The choice in favor of the manufacture of countertops of artificial stone with their own hands - an affordable and original version of the design of the kitchen.
The kitchen worktop must be resistant to various influences, reliable and beautiful, and the stone meets all requirements.
Artificial stone exists in various forms, compositions and sizes, similar to natural breeds.
An artificial material is produced from different mixtures with various additives.
But before you choose this material for the manufacture of kitchen surfaces, you should know the pros and cons, as well as manufacturing technology.
Contents:
- Features and types of synthetic material
- Work order
- How to make from a liquid stone?
- Repair technology
Features and types of artificial material
Artificial stone is a composite material consisting of fillers, mineral pigments and binding polymeric resin. It depends on the resin type of material.
With acrylic resin, a sheet stone is produced that can withstand temperatures up to 200 ° C.
For this reason, this material is often used in the bathroom, where there is no exposure to hot objects on the surface.
Photo:
A stone based on polyester resins is more heat-resistant, withstands temperatures up to 600 ° C.
The stone is made as follows: a liquid mixture is prepared from the individual components, which is then applied to the substrate from the EAF, or the mixture is poured into a special mold.
Artificial liquid stone can be made by hand.
The main advantages of artificial stone are:
- low cost;
- water resistance;
- strength;
- long service life;
- variety of colors;
- maintainability;
- environmental friendliness;
- simple care.
Like any building material, artificial stone has a disadvantage: a high tendency to scratching, abrasions and other damages.
Work order
The worktop made of artificial stone is easy to make by hand.
The following materials are needed for production:
- sheet artificial stone;
- waterproof plywood with a thickness of 0.3 cm, acting as a substrate, it is not recommended to purchase chipboard and fiberboard, because under the influence of water the material swells and destroys the stone structure;
- two-component adhesive.
Tools:
- sanding machine;
- fret saw;
- face or circular saw;
- drill;
- router.
Installation of the countertop of artificial stone begins with measurements of the location of future furniture.
After making the measurements and determining all the details you need to draw a drawing.
Now the stone sheet needs to be cut into parts:
- Table top. The optimal length is 76 cm and width 60.5 cm;
- Strips for butt-ends with a height of 3.6-3.8 cm;
- Borders or wall plinth height 4-7 cm
Next, you need to make cutouts for the sink and hob. Then the milling cutter needs to process the edges of the parts and made holes.
The next step is to process the profile. Then the countertop needs to be turned, not by the face and the milling cutter, to make a groove in the form of grooves under the edge of a depth of 2 mm.
Now 8 cm wide strips are cut from the plywood, which will form the skeleton.
If a 0.3 cm thick stone is used, the frame must be solid, otherwise the structure will not be rigid enough.
Before installing the edge, it is first necessary to degrease the table top with alcoholic liquid or acetone.
The next stage is the design of the countertop, which is the gluing of the edges and plywood frame.
For gluing, it is necessary to squeeze the glue into a plastic bag, cut off the corner of the bag and squeeze the glue onto the edge or into the grooves. The edge must be pressed firmly against the table top.
All operations must be carried out quickly before the glue dries. When the glue is completely dry, the excess is removed by the chisel.
On the perimeter of the surface it is necessary to glue the plywood strips using silicone adhesive so that the frame is 2 mm from the edge.
If the worktop of two parts, for example, has a L-shaped shape, then it is also necessary to glue the plywood strips at the junction of the two elements.
Now put the glued places tightly and leave for 8 hours. After that, excess silicone should be removed.
Next, in a place where the plywood frame moves 2 mm from the edge, it is necessary to apply the silicone in such an amount that the level of the frame and silicone are the same.
The grinder then needs to sand the plywood. Now the table top should be placed face up and round the edge with a milling cutter.
The cutouts for the sink and hob on the back should be reinforced. To do this, around the holes are pasted bands of the remaining stone.
The surface of the table top needs to be sanded to the hemming effect.
Now it remains only to round off the wall edge, and the tabletop can be installed. In this way, an ordinary rectangular worktop is manufactured.
If you need to make an L-shaped worktop, then the ends need to be milled in a mirror. The worktop of this form consists of two parts, which are connected in a straight line.
To ensure this joint, both elements must be milled simultaneously - this is the mirror milling. This method allows you to make the joint almost imperceptible.
Manufacture is presented on video.
Video:
How to make of a liquid stone?
Liquid stone is a material that looks rather noble and elegant in any interior, an example in the photo in the section.
In addition, this type of table top can be made by yourself.
For the production of liquid stone itself, the following components must be mixed:
- plasticine;
- hot melt;
- fiberglass cloth;
- epoxy gel coat;
- paste of various colors;
- calcinite;
- chemical resin;
- acetone;
- filler;
- hardener.
The worktop can be manufactured in two ways: direct and reverse.
Photo:
Direct method takes a little time and is carried out in the following way: a blank of the appropriate dimensions is cut from sheets of fiberboard or chipboard.
A spraying solution is prepared: 60% gelcoat, 40% filler and 1% hardener. The resulting composition is sprayed onto the preform by means of a gun with a 2 mm layer.
After the surface has dried, grinds must be made.
Manufacturing by the reverse method is more time-consuming, but consumes fewer materials. It will take two pieces of fiberboard, which should be 0.5 cm larger than the countertop.
Video:
The blanks are glued together, and holes for the sink and hob are cut in them. Then the workpieces are stacked on the table.
Further, strips are cut from the chipboard or plywood, which are adhered to the workpiece contour with hot melt adhesive. The workpiece is a template for the matrix.
After this, the workpiece is removed and the 0.5 cm allowance is cut off. Now the space between the sink and the table top is covered with plasticine.
The edge is also coated with plasticine, after which a special template is attached to the mold.
On the inside, the matrix needs to be treated with wax with separating properties and left for 15 minutes before absorbing the composition.
The composition of the liquid stone is sprayed throughout the structure. In half an hour the stone will harden and it is necessary to lay fiberglass, which increases the strength.
Now you need to fill in the soil consisting of resin, and includes: accelerator - 6%, coloring pigment - 1.5%, calcite - 80%, hardener - 1%.The workpiece is placed in the matrix and pressed.
Surface must be removed from the primer. The worktop should be left for 2 hours to freeze the ground. Then a second layer of soil is applied to the surface.
The edges are then milled, the surface is ground, and the table top is installed. A detailed installation of the table top made of liquid stone is presented in the video.
Repair technology
No one thing can be saved from damage, and the countertop made of artificial stone is no exception.
However, a big plus of this surface is that you can repair yourself. Repair may be required when forming scratches, cracks, blisters, chips, stains.
In case of crack formation, the damaged area is first degreased. And then you need to slightly expand the crack. Then the resulting gap should be filled with a two-component adhesive.
Video:
After this, grinding and polishing of the surface is carried out. Repair of cracks on this completes.
Repair of shallow scratches and small spots consists in grinding defects with sandpaper of different grain sizes, starting with the largest one.
Then, using a drill with a felt attachment, the surface is polished.
However, such repair takes place only if the sheet of stone was thick enough.
Repair blistering and staining with your hands as follows: the milling cut out the place of the defect, from the remnants of the sheet of stone cut patch, which must be greased with glue and glue to the place of damage.
After this, grinding and polishing of the table top is performed.
It should be borne in mind that any repair of the table top made of artificial stone reduces the strength characteristics of the surface, so it is better to initially choose high-quality material from reliable manufacturers.
