Do it yourself wild stone. How to make artificial stone with your own hands. Video: example of making a mold for artificial stone from a silicone-polyurethane compound

On the construction market you can find a huge number of different materials and technologies that will allow you to decorate any home. Using a decorative type of plaster, you can replace natural or artificial materials and thus save a fairly large amount of money. It will look no worse, and the wall can be given any appearance depending on the wishes of the home owner. The cost of the material is significantly lower than that of stone, and the installation process takes several times less time and does not require special knowledge.

What does stone plaster look like?

The coating will have a different appearance depending on the texture of the filler. Can use coarse-grained or fine-grained, which will create a fairly beautiful and textured surface. If the home owner wants the walls to be smooth, it is worth using a powder-like filler.

What are the advantages of this type of façade finishing?

Decorative stone plaster, like any other material for wall decoration, has certain advantages and disadvantages. It is worth noting that there are significantly more pros than cons.

Good indicator of vapor permeability. Due to this, the material can “breathe”, which is very important if the cladding is carried out indoors. Decorative stone-like plaster allows you to create the most favorable indoor microclimate.
Can withstand quite heavy loads, mechanical stress and shocks.
It tolerates sudden changes in temperature and is not influenced by aggressive factors. Plaster of this type does not pose any threat from high humidity or low temperatures.
For a long time it can retain its original characteristics and properties, including color and appearance.
Has a long service life.
The solution is easy to use.
The finished coating is very easy to care for.

The disadvantages are that over time, corrosion may appear on the metal surface due to the water base of the plaster. You should not apply the material to insulation materials such as mineral wool, as this will negatively affect vapor permeability.

Types of stone imitation

To imitate stone during interior decoration, a variety of compositions can be used: gypsum, clay, concrete, lime and others. Both mortar compositions and cheaper putty options can be used. The technique for creating a coating is divided into several types depending on how deeply the design will be worked out.

Flat

Smooth plaster allows you to imitate natural stones such as granite, marble, or polished stone walls. The coating turns out perfectly smooth. The top must be coated with a special wax composition and polished. Usually, it is possible to make the wall not only smooth, but also glossy or semi-matte. In order to get a beautiful pattern, you need to mix different colored solutions or paint the wall surface itself directly.

Textured

In this case, in appearance the walls will resemble a large solid stone. The plaster has a pleasant, slightly rough surface that resembles stone. It is very easy to imitate stone in this way and even beginners can achieve the desired result the first time. “Stone” plaster can have a small pattern or a convex one. The appearance of the surface will depend on what material the home owner wants to get.

Flat-relief

The facing material can be designed in the form of masonry. In this case, the seams are not processed deeply and are indicated only by a slight groove. Using flat-relief plaster, you can imitate processed stone, bricks or stone blocks. The wall turns out to be flat, because there are no large depressions or too deep grooves. Thanks to this facing material, the facade of the house turns out to be very beautiful.

Convex

To imitate stone, you can use three-dimensional masonry or 3D plaster. In order to beautifully decorate a wall, you need to use a lot of mortar and layer-by-layer painting. It will be quite difficult for beginners to do it. To make the process easier, you can use special molds that help you get the most realistic drawing possible, especially if you don’t have any drawing skills.

Imitation building stone slab

The stone is quite simple and does not have a shiny surface.

Other characteristics include the presence of a rough surface that is covered with tool marks and natural bumps or grooves. Due to such a complex texture, you don’t have to spend too much time leveling.

How to make stone plaster

You can apply a design to the freshly applied plaster. For laying in blocks, you should use a ruler; if the wall should look like roughly processed stones, then the design is applied freely.

Do-it-yourself stone plaster at home:

If the thickness of the plaster does not exceed 1 cm, then it can be covered with a mesh of “impacts” or “cracks”. Due to this, it is possible to obtain the most believable texture.
First you need to make a sketch. On the facing material, which must be fresh, you need to apply a contour drawing using a small sharp object.
Development stage. The line deepens to almost the entire depth of the material, and its edges noticeably widen. You can use a piece of plastic or the corner of a small spatula for this work.
Alignment. When the solution dries a little, you need to remove all the formed lumps.
After the material has completely dried, it is worth eliminating minor “jags” using sandpaper or a special sanding mesh.
Coloring. First, the wall is painted in one tone. When the paint dries a little, the bulges become lighter and the recesses become darker.

You can tint individual stones to get a more beautiful and realistic picture.

What can be used during the workflow

It is worth preparing all the necessary tools in advance.

Two different spatulas. One should be large and rectangular, the second should be small and trapezoidal.
Venetian trowel.
Brushes, rollers, stencils and brushes - these tools will depend on what effect the home owner has chosen.

The first stage is surface preparation

The very first stage of the work process is the thorough preparation of the walls. They need to be leveled and all roughness removed. Small irregularities can be removed using simple plaster, large ones - through the use of sand-cement mortar.

Before proceeding to the next stage, the wall must be completely dry and there are no excess building materials left on it.

What are the ways to imitate a stone wall?

Plaster can be applied as solid stone or as masonry. Using a block wall, you can imitate more expensive finishing materials, for example, granite, marble, lapis lazuli, or simple ones - limestone, sandstone.

In order for the wall to have the most pronounced texture, the dried plaster is treated with bush hammer. You need to hit it carefully with the tool so that only the top film falls off and the grains of the filler become visible.

To create grooves or grooves, you can use a trojan. It can have different shapes and will allow you to create different recesses. Scarpel is great for drawing large and shaped furrows. To imitate travertine (Roman stone), the plaster must be applied in two layers and smoothed well. After half an hour, a thin layer of cement mortar is additionally applied to the wall.

You can also imitate a small stone. In this case, pre-painted granite, marble or quartz chips will be used as raw materials.

Imitation of natural stone using impressions

In this case, the masonry will be imitated using special molds. First you need to wet the mold you are using so that the plaster on the facade does not stick to it. The mold is then pressed into the freshly applied mortar. Next you need to remove minor distortions or defects using a spatula. If the facing material has stuck to the form, you need to re-process the section of the wall from which it came off.

How to imitate a stone surface yourself

For the work process you need to use cement plaster. You can also use a special tile adhesive, which has very good characteristics.

