strengthen the artificial stone, plasticizers and reinforcing materials are introduced into the composition, for example, synthetic fibrous fibers.
• Color pigments. The main color and various shades, as well as the necessary brightness and saturation of the artificial stone, give special coloring pigments. From their quality will depend on the susceptibility of finishing the burnout, and the durability - how long it will retain its original color. Pigments are either added to the solution from which the tiles are made, or applied to the surface of already molded blanks.
• Protective coating. At the final stage, when blocks or tiles of artificial stone are almost ready, they are covered with protective water-repellent compounds. Most often - a variety of varnishes for external work, which can protect the finish, not only from moisture, but also from exposure to ultraviolet rays.

Artificial stone can be made by yourself!

If you want to save yourself by putting your own strengths and skills, and make the finishing material at home, it makes sense to pay attention to the special publication of our portal dedicated to technology of self-made artificial stone .

How to choose the right stone?

If the artificial stone is to be purchased ready-made, then when choosing it, it is necessary to pay attention to some nuances that will help determine the quality of the material and, accordingly, the aesthetics of the future finish:

• The appearance of the artificial stone .

For facade decoration, different types of cladding are selected, depending on the overall style in which the house will be designed. For the socle is usually chosen heavier to the appearance of the samples, which even their appearance will give the building solidity - it's boulders of different sizes, which when masonry are selected to each other.

is also good. Also rocks of the rock type, which mimic layers of rocks that have acquired under the influence of natural factors the wrong intricate, "wild" forms, are ideal for this purpose.

For facade walls, a smoother version of the stone is chosen most often, as it gives the surfaces and corners accuracy.

In addition, it should be noted that natural stones almost never have the same shade and standardized, regular shapes and sizes. Therefore, if you want the artificial stone to look with maximum certainty, it was almost indistinguishable from the natural one, you should not choose the material made in one even shade. Facing, which has not only relief, but also color transitions inherent in natural minerals, will look picturesquely, and therefore - more interesting, unlike monochrome. If you buy artificial stones from one collection, but from different production batches, they are usually mixed before laying.

• The quality of the surface of the artificial stone.

It is very important when buying to inspect the surface of artificial stones. Their front side should not have irregularities and outgrowths, uncharacteristic for natural material. The rear, on the contrary, should be flat, and have small roughnesses for good adhesion to glue and a wall.

. If a stone made from a solution with a filler in the form of solid impregnations of up to 5 mm in size is chosen, they should not protrude beyond the surface of the stone. In addition, impregnations should not exceed the average established fraction, since this factor can directly affect the reduction in the strength of the artificial stone and may lead to premature cracking and crumbling of blocks.

Such filler elements are especially visible on the back of the stone and on its cut, so it is necessary to pay special attention to these areas.

• Method of painting the stone .

In order to avoid the appearance of unpainted areas on randomly appearing chips, it is recommended to choose a tile made from a completely pigmented solution. This indicator can be determined by looking at the tile cut.

is necessarily assessed. If there is a desire to introduce color corrections into the surface pattern of the artificial stone, then this can be done on the tile already fixed on the wall, in this case it will be much more clearly visible where they are really needed.

• Manufacturer of finishing material

First of all, it is recommended to pay attention to the products of well-known manufacturers who have proved themselves to be of high quality and proven durability of their products. By the way, experienced craftsmen, who work with artificial stone for a long time, recommend to give preference to domestic products, as it is designed and adapted for installation in local climatic conditions, and often does not even require additional protective treatment.

• Packing of finished products

When choosing an artificial stone, you should immediately ask what kind of packaging it is in. It would seem, such an insignificant detail, but it, by the way, immediately helps to determine the attitude of the manufacturer to its products. In addition, it should also be taken into account that no matter how good and beautiful the tiles are, without reliable thoughtful packaging during transportation, the material can lose both integrity and decorativeness.

The most optimal option for such products are corrugated cardboard boxes with a securely reinforced bottom.

