How to put a decorative stone on the wall. How to glue decorative stone on the wall

Laying decorative stone on the wall contributes to the creation of original design solutions. The decoration of window and doorways, allocation of a zone of a fireplace, an aquarium, a green corner. The material has high operational characteristics and is suitable for use in rooms with high humidity.

Benefits of stone finishing

Made on the basis of gypsum and cement, it imitates the structure of natural material, serves as an interior decoration country houses and cottages.

Raw materials have advantages over other materials:

• release big choice colors and textures, the material is easy to choose for any room design;
• for the production are used environmentally clean materials not susceptible to fungal infections;
• simple care;
• long term operation, more than 10 years;
• light weight;
• relative ease of installation.

Gypsum-based products are suitable for use in dry, heated rooms, and the material is cement base suitable for wall decoration in kitchens, bathrooms, baths, saunas.

Types of decorative stone for wall decoration

There are natural and decorative stones used for indoor and outdoor finishing works.

Types and characteristics of artificial stone for wall decoration are presented in the table:

Slate is the only type of artificial stone that forms a single surface. Fits without stitching. Looks very impressive.

Types of natural stone

Types and characteristics of natural material:

Natural stone is more expensive than artificial stone and has more weight. natural material looks beautiful when decorating large areas.

Load calculation

Laying of natural stone is carried out after calculating the load on the surface. It is necessary to take into account the weight and thickness of the material. For proper distribution of loads, larger elements are placed on the lower rows. The seams must be offset by type brickwork. For facing corners, the most durable elements are used.

Mounting Features

Perform after complete shrinkage of the house, otherwise the material may deform and collapse.

Here is information on how to put decorative rock on the wall in an apartment or a private house.

masonry wild stone carried out without jointing according to an arbitrary scheme. The broken shape of the stone does not allow it to be laid in rows along the line.

The technology of laying decorative stone on the wall is quite simple. The appearance and strength of the coating will depend on a properly prepared surface. All loose building materials must be removed. Cracks are sealed with cement mortar. Grease stains and rust are cleaned to the ground.

After that, you need to level the surface. All differences and curvature will eventually be noticeable. Plaster work take a lot of time, you can quickly level the wall with drywall. Mount the frame from aluminum profiles, facing material is attached to it.

When laying stone on concrete surface you need to scratch the wall with a metal brush for better adhesion of materials.

Decorative stone laying

The optimum temperature for work is considered to be from +5 to +25 degrees.

Laying artificial stone is performed in 2 ways:

• with jointing, elements imitating bricks are laid;
• slate and wild stone are laid without jointing.

If there is no experience with this material, it is advised to first lay out the stone on the floor so that you can see how it will look on the wall surface.

Examine the material. In the presence of swellings and irregularities, it is necessary to clean the surface grinder or sandpaper.

For installation work tools needed:

• spatula or trowel;
• rubber mallet;
• container for mixing the solution;
• grinder and disc for concrete.

When the material and tools are prepared, you can start laying.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. The surface of the wall is covered with 2 layers of primer.
2. Under the bottom row they nail on horizontal level rail, which will serve as a guide for the remaining rows.
3. If the material has a foam base, it is removed.
4. Prepare glue for, liquid nails or sealant. The volume of tile adhesive must be diluted such that it is consumed in 15-20 minutes. Otherwise, the mass will harden and become unsuitable for work.
5. Glue the elements, starting from the corner from the bottom row. At the corners set special corner profiles to level the surface.
6. Apply glue with a notched trowel to the wall and stones with a layer 1-2 cm thick. All excess glue that protrudes must be removed immediately. Otherwise, it will be difficult to wash it off later.
7. To fit fragments, use grinder, knife, pliers. Clean up with sandpaper.
8. Elements of different sizes are stacked in a chaotic manner.
9. A day after the setting of the material, butt joints. To do this, cut a corner in a tight bag and squeeze the solution out of it into the joints, rub it with a sponge. The surface is immediately cleaned of the solution.

When laying wild stone without jointing, all elements are laid out tightly to each other. When mounting for jointing, it is necessary to leave an equal gap between the parts. As guides, pieces of drywall or other material can be placed between the stones, no more than 10 mm thick.

Finishing

To give shine and protection from external influences, the surface is coated. Often it is purchased complete with a batch of stone.