The facing material is laid out on the wall in one layer. The thickness of the layer will depend on how deep the joints in the masonry are. After this, you need to press the pre-purchased stamp against the wall. In this way, it is possible to achieve a texture that resembles rough pieces of stone laid one on top of the other. The laying is carried out gradually, the drawings must be joined.

There is another way. Instead of buying a stamp, you can make all the seams yourself. To do this, it is enough to draw seams on smooth plaster applied to the wall using any convenient sharp object.

Additionally, you can use a level if you plan to carefully lay small blocks. Then all the recesses need to be cleaned with a brush.

What conclusions can be drawn?

Facade plaster is easy to apply to the wall without using a mounting mesh, because it is light in weight.
Due to the versatility of the material, it is used not only indoors, but also outdoors.
Due to the wide selection of shapes, the most suitable texture of the treated surface is selected.
Stone plaster can be combined with other building materials. It will make the interior of the house original and visually attractive.
The mixture allows you to fairly level the surface if you apply it in two layers.
Treating a wall with such a facing material will not take much time and effort.
By adding cement to the finished mixture, the plaster has excellent characteristics, does not crack, tolerates temperature changes and is not affected by moisture.

Unusual façade design option

Decorating your home with decorative plaster is very easy. To do this, you do not need to have any deep knowledge of construction. It is enough to strictly follow the instructions and carry out the work step by step.

Many of us consider artificial stone to be a new material, however, it has been known to people since time immemorial. Ordinary clay brick, cement, gypsum and lime mortar are types of artificial stone.

The popularity of this material began to grow after new polymer compositions and forms appeared that made it possible to use it for interior decoration and landscape design.

In particular, artificial stone can be used to make tiles for cladding walls and floors, steps and other elements of stairs.

It is used for the manufacture of countertops, decorative stucco and sculptural compositions, borders and paving slabs.

In terms of strength and durability, some types of artificial stone are not inferior to natural stone, surpassing it in ease of processing and ease of finishing. This material can be made into very thin tiles, which reduces its weight and reduces cost. For natural stone, such a thickness is unattainable due to its high fragility.

Not inferior to natural material in terms of color and variety of surface textures, artificial stone is more profitable to use for several reasons:

it can be immediately made perfectly smooth, which eliminates expensive sawing, grinding and polishing operations;
there is no need to transport it, since this material can be made with your own hands at the place of use;
the amount of waste is minimal, since there are no losses for transportation and processing;
In addition to a rectangular shape, it can be made figured or shaped, which allows you to finish surfaces exactly in place without additional adjustment.

Types of artificial stone

When considering the question of what artificial stone is made from, it is not difficult to choose a technology acceptable for use at home.

Depending on the raw materials and methods of processing, artificial stone is divided into the following types:

— Ceramic (tiles) – the manufacturing process requires the creation of high temperatures to roast raw materials and transform them into a monolithic conglomerate.

— Plaster (cast). It can be done at home. The costs of raw materials and production are minimal, however, such stone is suitable only for interior decoration, since it is not resistant to frost.

— Concrete molded. The cost of production is more expensive than gypsum, since the resource of molds for casting concrete is less. Suitable for self-production. Frost-resistant.

— Free-formed reinforced concrete. This artificial stone is made piece by piece, usually at the site of use (artificial cobblestones, boulders, slabs).

— Hot-curing polyester. In terms of its mechanical and decorative characteristics, it is superior to some types of natural stone, but the synthetic compound hardens only in a vacuum at elevated temperatures. It is not suitable for home production.

— Cold-hardening cast acrylic stone. Suitable for home production. In the temperature range from +175 to 210 it is thermoplastic, therefore it allows additional molding after casting.

How to make artificial stone with your own hands?

This requires two basic components: mold and casting mixture. The home technology for producing artificial stone can be implemented both in a factory-made polyurethane mold and in a home-made silicone one. It all depends on the total footage of the finishing and the budget allocated for this work.

The polyurethane matrix is quite expensive, but it allows you to make several hundred high-quality impressions. Silicone mold is more suitable for small-piece stone production and home sculptural crafts. Its resource usually does not exceed 20-30 castings.

For making your own silicone molds a set of natural stone or tiles is laid out on a horizontal, stable and flat surface, having previously covered it with polyethylene. After this, a frame made of wooden slats or plastic is placed on it. The height of its sides should be 1-2 centimeters higher than the height of the copied material.

The surface of the tile and the inside of the sides are coated with solid oil or cyatim. You can take the cheapest silicone - acidic. It is squeezed out of the tube into the mold in a spiral, starting from the center to the sides until it is filled.

To prevent the formation of bubbles, the silicone is smoothed with a wide fluted brush. It needs to be dipped in a solution of dishwashing detergent. Soap solution is not suitable here because it is alkaline and can ruin the acidic silicone. After filling, the surface of the future form is smoothed with a spatula, also moistened with detergent.

Dry molds for making artificial stone at room temperature in a ventilated area. The drying rate of the silicone composition is approximately 2 mm per day.

Molding mixtures

Gypsum artificial stone

The mixture for gypsum stone is prepared from gypsum grades G5 - G7. It is made in small portions, counting on simultaneous filling of no more than two forms, since the setting time of this binder does not exceed 10 minutes.

Composition of the mixture: gypsum, citric acid to slow down hardening (0.3% by weight of gypsum), water - 60-70% of the volume of gypsum. The pigment is taken at the rate of 2 to 6% of the weight of the gypsum. The dosage of the coloring substance is selected on test samples of castings.

concrete stone

You can make artificial stone inexpensively and with high quality with your own hands from concrete. Unlike construction, here the initial composition of the components is slightly different: take 3 parts of cement for 1 part sand. The proportions of the pigment (you need to use an alkaline resistant one!) are the same as for gypsum stone.

The addition of polymer additives reduces the brittleness of this material and increases its abrasion resistance.

Cold hardening acrylic stone

This material is made on the basis of acrylic resin and hardener. The recommended volume of mineral filler to acrylic is 3:1. The amount of pigment is taken depending on the total weight of the filler (on average from 2 to 6%).