Wall cladding with artificial stone

Tools for masonry work

After choosing and purchasing a fancy artificial stone, the next step is to take care of the preparation of tools, many of which may be found in the home "arsenal" of the owner. So, the following tools and accessories will be required for work:

• cladding. Spatulas are wide at 400 ÷ 500 mm, serrated with a height of the crest 8 ÷ 10 mm, and smooth, with a width of 100 ÷ 120 mm.
• Brush with metal bristles for cleaning the wall surface.
• Rubber hammer for percussion, laid on the glue of tile.
• Construction level for monitoring the horizontal lines.
• Sanding machine with disc for concrete or stone.
• File for processing slices and the back surface of tiles.
• Ruler with a length of 1000 ÷ 1200 mm.
• Pistol or cone bags for filling joints.
• Screed - tool for leveling grout in joints.
• Calibrated rails of different lengths and equal thickness for compliance with the chosen joint thickness.
• Brushes with a soft long and hard short pile.
• Cushion for priming the wall.
• Electric drill with a nozzle-mixer.
• Water tanks, for glue and grouting.
• Roulette.
• Safety goggles, gloves, respirator will be required when sawing and processing artificial stone tiles and when preparing wall surfaces.

Some recommendations for external wall finishing with artificial stone

In order for an artificial stone to be securely fixed on an external wall, certain recommendations should be followed when performing the cladding work.

