Recently, printed concrete is becoming increasingly popular. This material is used to cover beaches, pools, sidewalks, garage complexes, bridges and other territories.
Description of printed concrete
This material is also known as press concrete. It acts as a material for facing horizontal and vertical surfaces, which allows you to create an imitation of natural stone at low cost. Printed concrete is distinguished by its excellent performance characteristics; it is produced by imprinting a matrix on a surface.
Material characteristics
Such concrete can be operated at a wide temperature range - from -50 to +50 degrees. The surface does not slip and does not lose color, and is also resistant to sunlight. Among other things, this material perfectly resists the effects of abrasive forces. Consumers mention that in terms of strength and durability, such concrete is superior to conventional road tile and asphalt surfaces. This type of decorative material usually undergoes thermal effects and numerous cycles of freezing and thawing, which can amount to three hundred. Using printed concrete, home craftsmen have the opportunity to complete the work in a much less impressive timeframe, which consumers really like. Among other things, this material allows you to save money. He firmly emphasizes the effects of chemicals, which allows you to use it in the premises of the appropriate purpose. It can be, for example, car workshops.
Features of use
Printed concrete is used today in many areas. If we are talking about vertical surfaces, then the layer can vary from 0.5 to 3 centimeters. It can be interior walls, columns, arches, fireplaces, slopes, doorways and much more. Horizontal surfaces may have a layer whose thickness is 1-1.5 cm. In this case, we are talking about balconies,
flights of stairs, walkways, sidewalks, terraces, etc. The technology of printed concrete may involve the use of a base for decoration in the form of a brick, concrete, building blocks, chipboard, drywall, stone slabs, tiles, etc. The main requirement for the foundation is its immobility and integrity.
Consumer Reviews
Stamped concrete has positive and negative characteristics. Among the first, consumers particularly highlight the lack of the need to prepare the base for the type of grout, plaster or putty. Errors, roughness, and chips may be left on the surface; it is not required to eliminate them before using stamped material, which reduces money and time costs.
The described material is universal, it can be used both indoors and outdoors. In the latter case, the material copes well with temperature influences, which indicates frost resistance. In addition to heat resistance, the material does not burn, which allows it to be used when decorating furnace equipment. Stamped concrete has hydrophobic qualities, which indicates water and dirt repellent characteristics. At the same time, the material retains the ability to breathe and let steam through, which is very much appreciated by consumers when decorating facades.
However, customers especially highlight the high strength characteristics of this concrete. The described material has a low weight, which allows it to be used for vertical coatings. So, the weight of one square meter on a vertical base, the thickness of which is 1 cm, is about 12 kg. This parameter can be compared with clinker tiles. That is why consumers use this material to cover facades that have previously been insulated with stone wool or polystyrene. At the same time, home craftsmen note that they observe a durable fastening of the finish, which can not peel and fall. Due to its low weight, decorative printed concrete does not significantly affect the walls and foundation of the building.
Concrete in the form of imitation of other materials
The described decorative coating can be made in the form of imitation of various natural textures such as wood, natural stone, boards, sandstone, slate, etc. This allows the use of inexpensive material that quite naturally conveys the structures of other natural textures. Consumers note that
finishing arches, columns, slopes and other complex surfaces with the help of this material is most simple in comparison with natural analogs, because there is no need to adjust the material to size. Among other things, this saves money.
Variations of decorative solutions
If you decide to use printed concrete, the shapes of this material can be completely different. This also applies to shades, which are on sale a great variety. You can choose from 20 options, one of which is certainly suitable for the exterior or interior solution. During the work you can combine different textures and colors. This allows you to recreate unique patterns on the surface, which can consist of imitations of stone and planks. It’s easy enough to take care of the finished coating, it is noted by those consumers who have been using printed material for a long time. The surface can be washed with soapy water, cold or warm water. Use for this should be brushes that have a soft pile, as well as soft rags. If any errors in the form of dents and chips appeared on the coating, then the material can be replaced in separate areas, which will allow the coating to return to its original appearance.
Printed concrete technology
The technology involves at the first stage the removal of the upper fertile soil layer, after which the surface needs to be densified well, and then backfill with a layer of rubble, the thickness of which should be equal to 15 cm. formwork and fittings are laid. Do not work when the temperature is below -5 degrees. The grade of concrete used must be at least M300, and Portland cement grade M 400 or 500 should be used. The mixture must contain a plasticizing additive. Concrete, the price of which will be lower for self-production, must contain
reinforcing polypropylene fiber. This will eliminate the formation of cracks. The finished mixture must be laid in the formwork, distributing it and rammed with a deep vibrator. Next, proceed with the application of color fixative.
Features of the work
The surface is smoothed by an aluminum smoothing machine. At the next stage, the pattern is printed where texture matrices should be used. This must be done without delay, while the concrete lends itself to light pressure with your fingers. Laying texture matrices is necessary, moving along the entire length along the formwork.
If you decide to purchase concrete, the price of this material should interest you. In stock, it can be purchased for 2000 rubles per 1 square meter. It is worth noting that if you plan to cover a small area with this finish, then it will be much more profitable to purchase finished material. After all, additional materials and tools, most likely, cannot be found in the arsenal of the master. After you know the formulation of printed concrete, you can begin to manufacture it. If you start production, you can even earn money on this.