As an inexpensive filler, you can take gravel, stone chips or granite screenings. Before preparing the mixture, the filler is washed with dish gel, then calcined over a fire and rinsed with clean water.

The preparation process consists of three stages: first, the pigment is mixed with the filler. Then the acrylic resin is mixed with a hardener and a filler with pigment is added to it.

The time during which the acrylic mixture must be poured into the mold (from the moment the hardener is introduced into the resin) is no more than 20 minutes. The setting time of the mixture lasts from 30 to 40 minutes. The product requires 24 hours to completely harden.

If you are interested, the best materials for their manufacture are concrete or acrylic. The concrete product is heavier and does not allow you to create surfaces as varied in pattern as when using acrylic resin. However, the low cost of raw materials and the simplicity of the casting process partially compensate for this disadvantage.

Release agents

For different types of artificial stone, different compositions are used to separate the form from the product.

For gypsum stone, the optimal solution is one consisting of artificial or natural wax in turpentine in a ratio of 1:7. To do this, add wax shavings in small portions, stirring, to turpentine heated in a water bath to +50 - +60 C.

For concrete stone, conventional lubricants are used (litol, emulsol, cyatim). Before pouring the acrylic composition, the mold is lubricated with a solution of stearin in styrene (proportion 1 to 10) or cyatim.

When using a homemade silicone matrix, it must be protected from deformation that occurs when the hardening gypsum stone and acrylic resin are heated. To do this, before pouring the working mixture, it must be placed in a tray with fine dry sand so that the thickness of its layer is from 2/3 to 3/4 of the height of the mold.

Useful video

Natural stones have been used for finishing the interiors and facades of buildings for a long time. The use of stone in interior decoration allows you to achieve the most unexpected results. With its help, you can design your home and garden in the style of a knight's castle; columns trimmed with stone look elegant, and a fireplace framed with slate is attractive. It should be noted that natural stone is a very heavy material, so not every wall can withstand such a load. The large weight of the material also increases the cost of its transportation. In addition, natural stone is quite expensive.

But there is a way out. In order to make it possible to use stone in interior decoration, cladding the facade of a house, garden design and to overcome all the shortcomings, a technology for the production of artificial stone was developed. You can make artificial stone with your own hands, and it will practically not differ from natural stone. The price of material made at home will be much lower than that of natural material. Outwardly, they hardly differ from each other, while artificial stone is devoid of all the disadvantages of natural stone. Read more about how to make artificial stone at home.

Artificial stone can be made to imitate any type of natural rock, repeating its texture. It can have the following types of surface: chipped with an uneven surface and edges, sawn with smooth, even edges, rubble (looking like ordinary natural boulders) and random. Certain design tasks may require different types of surfaces. By making stone with your own hands, you can obtain a material suitable for finishing a specific room. The most popular type of artificial stone is slate.

What is artificial stone made from at home?

To make this material with your own hands, several different technologies are used. One technology involves making it from cement, fine sand and water, the other from gypsum or alabaster. There is also an option for making stone with your own hands, in which polymers are used to bind all the components. Therefore, the composition of the mixture for the production of this building material at home is determined based on the available ingredients and capabilities.

The procedure for manufacturing this material is simple; you can do it yourself if you carefully follow the technology.

The process of making stone with your own hands

In any case, making artificial stone with your own hands must begin by selecting an initial sample and creating a mold with which the products will be cast. Having several of these molds, you can quickly make the required number of products. As a model, you can purchase in the store a sample of suitable size and shape, or ready-made silicone molds, which are ready-made kits for the manufacture of this building material.

In order to make artificial stone at home, you will need the following materials and tools:

alabaster;

paint brush;

coloring matter;

dishwashing liquid.

Mold making

The production of artificial stone begins with making a mold. To do this, select a sample, which is a stone of suitable size and shape. Silicone is used to make the mold. Then you need to make a box of the appropriate size, which should be slightly larger than the sample. It will serve as formwork. The box and sample must be thickly coated with grease or some other lubricant. The stone is placed at the bottom of the box, after which silicone is poured into the formwork. It must be compacted with a brush dipped in a soapy solution, for which you can use regular dishwashing detergent. After pouring the silicone, the surface must be leveled with a spatula moistened with soapy water.

The poured forms must dry for 2-3 weeks, after which the formwork is disassembled, the sample is removed and ready-made forms for the manufacture of artificial stone are obtained. Small defects on the surface are sealed with silicone.

Manufacturing from cement

With this method, work is performed in several stages. First you need to mix sand and cement for the first layer in a ratio of 1:3, mixing the components until one mixture is formed. The desired color is obtained by adding a dye, the amount of which is determined experimentally. After this, add water to the mixture and stir everything until sour cream thickens.

The resulting mass should be poured into the mold to about half its volume and compacted by shaking and tapping for about a minute. A metal mesh is placed on top of the mortar to give the stone additional strength and a second layer of mortar is poured. There is no need to add dye to the second part of the solution.

On the top layer of concrete after pouring it, you need to make small grooves using a nail for better adhesion to the surface during installation. Judging by the description, this technology is quite simple; the material can be produced in this way without the use of special equipment. After 12 hours, the finished product is removed from the mold and left to dry for 2 weeks. The mold must then be washed, doing this after each pour.

Manufacturing from gypsum

Making artificial stone from gypsum with your own hands is done in the same sequence as from cement. However, it should be remembered that gypsum hardens faster, so you need to make as much of it as is required to make one product, after which a new portion is diluted. To slow down hardening, citric acid can be added to gypsum.

Since gypsum hardens very quickly, the holding time of products is reduced to several tens of minutes. Before pouring the gypsum solution into the mold, it must be lubricated with vegetable oil. This will help you easily remove the finished block from the mold. Finishing material made using this technology can be used both for interior decoration and for cladding building facades.

The dye can be added to the solution during the manufacturing process of the material. You can also paint the finished product. To do this you will need special paint and a brush of any shape. The painting process is carried out as follows: the surface of the stone is cleaned of sand, dust and cement using a clean rag, after which an even layer of paint is applied to the surface. After it dries, you can apply a second and third coat to achieve the desired shade.