The surface is cleaned of dirt, dust and residues of building materials.

Make a test of varnish on an unused fragment. If the gloss level is lower than desired, then first cover the surface with an additional layer of acrylic varnish. If the gloss is very pronounced, dilute the impregnation with a solvent suitable for this composition.

Laying wild stone allows you to get a monolithic stone surface.

Decorative stone will harmoniously fit into a classic interior, suitable for finishing fireplaces, fountain areas, flights of stairs. Suitable for decorating doorways in apartments and country houses.

See the video for details of the installation process.

Laying artificial stone with your own hands is much easier than similar work using natural material. Such a stone can be put on any wall, the main thing is to take care of special glue and necessary tools. Well, if something went wrong in the process of laying a decorative artificial stone, the material is always easy to replace, since its cost, in accordance with the natural one, is disproportionately lower.

Laying technology of decorative artificial stone (with photo)

One of the main advantages of artificial stone is the ease of installation. It is worth emphasizing that 2-3 craftsmen can paste over a surface of approximately 360 square meters with this material in one to two weeks. m. Despite the seeming simplicity of the process, without experience, it is still not worth taking on such work - after all, every business has its own professional subtleties. In addition, the masonry pattern can be difficult even for an experienced specialist.

This material fits well on almost any surface and is attached to it with the help of special adhesives. How to post fake diamond with your own hands, so that the walls turn out not only beautiful, but also durable?

Before laying artificial stone on the wall, you should take care of the tools, equipment and containers for mixing adhesives and grouts. You will need: plastic, easy-to-clean buckets with a capacity of 7-10 liters - 3-4 pieces, simple and notched spatulas, trowel, mixing drill with nozzles. Level, twine and edged board or timber when laying artificial stone will be needed for the construction of supporting formwork around the perimeter of the house. The lower horizontal row of cladding elements is laid out and supported on it. In addition, it is desirable to have a mobile or portable stone-cutting machine (in extreme cases, an angle grinder, commonly referred to as a "grinder") with disks for dry cutting of concrete and a portable emery machine with two circles (coarse and medium grit) for fine adjustment of the stone. The latter is especially important if the openings of windows and / or doors have an arched contour. Polyethylene film when laying artificial stone on the wall, it is necessary for the preliminary layout of the facing elements, which are laid out face up to protect the lower planes from contamination and getting wet.

See what tools are required for laying artificial stone in the photo below:

There are two ways to lay artificial stone - with jointing and seamless. The first option is more common, since with this method the facing material is significantly saved due to the fact that the stones are attached at a distance of 1-1.5 cm from each other. At the same time, some types of material are made on the basis of laying artificial stones only in a seamless way, so that they fit snugly against each other with their end parts. Therefore, for the case when it is necessary to make stitching joints, prepare in advance strips of plywood 15 mm thick or MDF with different lengths (from 5 to 60 cm), corresponding in width to the stitching joints. According to the technology of laying artificial stone, the universal size of the seam is 0.9-1.2 cm.

This video demonstrates how to put artificial stone on the wall of the house:

The best collections of artificial stone for masonry walls (with video)

Collections "Clay" And "Clavite"(imitating different bricks), as well as "Ellinite"(imitation of sawn rusticated dolomite) and "Tsocolite"(designed for its size and texture for facing the basement of facades) are easy to install and designed for drinking joints, 9 to 12 mm wide, and elements, for example, the Gorikhriz collection, require seamless installation.

Collection of artificial stone "Sea breeze" it seems quite simple to install, however, when installing its elements, some features of 3.7 square meters should be taken into account. m of stones with a unique texture have only the same width of 4 cm. They are all different in length and have vertical sections located under different angles. Therefore, when laying artificial stone on the wall, joint inserts are needed only for horizontal rows. The vertical distance between the stones should be done “by eye”. In addition, one should take into account the visual alternation of stones that have three textures that pass into each other, since the surface of the elements of the collection imitates stones made from blocks. Their structure was formed as a result of various stratifications, and the surface was repeatedly subjected to erosion from temporary immersion in the sea, exposure to rain and wind, sun and ice.