	Before beginning work on the walls with artificial stone, the surfaces must be cleaned with a metal brush or grinder with a brush head. Then, if cracks or cracks appear, they must first be cut to a depth of 20 mm, primed, and then closed with repair mortar or putty. After the full hardening of repair "patches", they are again cleaned. Further, the surfaces are checked by the rule for evenness, and if necessary, they are leveled with a tile adhesive and dried well. If the masonry is to be carried out on a flat concrete wall, in order to keep the artificial stone more reliably and the masonry is not susceptible to deformation and cracking, a reinforcing mesh is fixed to the wall surface before applying the leveling layer to it with the help of fastening anchors.
	If laying an artificial stone is made on a brick wall, which has significant unevenness, then the plaster layer is first laid on it. Plaster will help you save a lot on the adhesive, which is not cheap.
	For exterior surfaces it is recommended to use professional building mixtures that will be required for priming, fixing tiles and sealing seams. At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to the packaging, on which it must be indicated that this mixture is intended for external works. In addition, as already mentioned above, you should select materials that are made on the same basis as the finishing stone itself. This is the only way to obtain a reliable grip of surfaces. For work it is desirable to choose products of well-known manufacturers, such as "Art Stone", "Ceresit", "Eunice Plus", "Coral", "Litokol", "Acrylica", "Montelli", etc.
	Prepared,very high quality primed. The primer prior to application should be mixed well until completely homogeneous.
	Application of the primer is carried out in two layers, each of which must be well dried.
	A primed and dried wall prepared for laying should look like this, as shown in this illustration.
	The primed wall should be marked, for example, if it is required to separate the basement from the front wall, if these areas will be faced with different materials. For artificial stone, which will be stacked in even rows, you should immediately hold the reference horizontal lines, indicating their location using a water or laser level.
	While the primed wall will dry, there is time to start laying out the stone. In different batches, the color of externally very similar tiles can have a more saturated or diluted shade. Therefore, stones from different lots must be mixed together. For the convenience of selecting the corner elements of the stone, it is recommended to make a kind of podium( conductor) from the boards.
	This device must be of such a width that it can be laid on not only corner tiles, but also those that will be next to them.
	The tile is laid out in order to be able to estimate in advance how it will look on the wall. While the artificial stone is not fixed, it is still possible to correct the masonry by shifting the tiles so that they look the most harmoniously. When laying an artificial stone similar to the illustration, type, the seams between adjacent blocks are not allocated, so the masonry itself is called seamless.
	The facing of the wall with another variant of the artificial stone is done somewhat differently.
	Initially, and with this option, tiles from different lots also need to be mixed, and then to produce a "dry" masonry on the floor. Individual blocks of this type of artificial stone have different sizes, and therefore the overall "mosaic" is laid out by the selection method. In this case, the elements can be swapped, displacing individual tiles in one direction or another, trying to avoid long vertical and horizontal lines. Only after the tile has been optimally laid out on the floor for a certain section of the wall, it is possible to start kneading the adhesive solution from the dry mix.
	Adhesive mortar for masonry of artificial stone is mixed as follows: - water is first poured into a clean container; - then dry composition of glue is poured into it( and not vice versa, otherwise the mixture will be non-homogeneous); - further, by means of a nozzle-mixer installed on an electric drill, a mixture is made. If necessary, you can add a little water. Information on the proportions of the production of tile glue, mixing time and the "life" of the finished composition can be found on the package - they may differ slightly from one composition to another.
	The ready-made solution from the container is taken up with a regular flat spatula or trowel, it is applied to the notched trowel, and the jam is distributed over the wall section.
	The laying of each row starts from the corner, and it is best for it to acquire ready-made corner elements that close both sides of it at once.
	If for the facing of the corner using the usual flat tiles of artificial stone, then they are laid with a bandage - corner lock.
	The adhesive solution is applied not only to the wall, but also to the tile itself. It is also desirable to distribute it with a notched trowel, but the direction of the strips should be perpendicular to the grooves on the wall surface.
	Next, the tile is attached to the corner and tightly pressed in place for it. The sealing densities can be achieved, if necessary, by easy tapping the installed block with a rubber hammer.
	The rest of the masonry of each row is made in the same order as it is laid out on the floor or on the conductor.
	Each next stone is installed close to the previous one and to the lower one, it is well pressed against the wall, and if necessary it is taped with a rubber mallet.
	After laying out the first row completely, move on to the next one, and again the facing is from the corner.
	As a result, you should get a smooth masonry with evenly distributed color blotches.
	Finishing of the corners of the facade is often carried out by rusts, which can have a different size, depending on the style chosen for finishing the house. Similar slabs of artificial stone are heavier, therefore, when stacking them, a thicker layer of glue should be applied to the wall. The laying of this artificial stone on the corners is also made with a lock bandage.
	It is often enough to use two or even three types of artificial stone for finishing one facade. As mentioned above, rusts are almost always installed only on the corners, but sometimes they are decorated and completely all the walls. For the basement part of the building, if you want to give it solidity, most often use a dark-colored tile. For the rest of the wall above the plinth, a thinner tile of light tones is usually used - this will make the facade part of the house visually larger.
	In this case, for the finishing of the upper part of the wall of the facade the same "wild stone" is used as for the socle, only a lighter shade.
	When you finish, you can not do without fitting some stones. They have to be marked up, and the idea is to cut off the excess part, to install closely, for example, to the rusts with which the corner of the facade is finished.
	This photo shows the cutting of an artificial stone across its pattern, and in the same way a cut occurs along it. The work is done using a grinder with a stone set on it. After the cut is made, its edges are well sanded with a file and sandpaper, to accurately adhere the surfaces of adjacent elements to each other
	This illustration shows well how an artificial stone tile with a cut out superfluous fragment and a corner rut is joined.
	The result of this type of masonry can be seen in this illustration.
	And this illustration shows the masonry of an artificial stone of a different kind, thinner, and stitched. To ensure that the joints between the stones are approximately the same, and the overall masonry looks neat, it is necessary to prepare calibration rails of several sizes along the length. They are stacked on top of the finished row and the next is mounted.
	This clutch does not share the same horizontal and vertical seams, so the calibration rails should not be made too long. Their length can be estimated after the tiles are laid out in the desired pattern on the floor. There you can experiment with the width of the seams, choosing the optimal in the end.
	If stitches are left between blocks of artificial stone, they must be sealed, immediately achieving this and tightness, and aesthetics of the surface. The mixture for jointing consists of materials that quickly set and harden, so do not knead it in excessively large quantities. For a knead a bucket of one and a half liter is suitable. Water is poured into the container, into which a dry mixture is filled with a spatula, and it is also batched. The solution should be homogeneous, without the slightest clots and inclusions. The proportions of the mixture and water can be found on the package.
	Before applying the grout or grout solution, all seams need to be cleaned from the adhesive residue with a medium hardness brush.
	Next, the seams need to be neatly filled. For this it is very convenient to use a simple device made of ordinary dense polyethylene, called a cone. That is, in fact, it is an ordinary polyethylene bag made in the form of a cone - it can be purchased at a construction store or simply made independently.
	The white color of the embossing can be changed by adding a special dye to the solution. I must say that the same kind of stone with a different coloring will look different. For example, a stone of dark color with a light seaming of seams will look fresh and neat, and a light tile with seams of the same or light gray color resembles the walls of European houses of the XIX century.
	After filling the seams, the mixture is compacted and leveled with a special tool, called scraping. It can give the seams a convex, dented or even shape.
	Then, at the seams additionally pass through a soft brush, removing excess solution. Well, if you need to create an invoice at the seams, then take a harder brush with a short pile.
	With the artificial stone facing and quality sealing of the seams, this wall covering should last several decades.
	When the grout in the joints dries, the entire surface of the stone-trimmed wall can be covered with a special hydrophobizing compound( especially for the basement part of the wall). This treatment not only protects the surface from saturation with moisture, but also adds an artificial stone to brightness. It is important to choose the right composition and apply it only to a well-brushed stone.
Illustration	Brief description of the operation