As you can understand from all of the above, when making artificial stone with your own hands, you can do without expensive materials and tools. In addition, this material does not require additional care. To protect it, you need to protect the wall from excessive moisture. This can be done using special compounds, which, after application, give the stone water-repellent properties.

Artificial stone is a good opportunity to make an impressive interior decoration, façade cladding or garden landscaping with your own hands without significant costs.

Artificial stone for facades: finishing features

Even the most ordinary building at first glance can be completely transformed thanks to exquisite cladding made with modern materials. Artificial facade stone is just such a material.

Cladding with natural stone can cost the owner a fortune, while facade artificial stone is not only many times more affordable, but also has many other advantages, in particular, a much simpler installation method.

Finishing facades with artificial stone

Facade cladding can be done in almost all cases, regardless of what material the building itself is built from.

The protective properties of artificial stone are so high that the service life of the structure can increase several times.

When choosing an artificial stone, you should ask where it was produced. Domestic products are more adapted to Russian climatic conditions.

Option for finishing the facade of a house with stone

What is artificial stone made of?

Technically, artificial stone for façade cladding can be considered a tile, since one edge is necessarily flat.

It is with its help that the stone is attached to the base. But this is where the similarities with ceramic tiles end, since stone and ceramics are produced in completely different ways.

Artificial stone for the facade consists of:

Portland cement M400-500;
quartz sand;
filler that lightens the weight of the stone;
additives that increase strength and moisture resistance;
water.

The lightening component is often ordinary expanded clay.

Due to its introduction into the composition of artificial stone, its mass is reduced by 2/3 compared to concrete.

Expanded clay is not the only type of filler; in addition to it, the following are also used:

expanded perlite,
ceramic chips,
natural pumice.

You can purchase artificial stone for the facade with any type of filler, of course, but the price for each of them will differ quite significantly.

How artificial stone is made

Artificial decorative facade stone is produced using the vibration casting method, according to which a mixture is poured into rubber molds, which is compacted using vibration.

During the vibration process, heavy and strong particles of the mixture sink to the bottom of the mold, thereby creating uneven strength of the stone, maximum at its outer surface.

At the same time, the back side remains perfectly flat. The molds are obtained from casts of natural stone samples.

Type of artificial stone

Stone coloring can be done in two ways:

introducing a dye into the mixture;
painting the stone surface during the manufacturing process.

The dye introduced into the mixture will remain in it forever.

It will not fade in the sun and will not be washed off by rain. Painting on the surface is inferior in durability, since chips will reveal the internal texture of the facade stone. but this method allows you to obtain more believable copies of natural materials.

For facade cladding, it is better to choose artificial stone with a dye introduced into its composition, since precipitation and the sun will do their dirty work, and the stone painted on the surface will still lose its appearance.

Types of artificial stone

a stone of natural or chipped shape imitates naturally formed stones - fragments, boulders, pebbles, cobblestones, and so on;
sawn stone with standard dimensions and the correct shape of a parallelepiped, only one of the faces of which has a texture imitating the chipping of natural stone;
brick is an artificial stone that imitates antique or aged ceramic brick.

Types of artificial stone

Its properties

The main characteristics of artificial stone are:

strength;
frost resistance;
water absorption;
average density.

These are the ones you should pay attention to when choosing.

Artificial stone for finishing facades contains cement. The quality of cement directly affects the strength of the finished stone.

Strength is necessary not only during operation, but when transporting stone from warehouse to warehouse, right up to the buyer.

Strength can be increased by introducing special additives, which is an additional criterion for selection.

Frost resistance for artificial stone is usually 100-150 cycles.

Production of artificial stone.

If the manufacturer claims higher frost resistance, you can pay attention to this, but it should be taken into account that 150 cycles comply with current building codes.

Water absorption affects the first two indicators.

The less moisture the artificial stone is able to absorb, the facade will have greater frost resistance and strength. Normally, this figure should not exceed 9%.

No matter how low the water absorption rate is, it can be made even lower with the help of water-repellent compounds, which are recommended to be used to treat the cladding immediately after its completion.

The average density primarily affects the cost of the stone.

Lightweight facade facing stone is cheaper to transport and lay, which means it will cost the buyer less.

Beautiful facade and durable

Facade cladding

You can cladding the façade of your house with artificial stone yourself.

The technology directly depends on the base on which the artificial stone will be attached.

Preliminary preparation can be dispensed with in cases where the base is a solid, flat surface - concrete, plastered. In other cases, preliminary preparation will be required.

Installing the cladding yourself is not difficult

Preparing a wooden surface involves attaching a plaster mesh, on top of which the adhesive solution will be laid.

The same mesh is applied in all places where there are metal embedded parts and fasteners.

The stone is mounted using two methods:

With jointing, this means that there will be free space between the stones, filled with an adhesive solution. Seamless means that all the tiles are adjacent to each other. The adhesive solution is prepared from cement or a special dry mixture. When laying with jointing, the space between the artificial stone tiles can be additionally painted to create a seamless look for the cladding.

The next stage of installation of artificial stone

Conclusion

To understand exactly how artificial stone is laid, detailed instructions will help, which contain photos of each stage, or those taken specifically to clarify all the stages of installing artificial stone.

> Can artificial stone be considered a replacement for natural stone?

Is artificial stone a replacement for natural stone?

On the one hand, artificial stone does not have a natural origin, but it is malleable, more plastic, and warmer to the touch.

However, at the same time, stone of artificial origin has a number of undoubted advantages over natural stone: a wide range of applications due to the flexibility of composition and color, favorable price, and the variety of types allows the use of artificial stone not only for finishing work (for example, such as veneer - cladding), small architectural forms, but also when creating furniture and architectural decorative elements.

Natural stone is a very beautiful natural material. However, the color scheme, pattern and texture of each stone are unique, and it can be quite difficult to select finishing elements with a more or less similar pattern.

Remember marble panels in the subway or in expensive reception rooms, as well as in the halls of various palaces.

Artificial stone: types, production at home, materials, equipment, techniques

Another thing is artificial material. During its production, it is possible to create the required number of elements of the same type, but at the same time, the abundance of forms used gives the feeling that each pebble is unique.

Casting molds allow you to imitate any texture in such a way that the resulting stone can be completely indistinguishable from natural stone. And the color options are truly limitless - special mineral dyes give the material the necessary shade of the required degree of intensity.