Before correctly laying an artificial stone, it will not be useless to know that there are figured inserts in the collection (they are equal in height to the height of two stones plus the width of the joint). Inserts are mounted with a frequency of at least 1 piece and no more than three per 1 sq. m of the surface of the cladding "scattered".

Masonry collection "Bravour" is also simple, but nevertheless requires knowledge of some of the subtleties associated with it. "Bravour" imitates the walls of ancient castles and is perfect for edging windows, columns, protruding details in architectural solution facades, as well as for interior work, for example, for lining fireplaces.

The collection is combined with natural stone and light wood. This artificial stone is also often used in the decoration of the plinths of country cottages.

Many architects use this stone as an interior stone, since the thickness of the stones does not exceed 2.5 cm. It also looks great on the facades of buildings when facing corners, framing windows and doors.

An indisputable fact was its use for cladding small houses(for example, a bungalow), light landscape architectural structures (, landscape flower girls of rectangular shapes).

All material from this collection, intended for do-it-yourself artificial stone laying, is of the same height - 195 cm, which determines its installation in the classic horizontal-tape method with 1-1.2 cm wide jointing.

Based on the height, the collection includes stones of the same length (square), double length (two squares), two and a half squares long (2.5 squares) and half length (1/2 square). Therefore, before correctly laying an artificial stone on a wall, it should be borne in mind that in a row the material must be placed strictly in a row and only in height.

In addition to the above stones, in order to avoid the monotony of one-height strip masonry, the collection also includes stones that in pairs are 195 cm high, but taking into account the minus of the joint between them. This is the first pair of stones, having a length of 2 squares, and the second pair of stones, having a length of 1/2 square. When installing stones from the second pair, be careful, as their length is 5-6 mm longer than the height.

How to put artificial stone on the wall with your own hands (with video)

Now that the dimensional subtleties of the collection stones have been clarified, read the instructions on how to properly lay out an artificial stone.

The most important thing to remember is that in the laying row you should:

• alternate stones of different lengths;
• avoid combining the joint seam of adjacent rows vertically (lower and upper);
• before laying, always lay out several rows of stone on the ground, laying a polyethylene film. The last point is also important in order to avoid the proximity of stones with the same textured surface pattern and so that the color spots of the color of the stones are evenly distributed over the entire lined surface.

Before laying out an artificial stone, take care of the connection to the place of work running water and electricity, strictly observing all safety measures. Protect yourself from being hit electric shock, and power tools - from moisture and short circuits.

Make sure you have on site scaffolding, if they are needed for facing work.

Once again, check whether the base is properly prepared for sticking the cladding you have chosen and whether there are measuring containers for mixing the required mass of glue with water.

Make sure the quality of the facing material and its availability in the right amount or, if necessary, the schedule of its delivery in accordance with the planned schedule of facing works. This also applies to the presence of glue and grout.

As for the choice of the tile elements themselves, it is recommended that you first lay them on the ground in the right order, taking them out of the boxes. Otherwise, you risk not only getting contrasting color spots on the wall, but also disrupting the masonry pattern itself.

While one team member composes and kneads adhesive mixture with water, the other two lay out 1.5-2 square meters. m of facing elements on pre-spread polyethylene.

The solution is applied with a notched trowel to the back flat surface of the stone, and the excess is removed with a trowel and the stone is set in place. Slightly pressing on it and shaking it a little clockwise and counterclockwise, we provide reliable adhesion to the base, “squeezing out” the excess glue into the voids formed by the teeth of the spatula. The stone itself rests on the bottom of the formwork. The sticker starts from the corner element and leads from it small areas 50-70 cm in the direction from the bottom horizontally and up.

However, it should be remembered that if the project provides for edging doors and windows, corners of buildings, columns, etc. special elements, then they are installed in the first place. If you need jointing seams, then you should not forget about the slats prepared for this and insert them between the cladding elements, both horizontally and vertically. After the glue has set, these inserts are removed, wiped with a damp cloth and used again.

The video "Laying artificial stone with your own hands" demonstrates the steps described above:

Each element from the previously laid out masonry pattern, starting from the last one in the bottom row, is transferred one by one to the base. The last stones, which form the edges of the laid out drawing, remain in place, supplemented with new ones in the course of work. If necessary, some stones are adjusted to size using a stone-cutting machine or grinder. You can also use a sander if needed.

