Building material for the decoration of buildings and auxiliary structures, which is called artificial stone, both externally and in terms of its characteristics practically does not differ from its natural counterpart. Equipment, molds for artificial stone, special additives allow you to get an imitation of granite and marble, slate and decorative bricks, various semiprecious and ornamental options.
Why is the use of artificial stone in some cases better than natural?
Artificial stone trim is used not only to decorate houses, but also to create landscape elements, in the interior of residential areas, for the restoration of old buildings. In its characteristics, such as mechanical properties and resistance, many types of such
facing stone surpass natural material.
We list only a few advantages:
- richness and uniqueness of surface colors;
- a variety of shapes and sizes;
- a light weight;
- imitation of broken stone;
- production of a shiny surface without grinding;
- manufacture of thin stone tiles;
- obtaining thermoplastic fragments;
- use in the manufacture of souvenirs, various trinkets and figurines.
Decoration or protection
Camrock is an artificial stone with excellent characteristics. The main purpose of facing the house is not only giving the building an individual appearance. Building structures protected from external climatic influences by cladding elements have a significantly longer service life.
The subtleties of production
To obtain
tiles in small quantities, polyurethane flexible forms are often used. This reduces the exposure time of the concrete mixture and increases the design capabilities of the material. Indeed, with such a casting, you can get the perfect resemblance to the original surface, whether it be
masonry or tree bark.
For mixing and pouring the solution into the molds, special equipment is used. These are concrete mixing units, vibrating tables and vibrating presses. On the basis of the created model, working forms are made into which the cement mixture is poured. After 2 minutes of shaking on a vibrating table (to seal the composition), the semi-finished products solidify and dry at a temperature of about 30 for several hours. Then they are released from the molds and packaged. Facing artificial stone is ready for sale.
Outside or inside
Despite the fact that kamrok is an artificial stone, price, texture, a variety of color and geometric solutions allow designers to use it not only for facing facades. This material also looks great indoors. An important factor is the saving of space during
interior decoration . After all, stone tiles have a rather small thickness and porous structure.
The construction of fences and the cladding of facades, the design of a bathroom or bedrooms, the countertop in the kitchen or a fragment of an old wall on the veranda is not a complete list of options for using such a popular building material. Foundations, flowerpots of a non-standard shape or garden steps, utility and utility rooms on the site - everything can be made of material called “kamrok” (artificial stone). At the same time, prices for these products range from 1000 to 3500 rubles per square meter, depending on the type and volume of purchase.
How to install facade cladding
Camrock is an artificial stone. The price of finishing a building or building is the sum of the cost of the tile itself, consumables and the amount of work. For high-quality fastening of this rather expensive material, it is necessary to attract specialists.
Laying elements begins with corner fragments. In this case, the long and short sides should be alternated. If necessary, the elements can be cut or broken off with nippers.
Before installing the tile must be moistened on the back side. You can simply immerse the elements in a wide container of water for a couple of minutes to absorb moisture. For the best setting of the mortar, the main wall is also moistened with a spray gun.
Reviews on some features of the material
When facing surfaces of a large area, it is recommended to use relief fragments from different packages. Then the imitation of masonry made of stone or brick becomes the closest to natural in color shades and effects. It is with this feature (color heterogeneity) that negative consumer reviews are associated.
In addition, it is known from application experience that when using low-grade adhesive compositions and poor-quality sealing of joints, individual tiles can simply fall off and be damaged. According to reviews, it is clear that it is quite difficult to find a replacement for them.
In order for the artificial stone finish to look like a convincing imitation of an old masonry wall, builders must adhere to certain rules.
- The package of tiles requires elements that imitate the old dressing of masonry at the corner joints of the walls.
- In order to fully realize the protective functions of the facade, it is necessary to use branded adhesives and grouts for joints.
- Using a kamrok (artificial stone) to decorate and protect your home, it is imperative to leave spaces between the tiles, which are then filled with grouting compounds.
Quite often, kamrok (artificial stone) is called facade tile or decorative cladding. The technology allows you to get an imitation of almost any natural coating. Studying consumer reviews, we can call this method of facade decoration the best among many options.
Why leave gaps?
When attaching facade tiles to the main surface, it is important to remember that water should not penetrate between the coating elements. Otherwise, after some time, fragments of the facade may begin to fall out under the influence of moisture. It is these troubles that can be avoided by leaving small gaps between the stone tiles, which are then carefully rubbed with a special composition. A joint reminiscent of a confectionery bag is often used for joint seams. A strong plastic bag is filled with a trowel, then one of the corners is cut a little. When you click on the bag, the solution flows out and fills the gap between the tiles.
To obtain a seamless masonry made of artificial stone kamrok (the reviews of the masters confirm this), each tile must be completely covered with a solution. While pressing a fragment to the wall, excess adhesive mixture is squeezed out along the edges. A thin layer of solution should remain from the ends, which will be gently rubbed to give a beautiful appearance.
How to paint a stone
Depending on the type of masonry, the chamber (artificial stone) can have a variety of shades. Natural mineral dyes used in the production are initially introduced into the solution. A more detailed tinting is carried out superficially by hand. The color shades of each fragment are individual, although they are designed in the gamut of a specific collection:
- "Coarse cleavage" - an artificial stone (photo of the veranda with an armchair in the article) of a natural form.
- “Booth” - cobblestones of irregular shape of sandy shades.
- “Weathered tuff” - geometric formations of brown, greenish, red and yellow color.
- “Alpine Village” - natural and harmonious surfaces with a special charm.
- “Dolomite wall”, “Fairytale city”, “Sea breeze”, “Rocky mountain”, “Medieval wall”, “Old castle” and other types.
Mineral pigments, which are absolutely safe for human health and the environment, provide high-quality painting of products both inside and on the surface to give certain tinting effects.