Artificial stone is a composite consisting of fire-resistant mineral filler, pigments and acrylic resin.

As a rule, it contains only environmentally friendly components. Additives used in the manufacture of the material can be different, depending on what properties need to be enhanced. For example, some manufacturers add fiber fiber to the stone, which increases its resistance to destruction, protects it from splitting and makes possible cracks invisible. In addition to cement, acrylic and urea resins, polymer concrete and other polymer components are often used as a binder base, improving the performance of the material.

Modern artificial stone is produced mainly by vibration-compression or vibration-casting methods. Pre-prepared mass is poured or pressed into shaped plastic, plaster, polyurethane or wooden forms, which can be of various sizes and configurations. After it hardens and dries, the product is ready.

Corian can be called one of the most common types of artificial stone. Corian is durable, similar to that of natural stone, and at the same time, when heated strongly, it can be easily processed, which makes it possible to make from it both decorative products and pieces of furniture - window sills, bar counters, countertops, sinks, shelving, information desks (reception) and many other products. For example, a tabletop made of Corian is not only stylish and beautiful, but also reliable and profitable.

Unlike natural material, damaged areas of artificial stone surfaces can be easily restored without the need to replace the entire product.

Along with Corian, Montelli is often used - a type of artificial stone, which in terms of characteristics is slightly inferior to the above-mentioned artificial analogue. At the same time, the cost of Montelli is somewhat lower, which allows it to be actively used when finishing surfaces with a large area.

This artificial stone is especially often used in establishments where hygiene comes first, since caring for artificial stone is very simple, this material does not absorb dirt, is practically not susceptible to the harmful influence of external factors, and is generally unpretentious. Also, in any establishment or furniture store you may come across a countertop made of this artificial stone, a reception desk, sinks, and even entire pieces of furniture.

In turn, the artificially created Zodiaq stone has increased strength, and the well-known Staron is plastic and is actively used in the manufacture of window sills and other products.

Due to the fact that artificial stone is much lighter than natural stone, when covering surfaces with it, no additional strengthening is required. The installation itself is much simpler, since this material is available in the form of flat tiles or hollow forms.

What also makes the work easier is that during the production of decorative stone, special corner and rounded elements and fragments for lining window and door openings are produced, and there is no need to cut the stone, trying to give it the required shape.

There are also various attachments and additional fastening elements.

In fact, there are about a hundred varieties of artificial stone from different manufacturers, and they all have individual characteristics, which allows for the most competent approach to the issue of their use.

As for design solutions, the vast majority of varieties of artificial stone imitate various natural materials.

You can make sure that you have a “marble” or “granite” stone countertop in your home, install a stylish artificial stone reception desk in your office, order a bar counter, or purchase a beautiful, reliable and durable shelving unit that is in no way inferior in style and beauty from a natural analogue.

Also, artificial stone imitates brickwork, tiles and other materials that are used for the external cladding of building walls (stone veneer or stone veneer) and their roofs. At first glance, artificial stone is no different from natural stone; a special coating and vibration formation protect it from moisture and damage as a result of temperature changes, including mechanical ones. Thanks to its amazing properties, artificial stone lays smoothly, leaving no visible joints or seams, and if, for some reason, cracks or other damage have formed in it, then you can quickly and easily restore the surface to an ideal condition.

So, what should you give preference to, natural or artificial material? Let's weigh again all the pros and cons of both. Natural stone is prestigious, reliable, environmentally friendly, beautiful, but at the same time it is very expensive, its processing is very labor-intensive and requires expensive equipment (cutting, grinding, processing) and professional skills.

Well, artificial stone, having excellent strength characteristics and excellent decorative properties, is devoid of all the disadvantages of the first - it is much cheaper, and is easily attached to flat surfaces.

In addition, it is safe, just like natural, since it contains only natural ingredients.

As we see, everything speaks in favor of artificial stone, which allows you to achieve the desired result with much less financial, time and physical costs. Of course, today many companies are engaged in the production of this finishing material, both in Russia and in other countries, and their products vary in price, quality, and appearance, so it is absurd to say that artificial stone from any manufacturer is better, than natural.

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Composition of the initial mixture for the production of artificial stone

Wallstone© Artificial decorative stone.

(Photo gallery “Our Technologies” on the page of the same name)

What is included in the composition of artificial facing stone produced on flexible elastic injection molds. Essentially, the decorative facing stone we are talking about is a typical sand concrete based on Portland cement, made by vibration casting into special flexible elastic matrices - forms and colored in a special way.

Let's look at the main components of concrete mixtures for the production of artificial facing stone using vibration casting method:

Astringent.

Binder is the basis of any artificial facing stone.

In this case, it is Portland cement grade M-400 or M-500. To ensure that the quality of concrete always remains consistently high, we recommend using only “fresh” cement (as is known, it quickly loses its properties over time and from improper storage) from the same manufacturer with a good reputation.

For the production of decorative facing stone, both ordinary, gray cement and white cement are used. There are a number of colors and shades in nature that can only be replicated on white cement. In other cases, Portland gray is used (for reasons of economic feasibility).
Many domestic manufacturers of artificial facing stone have recently actively used gypsum as a binder.

At the same time, they claim that their products are expanded clay concrete. And, as a rule, expanded clay concrete is actually presented at company stands. But there is one point that determines the behavior of manufacturers of artificial facing stone. The cost of flexible elastic injection molds, which allow you to accurately replicate the texture of the stone, is very high. And if the technology is followed, the turnover of injection molds, that is, the time from the moment the concrete is poured until the formwork is removed, is 10-12 hours, versus 30 minutes for plaster.

This is what pushes companies to use gypsum as a binder. And the price of gypsum is at least five times lower than the price of white cement.
All this provides companies with super profits.

But the price for the end consumer is very high! The extremely low frost resistance and strength of such products will not allow you to enjoy the appearance of the facades for a long time.

The presented photographs show plaster products one year after installation. Multiple cracks and destruction are clearly visible.
Therefore, the use of this material on an industrial scale is difficult. Based on the tasks facing us, we prefer to produce artificial facing stone - a material with hardness and abrasion properties close to natural stone, suitable for both external and internal cladding, rather than decorations that are fragile and capricious to the effects of water.