Upon completion of the cladding procedure, but not earlier than after 48 hours, you can start filling the joint joints with grout. This can be done using a special gun with a nozzle or a plastic bag in the shape of a cone with a hole of the desired diameter on sharp end, which the master cuts independently. It looks like cooking bags, and they operate on the same principle: the diluted grout is portioned into the bag from its wide part and squeezed out into the seam slot through the hole made. Hands with a bag move along the seam, gradually filling it with squeezed grout. This is reminiscent of the work of a confectioner decorating a cake with cream patterns. A grout gun also looks like a pastry syringe with different nozzles and works on the same principle.

When filling the seam with grout, you should be careful and keep the gun or bag under right angle moving it smoothly and evenly. Make sure that the grout evenly fills the seam. If it is lacking in some areas, then you will have to report the layer to the desired level, and if there is a lot, remove it and transfer it to thin areas.

Strictly follow the time when it will be possible to shape the grout, compact, etc. This is stated in the instructions for this grout. Do not miss the time when you can start this work and how long you can continue it. Nothing can be done with a frozen grout, but working with a completely fresh one is of no use. If grout has dripped onto the surface of the cladding, then wait until it has hardened enough to remove it with a grout trowel. Never attempt to remove and/or wash off fresh grout with water: so you will only stain the front surface of the stone.

The grout should tightly fill the seam, reaching the entire plane of the base and the end planes of the glued stones, leaving no voids or cracks. Otherwise, the rain moisture that got there will destroy it gradually, and when it freezes, with the onset of cold weather, it will turn into ice. When it thaws, the ice expands. Under the influence of this, explosive destruction begins not only of the grout mass, but also of the adhesive with the lining.

Special jointing spatulas are used to compact the freshly filled grout and level it in the joint. They are different widths, depending on the number. Therefore, always use a grouting spatula, the width of which, on the one hand, allows it to enter the entire width of the joint without problems, and on the other hand, move along it without getting stuck. With the help of a spatula, the outer surface of the grout can be given not only a straight shape - it is enough to walk a second time along the straight surface made with a jointing spatula with an end that is given an arcuate shape, tumbled in relation to its sides. The result is a convex arcuate grout.

Watch the video "How to put artificial stone on the wall" to better understand how this work is done:

The use of decorative stone has no strict restrictions. A variety of shapes, textures, shades, high performance and physical characteristics allow it to be used for both internal and exterior finish. These qualities are especially highly valued in wall cladding. The main thing is to make the right choice of material and follow the rules for its fastening.

Types of decorative stone

The material can be of artificial and natural origin. Natural decorative stone, which includes marble, onyx and others, is distinguished by its great weight and high price. Not every wall can withstand such a cladding. Therefore, most often, artificial stone on a gypsum or cement basis is used for decoration.

Gypsum tiles do not tolerate moisture well and are not recommended for use in bathrooms and kitchens. A stone with a cement base, on the contrary, will become great choice for these premises. Wall cladding is usually done with a medium-sized stone imitating brick or slate.

Consumable selection

Finishing with cement-based stone is performed adhesive solution containing cement in its composition, and on gypsum - mastic, tile adhesive, cement-sand composition. PVA glue is suitable for facing plasterboard and wooden walls. The wooden surface is treated with an antiseptic before gluing the stone.

The color of the grout for the joints is selected according to the shade of the stone. Monolithic finish is obtained using slate decorative stone. tiles cover acrylic impregnation or water-based varnish. This prevents the material from negative impacts, enhances its decorative effect.

Cladding plasterboard and wallpapered walls

It is not recommended to glue this facing material on wallpaper. First, the walls are finished with stone, and then wallpaper is glued. The slabs of the side rows are glued in such a way that they overlap the wallpaper by no more than 2 cm. If the walls are already covered with wallpaper, some of the paintings are removed for stone finishing.

Plasterboard walls are able to withstand loads from 10 to 60 kg per 1 m 2. This allows you to stick decorative stone slabs on them, which are characterized by low weight. For reliable fastening, many experts recommend reinforcing the design with a reinforcing mesh. Especially when the load on 1 m 2 will be from 30 kg or more.

