Laying decorative stone – preparation of working surfaces and installation. Laying artificial stone with your own hands: the process from A to Z How to properly lay decorative stone from gypsum

Laying artificial stone is possible both indoors and outdoors. Each case has its own nuances and cladding technology.

Today we will look at how to install decorative facing stone at home, how natural stone differs from decorative stone, and how to glue decorative stone with your own hands.

Features of the material

Laying decorative stone on the wall has advantages that allow you to create a modern interior look and at the same time avoid high costs. Natural stone is distinguished by its high cost, in addition, irregular shape requires constant trimming and sanding of the material. This complicates the installation process and creates a large amount of waste. Pros of artificial tiles:

Long lasting.
Durable – thanks to additives, facing stone is stronger than some types of natural elements.
Various colors fit into any interior.
If you attach gypsum stone to drywall, then it becomes possible to additionally insulate the walls.
The correct shape of the tiles speeds up the finishing process.
Additional sound insulation properties.

Types of decorative stone

The finishing material for walls differs in its composition. Therefore, after studying the features of each of them, you can independently select options for cladding surfaces on the street and in the house. Artificial stone is produced in several ways and is divided into the following types:

Ceramic – creation requires annealing at high temperatures.
Made of plaster - ideal when it happens internal lining. You can make tiles at home. The appearance is difficult to distinguish from natural. It is not used as an external element due to its instability to cold.
Concrete - concrete is the main component, so the cladding is heavy and is not always appropriate as interior decor. Resistant to frost and negative weather conditions.
Acrylic - plastic during the molding process, production is allowed at home.
Flexible – modern element cladding, in which sandstone is applied in a thin layer to a flexible surface.

Where is it appropriate to use artificial stone:

Place:	Description:
Yard	A wide range makes it possible to decorate not only the external walls of the house, but also paths, gazebos and fences.
Facade	Installation on a foundation creates additional protective properties from wind, rain and frost. The base is most susceptible to mechanical stress.
Fireplace	Finishing of stoves and fireplaces has long been done using both natural and artificial materials. Even brick-like tiles that can withstand high temperatures are suitable.
Arch	Interior portals without doors are designed in any order. Wallpaper, plaster, painting goes well with the finishing material.
Entrance door and hallway	Cladding work begins from the corner; pre-shaped tiles are used for the opening.
Window	A room in which not only the interior portals are decorated with stone looks beautiful. An apartment with clear zoning of space looks advantageous.

Required installation tools

For laying artificial stone, videos and photos serve as additional sources of information for any beginner. Step by step process I will describe the preparation and finishing. Before placing decorative fake diamond you need to prepare the surface and the tools necessary for cladding.

First of all you will need:

Drill with attachment for mixing glue - dry cement mortar or special glue requires dilution.
Building level.
Metal brush.
Rubber hammer.
Syringe for grouting.
Crosses and material for jointing - if a laying method with seams from 0.3 to 0.8 mm is used.
Brush.
Hacksaw and grinder.

Important! What to glue gypsum and decorative stone to? Literally all bases are suitable for this: wooden, metal, brick, concrete. Polystyrene foam is used to insulate surfaces; it is covered with gypsum plasterboard or OSB.

Laying decorative gypsum stone (video)

Substrate preparation and installation

The finishing plane is pre-prepared for future installation. To properly glue the stone, you should remove the old finishing layer and, if necessary, level it with putty. Further actions are carried out according to the following scheme:

It is allowed to coat the walls with a primer using deep-penetrating compounds.
Torn stone and other types of material are pre-mixed with each other - panels from different packages are mixed. Thus, fragments that can shade each other are mixed.
During the manufacturing or purchasing process, it is necessary to prepare larger quantities consumables. On average, 10% is added to the calculated indicator.
The side on which the panel is applied to the wall is cleaned - should be missing thin layer cement.

The liquid adhesive solution is mixed according to the instructions using a drill with a “mixer” attachment - watch the proportions and do not prepare a large amount of the mixture. How much glue will be needed? – dilute the amount of glue that can be produced in 15-20 minutes.