Filler.

Depending on the type of fillers used, cement-based artificial facing stone can be “heavy” (2-2.4 g/cm3) or “light” (about 1.6 g/cm3).

Ideally, heavy concrete is used for the production of paving stones, decorative paving slabs, borders, plinth frames, and interior stone. For the production of artificial facing stone used for exterior decoration, lightweight concrete is used.

This is approximately what manufacturers working using American technology do. In the regions, unfortunately, predominantly heavy concrete is used.

Of course, it is much easier to make decorative stone on sand, but a light stone will always be preferable for the consumer. It's just a matter of choice.
For the production of heavy artificial facing stone, coarse quartz sand of a fraction of 0.63-1.5 mm is used (the use of fine sand impairs the strength characteristics of concrete) and, when appropriate, small crushed stone, for example, marble, a fraction of 5-10 mm.

“Light” facing stone is made using expanded clay sand.
But when producing artificial facing stone on expanded clay, the following factor should be taken into account. In July 2001, we received information from customers about the appearance of “shots” (spot swelling of white material) on the surface of products (lightweight concrete).
As a result of consultation with specialists, it was found that the “shots” appear as a result of the disintegration of limestone inclusions found in expanded clay.

When free calcium interacts with moisture (water or its vapor), a chemical reaction occurs, accompanied by an increase in the volume of free calcium grains, resulting in a so-called “shot” effect.
CaO + H2O = Ca(OH)2 + CO2 = CaCO3
The peculiarity of this chemical reaction is that it takes a very long time - up to 6 months.
Manufacturers of expanded clay produce products in accordance with GOST, which allows the presence of lime grains up to 3% of the total mass.

The “shots” effect reduces the consumer properties of products, so the task was set to find a new filler for the production of lightweight concrete. It has been observed that the limescale reaction causes destruction of the surface of products ONLY in interior decoration. When using products for finishing plinths and facades of buildings, no visible destruction of the finishing material is observed. According to the statement of an NIIZHB employee, lime decay is leveled out when using products for the exterior decoration of buildings.

In connection with the identification of this pattern, since August 2001

How to make a decorative stone with your own hands. Instructions

products for interior work are produced not on expanded clay, but on another (heavier) filler.
To switch to a single filler, we offer the following ways to solve this problem:
1. Use crushed expanded clay of a fraction of at least 2 cm as a filler.
2. Create expanded clay dumps with storage in an open area for at least 6-9 months.
3. Creation of a heterogeneous filler from quartz sand and lighter artificial filler.
4. Use of slag pumice, however, the bulk weight of the finished product will increase to 1800-2000 kg/m3.
Lightweight aggregate must meet the following requirements:

bulk weight about 600 kg/m3.
sand fraction 0-0.5 cm or 0-1 cm (presence of fine fraction 15% of the volume).
compressive strength 18 kg/cm (expanded clay indicator)
water absorption up to 25% (expanded clay indicator).

In the production of artificial facing stone, decorative paving slabs, small architectural products on flexible elastic injection molds, the following fillers can be used:
Slag pumice, Granulated slag, Crushed stone and slag sand, Foam glass, Expanded perlite sand, Hard expanded perlite, Expanded vermoculite, Expanded polystyrene, Enriched quartz sand, Marble chips, Construction sand (white), Molding sand, Volcanic pumice.

Pigments and dyes.

The most important component of decorative facing stone is the pigments (dyes) used.

Skillful or unskillful use of dyes directly affects the appearance of the final product. In experienced hands, ordinary concrete right before your eyes turns into something completely indistinguishable from natural “wild” stone. How to achieve this?
For coloring cement, mineral inorganic pigments (oxides of titanium, iron, chromium) and special light- and weather-resistant dyes are used.

Experienced manufacturers usually choose dyes from companies such as Bayer, Du Pont, Kemira and other equally reputable ones. This is due not only to the consistently high quality of their products, but also to their wide range. Thus, Bayer offers several dozen iron oxide pigments.

By combining them with each other, you can choose almost any desired shade of color.
So, Portland cement, expanded clay sand and pigments are the main composition of artificial facing stone. Many manufacturers of architectural concrete products limit themselves to this, despite the fact that there is a huge number of various additives to cement to improve certain characteristics.

In any major city you can find suppliers of domestic and imported concrete additives. These are various superplasticizers that improve the workability and increase the strength of concrete; polymer-latex additives that have a beneficial effect on the durability of concrete; concrete hardening accelerators and air-entraining additives; volumetric water repellents, which reduce water absorption many times (useful for façade, plinth and paving stones); chemical fibers for dispersed reinforcement, which dramatically increases crack resistance and much more.

Decide for yourself whether to use any of these additives or not; we only want to recommend using protective impregnating compounds to treat the surface of decorative facing stone. A properly selected water repellent for concrete will achieve the following results:

will increase the aesthetics of the stone and eliminate “dusty” - a characteristic feature of any cement concrete;
will increase the service life of the facade stone (the point here is that the process of destruction of decorative concrete is primarily reflected in color saturation long before the first signs of destruction appear, the reason for which is the exposure of aggregate particles on the front surface of the stone);
will dramatically reduce the risk of efflorescence on the surface of the stone, which is a real disaster for cement decorative concrete, which is why they should be given the closest attention.

What is artificial stone made from?

You can appreciate the beauty and variety of artificial stone decors using the example of Ecostone products.

Externally, artificial materials can reliably and accurately reproduce the texture and pattern of natural stones.

Let's take a closer look at how artificial stone is made.

Technological process

There are various methods for producing quality and durable stone slabs.

For finishing work, concrete-based materials are often used.

They contain cement and fillers.

Manufacturers can use various materials as fillers, the choice of which determines the final performance properties of the finished product. For example, technologists often make artificial stone based on expanded clay, which has a low density.

In this case, the incoming stone slabs are quite light.

It is worth considering that expanded clay can also be different. For example, fine-grained varieties provide artificial stone with good strength and resistance to physical impact.

On the other hand, slabs mixed with cheap coarse-grained expanded clay are subject to rapid destruction and chipping.