Wall preparation and mortar mixing

Decorative stone is glued only on a prepared base. The walls must be even, solid and strong. All the old coating is removed from their surface, cleaning it to the ground. This also applies to particles of dust, dirt, traces of various solutions and oil stains.

The walls are plastered, plastered and primed. If work is carried out in the summer, when the temperature rises above +30 degrees, the walls are moistened with water. Plates with inside It's also better to prime. This will increase their degree of adhesion to the base.

The adhesive solution is prepared in accordance with the instructions. It seizes quickly enough, so it is better to knead it in small portions, given that the consumption per 1 m2 of stone is about 6 kg. If the glue is prepared from a dry mixture, the use of an electric drill allows you to achieve uniformity.

Masonry order

Rectangular plates are glued in rows, oval - in random order. Elements of non-standard shape are first laid out in the desired pattern on the floor. This allows you to transfer it to the surface of the wall.

Plates of different sizes should be alternated, changing the sequence in each row. To form a masonry effect, using elements of the same size, the first tile of the second row is cut. This achieves a mismatch of the seams between the rows. Cut the plates with a hacksaw or a miter box.

You can start laying stones both from above and from below. If the wall is faced along the entire height, it is better to glue the elements from the ceiling. In this case, the cut tiles will be at the bottom and will not be evident.

Decorative stone gluing

Glue with a flat spatula is smeared on the wall and thin layer on the back side decorative element. Small sides are formed on the sides of the tiles and the solution is additionally applied pointwise. The tile is pressed against the wall, leveled with a building level.

To keep the stone stronger, lightly tap on it with a mallet. Protruding adhesive must be removed immediately. To do this, you can use a damp sponge or rag. Most solutions in a frozen form are almost impossible to remove without traces.

These actions are repeated with each element, laying out the entire wall or its separate plot. Corner plates are cut at an acute angle.

The final step is grouting. They are filled in with confectionery syringe or special bag. From above, the stone is varnished or impregnated.

Video: How to glue decorative stone on the walls

Instruction

Facing - one of the materials with which walls are decorated. Its installation is in many ways reminiscent of the decoration of the room with ceramic tiles. But the artificial stone has its own characteristics: its base can be different. It can be plaster, acrylic, concrete, ceramic, plastic. Each type of finishing stone is an imitation of natural. For interior decoration, light material based on acrylic, gypsum or plastic is more often used.

For high-quality laying of facing stone, it will be necessary to prepare the surface of the wall. First of all, you need to remove old finish: painting, wallpaper, ceramic tiles. Further, if required, the wall must be leveled. This can be done with dry plaster mixes or wet compositions such as "Rotband" or "Fügenfüller". For this work, you will need a spatula with a metal blade at least 40 cm wide.

After the leveling layer has dried, the wall surface is treated with a deep penetration acrylic primer on water based. The easiest way to do this job is with a foam roller. If the wall is concrete or brick and its surface does not need to be pre-leveled, you can immediately start the priming process. For wooden walls, more thorough and time-consuming preparation will be required. First, glassine is attached to them, then - plaster mesh, after which a layer of plaster is applied, leveled and treated with an acrylic primer.

Upon completion of these works, they begin to prepare the finishing stone for the sticker. For this bottom surface plates are covered with a layer of the same primer that was used for application to the wall. This procedure will significantly increase the adhesion of the adhesive and simplify installation. In the same period, you need to decide on the method of laying the finishing stone, of which there are two: with jointing and seamless. The first is the installation of plates at a distance of 1.5-2.5 cm from each other, which can significantly save on the amount of material purchased for wall decor.

Used as an adhesive ready-made formulations for gypsum-containing materials. The decoration stone can be fixed on the wall with the most popular and available funds: PVA glue (mixed with gypsum), any water-acrylic adhesive, acrylic sealant, mastics "Garant" or "Garant +", cement-based tile adhesive. The last one is traditional means for the installation of artificial stone.

Before laying, it is recommended to lay out the tiles in the order in which they will be glued. Some types of this finishing material suggest the presence of elements of different sizes or those that require preliminary selection of details according to shades and patterns. Therefore, such foresight will greatly simplify the installation process.

After that, a notched trowel is applied to the lower surface of the plates and the wall with a notched trowel. adhesive composition 0.3-0.5 mm thick. You need to start with the installation of corner elements, the design of window and door openings. Laying should be done in the direction of the central part of the wall, and not vice versa. After gluing the plates, if required, the jointing is done. After that, the seams are filled with the same cement-adhesive composition.