Important! Glue for laying decorative stone is produced according to all parameters and GOST. In some cases it is allowed self-creation mixture onto which the stone is attached.

The tiles may break - this is an additional reason to purchase material in excess.
If there is a corner on the surface to be finished, then the design begins specifically from there. The artificial stone should be glued to a base with a pre-applied adhesive solution. A layer of 0.5-1 cm will be sufficient.
For greater strength, the mixture is also applied to the tiles - this allows for better adhesion decorative element with base.

By slightly pressing the tile into the wall, excess adhesive solution protrudes from the sides and must be removed as quickly as possible.
Most interesting option laying - jointing. For this, wedges and crosses are used. Make sure that the materials do not “float”. Move to the next element only after grasping the previous one.
A special syringe helps to perform the jointing. The mixture is laid no more than 5 mm and after drying it must be rubbed. This work performed no less than 24 hours after finishing is completed.

Important! How much jointing material to put depends on the thickness of the artificial stone used.

After 12 hours, when the design is completely dry, the final stage begins - applying a water repellent to the surface. This creates a thin protective film, which saves appearance cladding. The water repellent protects the stone from ultraviolet rays and moisture. A brush is suitable for application. Examples of high-quality design can be found even at home. To do this, you must adhere to the standards of preparation, kneading adhesive solution and the sequence of laying the material.

A water repellent is not needed if the surface is being finished inside the home. In this case, varnishes are suitable, which will slightly change the color of the stone and make it a couple of tones brighter. There are also matte solutions that look impressive in most interior solutions.

Photo gallery of finished works

Decorative stone has become one of the most favorite materials used for decoration by designers today. different rooms both inside and outside.

Work with decorative stone is not very complicated, however, it has its own characteristics compared, for example, with finishing surfaces with ceramic tiles. Therefore, the question of how to lay decorative stone seems very relevant, especially considering the fact that many home craftsmen prefer to carry out the finishing work themselves.

Preparatory work.

Before laying decorative stone, you need to carefully prepare for the work - prepare the necessary tools, materials and prepare the surface intended for this type of finishing.

1. List tools , which will be required for this case, is not too extensive and not very specific. To work with stone you will need:

spatulas - regular and serrated (for applying glue);
a hacksaw (this may be needed if you have to cut stone);
building level(helps to monitor how smooth the masonry lines are);
a simple pencil (for marking);
construction syringe (for filling seams).

Also, to work with stone you will need special glue and putty to process the seams.

2. Surface preparation (in most cases this is a wall) consists of cleaning, degreasing and leveling it. In some cases, you have to use a primer to help smooth out all the imperfections in the wall. If you had to do this, then remember that you can start laying the stone only after the wall has dried completely.

By the way, the choice of the type of decorative stone - natural or artificial - also depends on the surface that this stone will have to be laid. Natural stone is a rather heavy material, which means that the surface is required high degree"endurance".

And one more requirement that is placed on the surface being prepared for cladding is that it must absorb the glue quite well. To make sure of this, you can spray the surface with water from a spray bottle and see if there are any places on it where the water is not absorbed, but rolls off. If such places are found, they need to be processed. mechanically- for example, cutting off the top of the surface. In some cases, it is enough to rub the surface with sandpaper.

Preparation of decorative stone.

This is the most interesting stage works - because here you can show your Creative skills and make the cladding completely unique.

Preparation consists of what you lay out on flat surface(best on the floor) decorative stones in the sequence in which they will be located on the surface to be tiled. This will help you appreciate the beauty of the drawing. stone finishing, and also make sure that all parts of the cladding match each other in color. If the size of the surface to be finished is very large, and you do not have the opportunity to lay out all the previously prepared material, then divide the surface into sections of approximately 3 sq.m. and lay them out one by one.

Laying decorative stone.

After everything is prepared, you can proceed directly to finishing the surface with stone.