• Artificial stone is placed on the wall on the adhesive composition, which is kneaded on the water. Therefore, it is recommended that the lining work be carried out at air and surface temperatures from +5 to +25 ° C.If this condition is met, then the use of additional materials or the application of special technological approaches will not be required.

• If necessary, finish at negative temperatures( but in any case - not lower than -5 ° C), then it is possible to build a so-called greenhouse in the masonry section, consisting of a frame and dense polyethylene, in which a heat gun is installed for heating. However, it should be remembered that in this case the work will take a very long time, as to seal the seams, you will have to wait for the glue to dry completely, and under such conditions this process will take a long time.
• Another way out in the situation where it is necessary to urgently perform finishing works at negative temperatures, can become a frost-resistant liquid mixture enriched with special additives that allow to work in the conditions of frost. But the quality and reliability of the cladding will still cause certain fears - it makes sense still to wait for warmer days.
• Another serious problem can be too high temperature if the work is carried out at the height of summer. The glue is too difficult to grasp, since it loses moisture in a shorter period than is stipulated by the manufacturer. Therefore, such a composition decreases adhesion, that is, adhesiveness to the surface, and hence, an artificial stone may well not last long on the wall. When installed at a high daily temperature, the tiles must never be allowed to dry under direct sunlight - shading should be provided for the trimmed areas.

Carrying out work on the laying of artificial stone

Having prepared materials and tools for masonry, you can go directly to the very process of installation. An example of the façade facing with artificial stone is described in detail in the table below:

Advantages of wall decoration with artificial stone

To sum up, all the advantages of artificial stone in front of natural material can be mentioned:

• Artificial material is much lighter than natural stone, therefore it is more safely held on the wall surface without additionalfastening.
• Qualitative artificial stone for a carefully selected component composition can be more resistant to high and low temperatures, to their sharp drops, to other negative external influences of natural or man-made properties.
• A variety of textured patterns, colors and their shades allows you to choose the imitation stone to any chosen style of the facade.
• Artificial stone is easy to process, and this process does not require special efforts or special equipment. For example, if the material is made on the basis of gypsum, it can be sawn with an ordinary hacksaw, and for an artificial stone based on cement, there will be enough grinders with a suitable circle.

The lining of the walls of the house by an artificial stone can produce even an inexperienced master, if he approaches to work with all responsibility and accuracy. The most important conditions in performing such a finish are accuracy and slowness. If you listen to all the technological recommendations and have repeatedly tried the instructions, the work will be easy and will please with your results. .

Video: A small video tutorial on wall facing with artificial stone