Decorative stone is a wonderfully beautiful building material that is used for various kinds finishes, interior and exterior. It is much easier to perform facing with this material than with ceramic tiles. Moreover, you can do it yourself. At the same time, the laying of decorative stone is carried out using a minimum of materials and tools. Many home craftsmen fear that nothing will come of their venture. But there is nowhere to retreat: all the materials have been purchased, the tools are waiting in the wings, and friends and relatives are looking forward (and some with hidden gloating) to what the renovated apartment will look like. So, to work!

Advantages and disadvantages

First of all, about the benefits:

• Decorative stone is an interior decoration that gives it an unusual and non-standard look. It is simply impossible not to pay attention to him;
• Artificial stone is very easy to work with. The reasons are lightness and regular shape. In addition, caring for the stone is very simple. An ordinary soapy solution is enough;
• Ecological cleanliness, safety. The material does not corrode, does not rot, is unattractive to fungal infections and bacteria;
• Reliability, durability. The material serves long time, without losing its operational qualities;
• Extensive selection of styles, textures and shades. This allows you to create exactly the interior that you like best;
• Hypoallergenic. Artificial stone, made according to classical technology, contains only natural ingredients: water, gypsum, quartz sand, marble chips and inorganic additives;
• Low cost. Gypsum is not among the expensive building materials. Its price is comparable to materials such as alabaster, drywall and chalk. This makes the repair not only effective, but also low-budget.

There are also disadvantages:

• Brittleness of the material. A slight impact is enough to destroy the material;
• Insufficient moisture resistance (this applies gypsum stone). When used in the kitchen or bathroom, an additional moisture-resistant coating is required.

Benefits of stone wall cladding

Decorative stone looks great as a finish for window and door openings, as well as a fireplace area. It pairs well with indoor plants as well as aquariums and home fountains. If we talk about style, then this finish looks best with classic interior, adding to it notes of aristocracy and chic.

In order for the lining to look really beautiful, you need to take into account one of its features. Enough bright lighting is required, otherwise the room will look a little gloomy. This problem can be solved by laying the stone not continuous, but alternating it with plain wallpaper, paint or decorative plaster light shade.

Types of decorative and natural stone

The most common varieties of artificial stone are based on cement mortar and plaster. plaster finishing material resistant to high humidity. Therefore, it is used in living rooms, bedrooms or hallways. Facing artificial stone made of cement, on the contrary, is moisture resistant, therefore it is used in rooms with high level humidity, e.g. in the bathroom, balcony, bathroom or kitchen. fashion trends today– facing materials with realistic imitation of brickwork and slate. A brick or clinker effect surface is excellent for modern loft interiors, decoration of the zone near the fireplace or stove, as well as for decorating the walls of loggias and balconies. As for the imitation of slate, this is the only type of decor that forms a single stone surface, reminiscent of natural rocks. Each element has its own individual appearance, and the whole composition looks very impressive and charming.

From natural stones used to decorate houses and apartments, the most common are granite, limestone, marble and sandstone.

• Marble is a beautiful aristocratic material with which you can create magnificent "palace" interiors. The color scheme is the richest, but the most popular, in addition to black and white, are shades of beige, red and brown. It looks best in spacious rooms. With a limited number square meters The "royal" finish will look somehow ridiculous.
• Sandstone comes in 3 primary colors: red, chocolate brown, and green. There are three names of the material according to the degree of graininess. Processing and laying sandstone stones is very simple. The material is inexpensive, but quite effective. Used for buildings and as decoration;
• Limestone is an alloy of stones laid in horizontal rows. The shade can be pink, gray, yellowish or white;
• Granite, in addition to a beautiful noble appearance, is distinguished by special strength and durability. Use it for interior and exterior decoration. It looks good with other finishing materials.

Mounting Features

The specificity of the technology of working with artificial stone is that it does not have an even facial structure, like ceramic tiles, so bringing the plane "to zero" is completely unnecessary. Is it necessary to follow the order? Preferably because appearance cladding benefits from this. Now consider the main stages of work related to the laying of artificial stone.