First, glue is applied to the wall with a spatula. For ease of use adhesive composition taken with a regular spatula, transferred to a notched spatula, which is then distributed over the wall. It's a good idea to save glue by first spraying the surface and the side of the stone that will come into contact with water. But if the room where you work has high air humidity or low temperature, this is not recommended. The total thickness of the adhesive on the surface should be approximately 6 mm.
It is most convenient to start laying stone from the corner of the surface. Here is the direction of work of great importance does not have - lay the stone in the way that is convenient for you. The same applies to whether you start laying from the top or bottom. Both of these options are quite acceptable, and each of them has its advantages. For example, when laying stone from the top row, glue does not accumulate on the bottom rows. And laying from the bottom row eliminates the possibility that already laid rows will “slip.”

When laying, each individual element is placed on the place allocated to it according to the drawing and lightly pressed down by hand. If you see that glue gets on the outer surface of neighboring stones, then you should remove it immediately before it hardens.
After the entire surface has been laid out, it must be left for a while so that the glue completely hardens. The time here depends on the characteristics of the glue and the temperature in the room; on average, it may take from 3 to 5 days.

Now you can start processing the seams. The seams are filled with special grout or putty using a construction syringe. In this case, you can fill the seam completely or only half - it all depends on what kind of relief you want to give to the surface. Wait about half an hour and smooth out the seams using a spatula. And after the grout has completely hardened, remove any excess. It is advisable to treat the top of the masonry with a special protective agent that protects the stone from the appearance of dirt or condensation accumulation.

Decorative stone is a building material of remarkable beauty that is used for various types finishing, external and internal. It is much easier to cladding with this material than with ceramic tiles. Moreover, you can do it yourself. At the same time, decorative stone is laid 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 impatiently (and some with hidden gloating) waiting to see what the updated apartment will look like. So, let's get to work!

Advantages and disadvantages

First of all, about the advantages:

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;
It is very easy to work with artificial stone. The reasons are lightness and correct form. In addition, caring for the stone is very simple. An ordinary soap solution is enough;
Environmental cleanliness, safety. The material does not corrode, does not rot, and is unattractive to fungal infections and bacteria;
Reliability, durability. The material serves long time without losing its performance qualities;
Wide selection of styles, structures and shades. This allows you to create exactly the interior that you like best;
Hypoallergenic. Artificial stone made using classical technology contains exclusively natural ingredients: water, gypsum, quartz sand, marble chips and inorganic additives;
Low cost. Gypsum is not one of the expensive building materials. Its price is comparable to materials such as alabaster, drywall and chalk. This makes the renovation not only effective, but also low-budget.

There are also disadvantages:

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

Advantages of finishing walls with stone

Decorative stone looks great as a decoration for windows and doorways, as well as a fireplace area. It goes 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 notes of aristocracy and chic to it.

In order for the cladding to look truly beautiful, you need to take into account one of its features. You will need fairly bright lighting, otherwise the room will look somewhat gloomy. This problem can be solved by laying the stone not continuously, but alternating it with plain wallpaper, paint or decorative plaster light shade.

Types of decorative and natural stone

The most common types of artificial stone are based on cement mortar and gypsum. Gypsum finishing material is not 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, for example, in the bathroom, on the balcony, bathroom or kitchen. Fashion trends today – facing materials with realistic simulation brickwork and slate. The brick or clinker surface is perfect for modern loft interiors, decorating an area near a fireplace or stove, as well as for decorating the walls of loggias and balconies. As for imitation 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 together looks very impressive and charming.

Of the natural stones used for finishing 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 range is rich, but the most popular, in addition to black and white, are shades of beige, red and brown. It looks best in spacious rooms. With limited quantities square meters The “royal” finish will look somehow ridiculous.
Sandstone has 3 main colors: red, chocolate brown and green. There are three names for the material based on the degree of grain size. 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 its beautiful, noble appearance, is distinguished by its particular strength and durability. It is used for interior and facade decoration. It looks good with other finishing materials.

Installation features

The specificity of the technology for working with artificial stone is that it does not have a smooth facial structure, like ceramic tiles, therefore, bringing the plane “to zero” is completely unnecessary. Is it necessary to maintain rows? It is desirable, since the appearance of the cladding benefits from this. Now let's look at the main stages of work associated with laying artificial stone.

