The market for finishing building materials is unusually wide. Modern options easily get along with proven and tested. One recent proposal is a flexible stone. One name of the material attracts with its ambiguity and creativity. After all, the stone initially causes associations with solidity and strength, but not flexibility at all.
Description and variety
To understand why the material is so named, just find out what it is. It is based on a flexible material such as fabric, high temperature polymer, fiberglass. And a thin layer of 1 mm of any sandstone acts as a stone. That is why such a material is called flexible stone. The disadvantages of such a modern finish option are insignificant, especially in comparison with its advantages.
Initially, manufacturing technology was invented in Germany. The essence of production is to cut a thin layer of sandstone, from 1 to 3 mm, and apply it to a flexible base with a binder polymer, for example, acrylic glue. Depending on the thickness of the cut, the following options for flexible stone are distinguished:
1) a plate measuring 1 m by 2.5 m, having a thickness of up to 6 mm;
2) tiles of different but small sizes with a thickness of about 2.5 mm;
3) a roll with the smallest application of 1 mm.
It is possible to apply a layer of sandstone both at the place of its extraction, and in the conditions of workshop production and even home production. In the first case, the manufacture of flexible stone looks like this:
- A sandstone surface is prepared, pre-selected for its decorative qualities.
- A binder is applied and a fabric base is attached to it.
- After drying, the base, together with stone chips, perfectly repeating the surface texture, is removed, and a flexible stone is obtained. The disadvantages of this method are depending on weather conditions.
Flexible stone features
A flexible stone has a lot of features that determine its advantages and disadvantages. Of the main, one can distinguish its wide physical characteristics, as well as perfect decorativeness. This determined its popularity in use in the decoration of both external and internal surfaces. And this applies not only to walls and any other horizontal objects, but also to ceilings. Consider the material itself a flexible stone, its advantages and disadvantages, as well as the scope.
Main advantages
- Flexibility. The main quality that determines its widespread use in finishing works. Application of material to simple bends does not require the use of an additional tool and special skills. In fact, anyone who knows how to glue wallpaper will cope with the decoration with a flexible stone. For stone decoration of surfaces with strong bends at significant angles, it is recommended to use a building hair dryer.
- Ease. Due to this, the material does not increase the load and can be used to cover the thinnest surfaces.
- Porosity and moisture resistance. It has a structure that allows passing not only light, but also steam. This allows the use of flexible stone for decorating a variety of fixtures, as well as decorating bathrooms, baths and other rooms with high humidity.
- Fire resistance. Withstands a significant increase in temperature without changing its properties, due to which it can be used for furnaces and fireplaces.
- Decorativeness. A flexible stone, the flaws of which as a decorative material have not been identified, is almost always unique. It is difficult to find options with the same pattern due to the huge variety of sandstone. Various element inclusions give the material different colors and shades. For example, clay adds red and brown, iron - rich brown, and sandstone itself can be gray, and yellow, and even pink.
- Manufacturability. The material is light, flexible, cuts even with simple scissors and very simply sticks to the base. The technology of wall cladding with flexible stone is available to any person who does not have special skills and special tools.
- Wide temperature range of operation and durability. A flexible stone, the flaws of which can be evaluated in comparison with a simple stone, has been around for 35 years. If you use special impregnation, the service life can be increased. Operating temperature varies from -40 to +70 degrees Celsius.
- Environmental friendliness. Flexible stone is a completely natural material, as it consists of environmentally friendly components. It does not burn, and when heated, it does not emit substances harmful to nature.
Material flaws
No matter how good the material for decoration, it will have negative features. Among the shortcomings of flexible stone, one can distinguish its relatively high price range: from 500 to 7000 r. for 1 square. meter. This is primarily due to production prices, as high-precision industrial equipment is used to cut thin layers of sandstone.
The disadvantages include the number of processes for applying a flexible stone. Indeed, in addition to surface treatment, it is important to cover the material itself with several layers of protective coating.
Styling technology
To create a decorative surface made of flexible stone, it is enough to perform a certain sequence of actions, and before that stock up with the necessary tool. To install the material, you will need glue, a rubber roller for pressing, a sharp clerical knife or scissors and a notched trowel with a small pitch. If your decorating surface has many angles, you may need a building hair dryer.
The first step is preparing the work surface. Then, for better adhesion of the adhesive, a primer is made. And only after that the flexible stone itself is glued. Characteristics and do-it-yourself installation of material to describe in detail does not make much sense. Separately, you should specify some of the nuances encountered when fixing the material on the surface.
Installation Tricks
1. The surface for decoration should not only be cleaned, but even if possible. A flexible stone will look more impressive in this case. Otherwise, due to its subtlety, it can repeat bumps and roughness.
2. If roll material is used for gluing, then glue is applied to the wall. In any other case - on the flexible stone itself.
3. The use of a building hair dryer greatly facilitates stone pasting of corner surfaces. To do this, the material is heated and applied to the fitting. After cooling, the binder composition retains the shape given to the stone without the slightest cracks.
Do-it-yourself flexible stone
It is not always possible to get the material you like. But there is an option to make a flexible stone yourself. How to make a flexible stone, without having at hand beautiful natural sandstone and high-precision equipment? It should immediately be noted that the decorative properties of home-made flexible stone will be inferior to natural ones. In this case, the positive features of the material will be on top.
For the production of material you like, you will need:
- mixing equipment: mixer or simple drill with the necessary nozzle;
- fabric base or fiberglass;
- sandstone in layers or crumbs;
- A sufficiently spacious room for manufacturing and drying.
First of all, the fabric base is taken and impregnated with a binder material. Then it is evenly covered with a crumb of sandstone. Sometimes, to give the material any color, the crumb is pre-stained with natural paints. At the last stage, drying takes place. And so it turns out a flexible stone. The characteristics and features of manufacturing work bring stone production into a separate type of business. After all, the material can be made independently, even alone.
Instead of a conclusion
Flexible stone is a modern, high-quality material with many advantages. It has high decorative qualities and can be used both for interior and exterior decoration of buildings. It is convenient enough in installation, but at the same time it has a flexible stone advantages, disadvantages. Styling features allow you to decorate the surface of any relief. And although due to its low prevalence the material is not so popular, it will always find its connoisseurs.