Preparatory work

An important point before mounting a decorative stone is careful surface preparation. The walls must be freed from the remnants of old coatings and degreased. Align the wall to perfect condition not necessary, because the lining will reliably hide all the flaws. But it is necessary to check the adhesion of the surface. Sprinkle it with water and see if there are areas where the water is not absorbed, but hangs on the wall in drops. These areas should be subjected to particularly thorough mechanical processing, and then the experiment with spraying should be repeated. Carefully scratch the surface of the wall with a metal brush, then using paint brush work the stones with back side and outside.

Before you start facing work, place the trim elements on flat surface, think about the future drawing. This will allow you to find best option placing pebbles on the wall and avoid confusion.

Required styling tools

The most common tool that is used when laying artificial decorative stone on the wall.

• Hacksaw for woodworking. She cuts gypsum-polymer stones very well, no worse than a grinder;
• Miter box. Indispensable if you need to cut the material at an angle of 45 or 90 degrees;
• Spatulas different sizes for applying adhesive;
• Kitchen sponges. They are convenient to use when puttying seams;
• Chisel, sandpaper, file. With these tools, you can easily fit the stones, as they are not always cast in an immaculately even shape. It is most convenient to use a chisel for work, and then clean the surfaces with sandpaper;
• Construction level and a simple pencil;
• Construction mixer. It can be replaced with a drill with a nozzle. It is convenient for mixing adhesive and putty compositions.

You will also need the following materials:

• Putty. It is used for sealing seams at corners and between joints;
• Varnish on the water. It will be needed to cover places in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bseams and chips;
• Tile adhesive (it can be replaced with liquid nails).

You need to dilute tile adhesive so that you can use ready solution within 15, maximum 20 minutes. Longer - it is impossible, because the mass will begin to solidify. The best consistency of the adhesive solution is creamy, similar to toothpaste. In any case, you need to read the instructions.

Laying technology

To correctly and beautifully decorate the walls with artificial stone, it is not at all necessary to have experience in construction or design work. A little hard work, patience and the desire to do something on your own is all you need. Lack of experience compensates construction material. General terms for finishing work:

• The temperature range when facing with artificial stone is from 5 to 30 degrees. If the air temperature exceeds 30 degrees, then about half an hour before the start of work, the wall and rear surface stones are wetted with water.
• Before starting laying, inspect each pebble. Sometimes opposite sides have different shade. It does not hurt to ask the seller which side is better to lay the material.
• Make a mark on the wall. Its step is up to 500 mm. This is necessary in order to know in advance how the decor elements will lay down.

Laying methods

There are 2 ways of laying artificial stone: with and without jointing. The first method is used to decorate the "brick" texture. You can lay out a wall without jointing with artificial stones that imitate slate. Seamless styling is easier and faster. Its essence is that the stones need to be placed one from the other on minimum distance. Excess glue must be removed in time, otherwise it will be difficult to do later. The essence of laying stones with jointing is that the elements of the cladding are laid at a distance from one another. In this case, you need to add the pre-purchased jointing to the list of tools and fixtures. You will also need a dye to match the finishing stone (or, conversely, a contrasting shade), for seams.

Now the process itself is step by step. Stone laying begins with corner elements, alternating between short and long stones. To create a support, the lining is led up from the floor. When the glue in the bottom layer dries, you can proceed to further installation. The polymerization time of the adhesive depends on the specific brand. For individual adhesives, polymerization time is not needed at all. In each case, you need to read the instructions. If seamless laying is used, it is necessary to ensure that the glue also goes on the end parts of the stones, without getting on the front part of the decor.
Features of the design of curved or complex sections:

• Complex elements are performed using a file and (or) a chisel. This skill is useful if you need to gracefully bypass the socket or switch, as well as when making slopes, entrance doors and interior arched openings.
• For ideal corner cutting, a miter box is used. When laying pebbles cut at an angle, their snug fit is monitored. It is convenient to use the miter box for forming right angles. If there is no miter box at hand, you can use an object with a precisely adjusted right angle.
• Curly cutting is performed along the contour of the texture.

Sealing joints with putty can be done using plastic bag from dairy products. Fill the bag with putty mortar, and then release it through a small hole right into the seam. The excess is removed with a sponge from under the dishes.