Preparatory work

An important point before installing decorative stone is thorough preparation of the surface. The walls need to be freed from remnants of old coatings and degreased. Level the wall to perfect condition is not necessary, since the cladding will reliably hide all imperfections. But it is necessary to check the adhesion of the surface. Spray it with water and see if there are areas where the water is not absorbed, but hangs on the wall in drops. These areas need to be especially carefully machining, and then repeat the experiment with spraying. Carefully scratch the surface of the wall with a metal brush, then use paint brush treat the stones from the back and outside.

Before you start facing works, place the finishing elements on a flat surface, think about the future design. This will allow you to find in advance best option placing pebbles on the wall and avoiding confusion.

Required installation tools

The most common tool used when laying artificial decorative stone on a wall.

Hacksaw for woodworking. It cuts gypsum polymer stones very well, no worse than a grinder;
Miter box. Indispensable if you need to cut material at an angle of 45 or 90 degrees;
Spatulas different sizes for applying adhesive composition;
Kitchen sponges. They are convenient to use when filling seams;
Chisel, sandpaper, file. Using these tools, you can easily adjust the stones, since they are not always cast in a perfectly straight 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 an attachment. It is convenient for mixing adhesive and putty compositions.

You will also need the following materials:

Putty. It is used to seal seams at corners and between joints;
Varnish on water. Will be needed to cover areas around seams and chips;
Tile adhesive (can be replaced with liquid nails).

You need to dilute tile adhesive in such a way as to use ready solution for 15, maximum 20 minutes. You can’t do it longer, because the mass will begin to harden. The best consistency for the adhesive solution is creamy, similar to toothpaste. In any case, you need to read the instructions.

Laying technology

To properly and beautifully decorate 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 yourself is all you need. What he lacks in experience he makes up for construction material. General terms for finishing works the following:

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 starting work, the wall and back surface The stone is moistened with water.
Before laying, inspect each pebble. Sometimes opposite sides have different shade. It doesn’t hurt to ask the seller which side is best to lay the material.
Make markings on the wall. Its pitch is up to 500 mm. This is necessary to know in advance how the decorative elements will be laid out.

Laying methods

There are 2 methods of laying artificial stone: with jointing and without. 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 installation option 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 this later. The essence of laying stones with jointing is that the cladding elements are laid at a distance from one another. In this case, you need to add jointing purchased in advance to the list of tools and accessories. You will also need a dye to match the finishing stone (or, conversely, a contrasting shade) for the seams.

Now the process itself is step by step. Laying the stone begins with corner elements, alternating short and long stones. To create support, the cladding is carried upward from the floor. When the glue in the bottom layer dries, you can begin further installation. The polymerization time of the glue depends on the specific brand. For some adhesives, no polymerization time is needed at all. In each specific case, you need to read the instructions. If seamless installation is used, you need to ensure that the glue also reaches 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 will come in handy if you need to gracefully bypass an outlet or switch, as well as when designing slopes, entrance doors and interior arched openings.
For perfect corner cutting, use a miter box. When laying stones cut at an angle, make sure they fit tightly. It is convenient to use a miter box for forming right angles. If you don’t have a miter box on hand, you can use an object with a precisely adjusted right angle.
Figured cutting is performed along the contour of the texture.

Sealing joints with putty can be done using a plastic dairy bag. Fill the bag with putty solution, and then release it through a small hole directly into the seam. Excess is removed with a sponge from under the dishes.

Laying decorative stone can be done completely independently. Installation is not particularly difficult, but the result exceeds all expectations. The surface turns out incredibly beautiful, sophisticated and very original. It should be noted that the stone carries not only decorative properties, it allows you to obtain a coating that will have excellent performance properties.

Decorative stone - advantages and disadvantages

Laying decorative stone with your own hands can be done in any room. It is actively used for lining various openings, highlighting columns and partitions. Combinations with living plants and fountains look good. Of course, many believe that such finishing material is used exclusively to create classic style. This is not true, the products look great even with newfangled trends in the design world.