Making artificial stone and molds with your own hands

The best filler that provides corrosion resistance to the product is perlite. It is devoid of the main disadvantages of expanded clay. The color of the produced artificial stone is given by introducing pigments into the composition.

Mass painting is more practical than surface painting.

In this case, the material retains its natural appearance when the top layer is abraded.

The final stage is the application of a special protective coating to the surface of the finished slab, ensuring the stone’s resistance to external influences.

Proper production technology includes the process of drying the material at a given temperature and humidity.

Natural stones have always been the favorite material of most landscape designers and country property owners who want to give their garden area more exclusivity and style. However, natural granite, sandstone, slate or lemezite, which are most often used for cladding, are expensive and heavy.

Fortunately, today it is not necessary to buy expensive material, because almost anyone can make an artificial stone with their own hands, fortunately, there are many methods for making such decorative elements and they all begin with creating a form.

Matrix for artificial stone

Of course, a ready-made kit for creating decorative products can be found in the store, but since we are talking about making artificial stone with our own hands, we will not take the simple route and consider producing a mold from scratch.

Healthy! You should not buy cheap plastic dies, as they will break after the first workpiece.

To do this, you will need formwork; a box made of plywood or an ordinary box is suitable for it. Its size should exceed the finished sample by 10-15 mm in width and 25-30 mm in height. If you plan to create small artificial stones with your own hands, then an ordinary juice box will suffice.

When the formwork is prepared, it’s time to move on to pouring it, so that in the future you will have a finished form. Most often, silicone or compound is used to create it.

Silicone

Silicone sealant is the most accessible and cheapest material for making molds, which has excellent technical characteristics. It is sold both in tubes and in buckets; all that remains is to decide on the dimensions of the products.

To make silicone molds for artificial stone with your own hands you will need:

Apply any type of grease to the inner walls of the formwork (solid oil will also work).
Place the original sample on the bottom of the box, the shape of which is most suitable for the future “creation”. It could be granite, wood, or any object at all.
Lubricate the “source” with a greasy substance to make it easier to remove from the formwork.
Prepare a soap solution (dishwashing detergent will also work) and soak the brushes that will be used to apply the silicone in it.
Fill the formwork with material and level it with a spatula, which must also be pre-moistened in soap.
Wait until the composition hardens.

Important! If you use ready-made gypsum stone as a starting sample, then before work you must cover it with several layers of drying oil or varnish.

The intensity of silicone polymerization depends on how much material was poured into the formwork. Typically, sealants harden at a rate of 2 mm per day, therefore, if you want to make artificial stone of large dimensions, then you should not rush to remove the matrix from the formwork.

After the mold has completely hardened, it can be removed from the box and thoroughly washed to remove grease.

Compound

When deciding how to make an artificial stone, some give preference to specialized compounds used to create casting matrices.

Polyurethane compounds consist of two components, so the finished products are more durable and have better physical properties. Professionals often use such compositions for casting plaster parts for sculptures.

To prepare a “template” of artificial stone at home from a compound:

Treat the model and formwork twice with wax, previously dissolved in white spirit or a specialized separating compound. Each layer of the composition should dry well for 25-30 minutes.
Mix the components of the compound (paste and hardener) in a ratio of 2:1. Be sure to follow the exact proportions, otherwise the mixture will be uneven and harden unevenly.
Carefully pour the prepared mixture into the box with the sample so that there is about 7-10 mm of liquid above the highest point of the model.
Get rid of any air bubbles that may have formed during the mixing process. To do this, shake the box a little, wait 5-10 minutes and remove any bubbles that pop up with a spatula.

Healthy! To ensure that the components of the liquid are well mixed, it is recommended to use an electric drill with a mixer attachment.

The hardening time of the compound is 24 hours, regardless of its volume, but it is better to wait two days so that all the properties of the material are fully activated. After this, the base of the future stone can be poured into the “bowl”.

What to make artificial stone from

The composition of an artificial element can include a wide variety of materials, and their choice depends on the type of finishing for which the decorative element is made.

Cement (exterior finish)

For the base, artificial stone is usually made from cement mortar, which may also contain sand, fine gravel, stone chips and other components that give the finished product relief and a more natural structure.

To get a stone from cement you will need to follow several steps:

Prepare a homogeneous sand-cement mixture in a ratio of 1:3.
Pour half of the cement mixture into the matrix and compact it. To do this, simply knock on the walls of the box and shake it for 1 minute.
Lay a metal mesh over the hardening material, which will give the future product more strength.
Fill the matrix with the second layer to the top and run it with a thin stick or nail (the resulting grooves will improve adhesion).

The finished stone can be removed after 12 hours, but after this it is recommended to leave it for two weeks in a dry place so that it hardens completely.

Healthy! After each fill, be sure to thoroughly rinse the matrix.

This is a fairly simple method that does not require the use of specialized and expensive equipment.

Plaster (interior finishing)

For the manufacture of materials when finishing the interior walls of a house, it is worth giving preference to mixtures based on gypsum or alabaster. These materials are suitable if you need artificial brick for interior decoration or other decorative elements that imitate natural rocky surfaces.

To make gypsum stone:

Prepare a mixture of gypsum G5 - G7, citric acid with a volume of 0.3% by weight of gypsum and water (60-70% of the volume of the base). It is also recommended to add 10% sand, which will make the composition stronger.
Lubricate the matrix with wax, pour liquid gypsum into it and level it with a spatula.
Place the corrugated glass on the surface of the gypsum material for 20 minutes so that the mixture is better compacted.
Remove the mold and leave the homemade product outdoors until completely dry.

Despite the fact that this is a fairly simple way to create, for example, an artificial stone like a brick, it is worth noting the properties of gypsum. The fact is that this material hardens very quickly, so you should not prepare the mixture “for future use.” Although citric acid has properties that slow down this process, check several times that you have prepared everything you need for work and you will not have to leave.

In addition, there is modern technology for manufacturing artificial stone from polymer materials. Such products are suitable for both external cladding and interior decoration.

Acrylic

Decorating the facades and interior of a house with acrylic elements has a certain advantage - decorative products can be made in a matter of hours. But to obtain the desired consistency of the synthetic material, you will need the following components:

acrylic resin (25%);
filler or composite material (70%)
hardener (2-5%).