On a note! If most of the room is planned to be decorated with stone, then additional lighting should be considered in advance. The fact is that such a surface can turn out to be quite gloomy. Although there is another solution - to alternate light and dark shades material.

When using decorative stone in the interior, it is necessary to take care of additional light sources, otherwise the room may seem gloomy and cold

This finishing option has many advantages:

The work is completed without much difficulty. The stone is laid using a special glue, preparatory activities don't take much time. Naturally, if you don’t have any construction skills, then you need to practice a little.
Environmental friendliness. Indeed, the presence of artificial stone in an apartment does not pose a danger to human health. Therefore, it is used to decorate children's rooms and bedrooms, which are noticeably transformed.
Durability. If you want to get a coating that will last for decades, then this is the most good option. Resistance to mechanical damage and almost complete absence of fading - this makes the material great solution in many situations.
Large selection of textures and colors. Modern technologies allow us to produce products that can imitate any natural coating or be completely individual.

To get the most impressive interior, you need to use your imagination. Decorative stone can be glued according to a certain pattern or completely randomly.

On modern market presented a large assortment decorative items, differing in color and texture

Preliminary preparation

You should be careful when purchasing all necessary materials. Sometimes the question arises: what to use to glue decorative stone to walls? To do the job correctly, it is better to buy special glue. It is designed for installation of such a product.

Selecting a stone is a very responsible process. The fact is that the technology of its production allows it to be stamped even in garage cooperatives. Naturally, this affects the final quality, because many manufacturers use low-quality components. Therefore, it is better to give preference to reliable companies that have proven themselves well.

When choosing materials, due attention must be paid to the glue on which the decorative stone will be laid

On a note! Many manufacturers provide detailed recommendations for working with their material. In particular, the label or instructions indicate the glue that is most suitable for laying the elements.

There are two main installation methods: with or without jointing. According to the first option, cladding is performed with products that have correct form, for example, brick. The second method is used when working with a material that imitates a complex texture, for example slate.

It should be taken into account that the jointing option requires a special tool, as well as a mixture with which the space will be filled. Special attention paid to the choice of color. It is necessary for tinting the mortar for joints in order to achieve matching tones or contrast.

Necessary tools and equipment

Installation of decorative stone requires the following tools:

Putty knife. It is used to distribute the adhesive composition over the surface, and if necessary, along the wrong side decorative material.
Rubber mallet. This is a very important device; it is used to tap the stacked fragments. Many masters believe that this process is best performed with a fist.
On a note! Do not use a simple hammer; it may damage the surface. But if there is no other option, then a wooden block must be placed.
Container for mixing the solution. It is better to choose a container that is convenient for scooping.
Grinder with a suitable disc (for concrete). Cutting is carried out in compliance with basic safety standards. Trimming is carried out in order to place decorative stone in the corners.
Sander. This device is necessary when work occurs with natural stone who has facial defects.

The tools are prepared in advance so that during the facing activities everything is at hand.

Working with the base

Laying artificial stone with your own hands begins with careful preparation of the surface. This process is of great importance. Of course, the technology for installing stone on a wall suggests that the base may have some unevenness, which will be leveled out by the decorative material. But you shouldn’t get carried away, because if you allow significant damage, the structure may collapse.

Preparation work is divided into several stages:

The old decorative layer is removed. The surface is thoroughly cleaned.
The wall is tapped for voids and hidden cracks. Such defects must be eliminated. For covering, gypsum or acrylic putty is used.
On a note! If we are talking about “bare” bases, then they are first coated with a primer and two layers: starting and finishing.
Using wire brush, pass well on the surface. This is done in order to leave numerous scratches, which will serve for better adhesion of the glue.
Next, a primer is applied, which will increase adhesion and reduce the absorption of the solution.

Installation of decorative stone on the wall occurs only after it has been treated with a primer

To obtain a more orderly laying pattern, the elements are first laid out on the floor.

Installation of decorative stone

Exist general rules, which allow you to lay artificial stone on the wall. They are as follows:

It is necessary to lay the material subject to certain indicators. The temperature should be between five and thirty degrees. If this range is exceeded, then it is advisable to pre-wet the contacting surfaces.
Preliminary marking is carried out. Conventionally, it looks like this: lines are drawn in increments of 45-50 cm. This will allow you to more accurately determine the placement order and fit if docking is intended.

Advice! When working with some products, a difficulty arises - both sides of the fragment can serve as front sides. But often the manufacturer indicates which side should be used as decorative.

Laying technology

Installation is carried out as follows:

In preparation required quantity solution: if you intend to use the dry version. This is done very simply. Water is poured into the container, it should be room temperature. Next, add the dry substance and mix well.
Decorative stones are mounted on the walls, starting from the corner. Gluing begins with the first fragment, which is placed at the very bottom. The order is:
- the mixture is applied to the wall and washed well;
- if required, cover the reverse side of the decorative item with a small layer;
- the fragment is applied to the surface, pressed well;
- tap the element with a mallet;
- Next, you can glue the next fragment.

Laying decorative stone starts from the bottom, from the corner

On a note! If there is too much solution, it begins to go beyond the edges of the material. Such excesses are immediately removed. It is necessary to prevent them from getting on the front part, otherwise there is a high probability of damage.

Some products vary in size and are placed with great care. First, you must follow the chosen scheme. Secondly, if you immediately put large plot, then it can slide.

To make the work happen much faster, the elements are pre-numbered. This is done during the drawing up of the diagram.

Some styling features:

The seamless installation option is considered the simplest. The fragments are stacked as tightly as possible. The result should be a surface that looks completely monolithic. The main thing is to immediately remove excess glue. If this is not done, problems may arise.
Unstitching requires more effort. After all, it is necessary to form joints. Options where the seams have a more uniform size look good.

Laying with seams looks like this:

The fragment is placed on the wall, the order completely repeats the standard technology.
The next element is glued at some distance. To achieve uniformity, use a spacer. These can be pieces of plastic, hardboard, chipboard. Thus, it is possible to form the necessary joints.
After a day, the laid material is processed. To do this, the seams are filled with a mixture, which is pre- or subsequently tinted.

If required, walls made of artificial stone are coated with paints and varnishes.

If you follow the installation technology, finishing the interior with decorative stone will become a simple and understandable process.

From all of the above, it becomes clear that the work is quite simple. The main thing is to do it carefully and in compliance with the rules.

People who are new to the rules for installing decorative stone are faced with the fact that the finishing material, after remaining on the wall for some time, gradually begins to crumble. Usually the blame is laid on poor quality glue, although most often it is an improperly prepared working surface that causes the cladding to collapse.

Methods for installing finishing stone - 2 options

Decorative stone is laid using auxiliary materials, which are selected taking into account the planned installation method. The tiles can be fixed to the wall using the jointing technique or the seamless method:

If the material is installed with jointing, then simultaneously with the tile, a mortar intended for its execution and a special dye are purchased. The latter usually has a contrasting tone or color that matches the shade of the tile.
If you decide to lay the stone without using the jointing technique, then in the store, in addition to finishing, you need to buy only the adhesive recommended by the manufacturer and, if necessary, a hydrophobic composition.

Laying decorative stone in a seamless manner is easier and faster than with jointing. The finishing material should be laid tightly, which will allow you to obtain an almost monolithic surface. The main thing during the installation process is to promptly remove excess adhesive that comes out when compacting the finish, otherwise you will have to suffer later. Dried tile adhesive with decorative finishing help remove special acid-containing compounds. A greater effect can be achieved if the cleanser was produced by the same manufacturer as the glue.

Despite the complexity of laying decorative stone with jointing, this method used quite often - it looks more impressive.

Fix the decorative stone on the wall at a certain distance from each other. An ideal seam can be achieved by laying equal pieces of drywall or particle board. Upon completion of installation of everything finishing material We wait for the glue to dry, then we do the seams. A seam that is too wide can ruin general impression about decor, which is especially noticeable if the tiles are used to create a composition with the same pattern in the apartment.