After this, perform several “manipulations”:

Mix all ingredients until smooth.
Use a lubricant on the mold as acrylic is very sticky.
Pour the mixture into the matrix.
Leave the product to dry at a temperature of +25 degrees for 2 hours.
Remove the finished stone.

Healthy! Acrylic is best suited for creating artificial marble with your own hands and other “noble” types.

After this, all that remains is to paint the artificial stones and decide where they will be placed.

Painting decorative stone

There are two ways to get colored stone. You can apply paint to a finished product, but in this case it will look less natural and will quickly fade.

It is best to add a coloring pigment during the process of pouring the material into the matrix. Moreover, this should not be a standard color that is used for walls, but an iron oxide inorganic dye.

Healthy! The best dyes that mix well with the solution are produced by a German companyHermannTerHell.

Before painting the future artificial stone, lubricate the matrix with pigment. Thanks to this, the color of the product will be heterogeneous and, accordingly, more realistic. It is also necessary to add coloring matter to the mixture during its preparation. Usually the pigment dosage is selected in the store, but if you do not have the opportunity to consult, then use:

2-6% by weight of the solution if you are using gypsum.
2-3% for cement.

In order not to “miss” with the desired shade, it is best to make a test pebble and only then do the main batch.

In custody

Making artificial marble, bricks and other decorative products does not take much time and does not require special preparation. By following the recommendations given in the article, everyone will be able to create unique elements that will decorate their garden plot and home.

Modern finishing materials must satisfy not only aesthetic and functional needs, but also have practical properties, such as protection from pollution, mechanical and climatic influences. Artificial facing stone is one of the most popular materials for both internal and external construction of buildings. To create a unique design project, it is possible to produce this facing material yourself.

Advantages of artificial material

Making decorative stone with your own hands has a number of advantages. Similar creative process is not very difficult provided you have the right tools, materials and specific skills.

The advantages of artificial stone are as follows:

In order to figure out how to make an artificial stone, it is necessary to determine the initial components. For interior facing work, stone based on gypsum, acrylic or alabaster is used. For outdoor use, materials that are resistant to weather conditions and mechanical damage are required, therefore, a cement base is the most suitable raw material.

To give the finished product a certain relief shape, sand, crushed gravel, and marble chips are added to the original components . To obtain different shades colors use either dry or diluted pigment dyes. This component is added to the main composition during the mixing process, which gives the finished product a uniform color. Or spread it over the bottom of the mold before pouring the prepared mixture. In this case, it is possible not to completely cover the form, but with selected fragments, which will give the resulting material a unique pattern with a reliable imitation of natural stone.

To increase the density of the finished product and reduce the amount of water in the solution, it is recommended to supplement the main composition with a special plasticizer. Fiber fiber is also used as an additive to prevent cracking of artificial stone.

Gypsum-based stone

Before you start working directly, it is very important to arrange a comfortable and functional workplace. Be sure to have a large table or workbench with an ideal horizontal surface, which will make it possible to produce tiles strictly fixed thickness. To dry a large amount of the resulting material, you need to allocate separate shelves or racks, since this process takes several days.

The next stage in obtaining a high-quality finished product is preparation for use of the necessary tools, related equipment, and raw materials:

a container of a suitable size for mixing the components;
electric drill with a special mixer attachment;
mold for filling made of plastic material;
spatulas and brushes;
constituent components (gypsum, washed river sand, coloring pigments, water, additives);
lubricants (turpentine, wax).

Before you start working with the mixture, you should consider several important nuances. Firstly, to obtain a homogeneous mass without lumps, you need to add gypsum to the water, but not vice versa. Secondly, gypsum dries very quickly, so to prolong the liquid state, citric acid is added to the solution at the rate of 0.8 g of crystalline powder per 1 kg of dry gypsum.

Citric acid should be dissolved in water, and only then added to the mixed solution. Thirdly, to give the gypsum tile additional strength and hardness, the working mixture is supplemented with fine sand. It is also recommended to add PVA glue as a plasticizer.

Making artificial stone at home as follows:

Giving a Unique Look

The resulting finished tiles can be additionally painted with liquid color if desired. You shouldn’t draw a specific drawing; it’s much more picturesque to create with chaotic strokes. Then “walk” over the fresh paint with a rag or a wide brush dipped in a solvent (acetone, turpentine, white spirit). In this case, the depressions on the surface of the artificial stone will be darker, and the protrusions, correspondingly, lighter.

This procedure will create an inimitable unique pattern and a believable imitation of the naturalness of the material. For additional protection from moisture and dust, it is possible to coat the gypsum tiles with a matte varnish. It is highly undesirable to use glossy varnish, because the effect of natural stone will disappear.

Cladding material made from gypsum-sand mixture is widely used when decorating interior walls, but it cannot be used for flooring, finishing of fireplaces and fountains.

DIY wild stone

It is not difficult to produce artificial stone, which will be used for finishing the basement floors of buildings, paving paths, framing a fountain or an alpine slide. A cement mixture is used for it. To prepare it you will need the same tools as for the gypsum base. It is worth noting that wild cement stone can be made not only with a flat base, as is the case with gypsum samples, but also in the form of cobblestones or large boulders. In this case, a silicone mold will not be needed at all.

Making decorative cobblestones yourself is quite simple. It is necessary to prepare raw materials and auxiliary equipment:

Description of working with the material

Working with the material requires the following steps:

Large artificial boulders can be used not only as a design decoration for a garden plot, but also as a disguise for necessary technical communications, for example, sewer hatches. Therefore, it is advisable to think in advance about the size and purpose of the future stone.

Making your own mold

To begin, prepare smooth, even, moisture-resistant plates that will be easily detached from the silicone. At a hardware store, purchase material for the form at your discretion. It can be one-component silicone (available in plastic buckets or tubes). Or a two-component polyurethane compound, products from which are characterized by high physical properties and wear resistance. As a sample texture, you can use natural stone, several ready-made tiles from the store, or cut the desired shape from a wooden blank.

Sequence of making a silicone mold:

After the specified period, the frozen silicone mold is removed and thoroughly washed to remove any remaining lubricant.