Types of decorative materials - sandstone, marble, limestone

For interior decoration For the walls of residential premises, stones made of either cement mortar or gypsum are used. The former are chosen for covering surfaces in rooms with high levels of humidity, for example, in the kitchen and bathroom. The second type of products is afraid of water, so they are used to decorate walls in the living room, bedrooms and other rooms of the house/apartment. Finished products most often imitate brick and slate in appearance.

And if brick looks ideal in the interior of corridors, bedrooms and balconies, then due to the variety of slate textures it is possible to create bright and original compositions on the walls of living rooms and hallways. As for natural materials, due to their high cost, finishing using them is rare. Meanwhile, the following types of decorative stone have become widespread:

sandstone – has three shades, has a granular structure;
marble – has a wide color palette and different textures;
limestone – differs in structure, size and color shades.

Laying natural decorative stone on walls has its own characteristics, but is not much different from installing artificial products. The main thing in both cases is to properly prepare the surface.

How to treat walls before finishing - different surfaces

Before you start laying decorative stone on the walls, we recommend that you thoroughly process them. The surface to be finished can have a different coating, so it is prepared in different ways:

If you need to lay tiles on plastered walls, then we plaster the areas with obvious defects again. Having thus gotten rid of bulges and voids, we treat the wall with a dry brush, moisten it with water and dry it. Using a similar method, we prepare very rough surfaces. We complete the process with priming work. A liquid adhesive mixture can be used as a primer. Then, after 2-3 hours, we begin laying the tiles.
We pre-insulate the wooden work surface using glassine sheets, laying them from the bottom up (with an overlap horizontally - 15 cm, vertically - 5 cm). We install a wire mesh on top of the vapor barrier. We apply a layer of cement mortar onto it, and even before the surface dries, we brush it with a dry, stiff brush, which improves the adhesive properties of both materials.
Preparing a metal wall for decorative tiles follows the same principle as for wooden surface. The difference is that in the first case, the mesh is fixed with nails with small heads or using a stapler, whereas here self-tapping screws are more appropriate.
Defects on stone, concrete and brick walls remove with putty. If there are any on the surface greasy spots, then we remove them with special degreasers. For preventive purposes, we reinforce the wall and apply cement mortar on top. If the stone surface has been painted, then sandblast it before laying the tiles grinder. Afterwards we mount plaster mesh and apply a cement layer.
If you plan to lay decorative stone on drywall, then first apply a waterproofing compound. We carry out installation using a special adhesive; we recommend choosing light and thin types of products as finishing materials (heavy stone should be laid on a double layer of drywall).

Laying stone tiles on polystyrene foam and other insulation materials is allowed after covering the insulating surface reinforcement mesh using anchor nails and applying a cement layer.

Instructions for laying stone cladding - a simple algorithm

At the first stage, taking into account the length of the stone, we recommend making horizontal markings of the wall. For this purpose, we use a tape measure and a building level. The markings will allow you to clarify where to cut and fit the facing products. As mentioned above, stone laying can be done using a seamless method or with jointing. If the second method was chosen, then during installation it is imperative to observe the thickness of the seam, which should be within 10 mm.

If there are corner finishing elements, installation begins with them. Elements can be stacked from top to bottom or in reverse order. If the tiles are installed from the bottom up, it will be possible to prevent the cladding from moving. Proceeding in the reverse order will avoid contamination of the bottom row of products with tile adhesive. It is these two factors that you take into account when choosing a technique for cladding walls with stone.

We prepare according to the instructions, the composition should acquire the thickness of toothpaste. It is necessary that the amount of adhesive is sufficient for 20 minutes of work; after the specified time, the composition will become unusable . You need to apply enough glue so that there is not too much or too little of it, in both cases the tile will slide (no more than 4-6 mm, the best option is 2-3 mm).

1. Using a spatula, apply the adhesive, rubbing it onto the work surface, then spread the composition evenly over the back side of the stone. It is better to use a notched trowel; hold the tool at an angle of 60 0.
2. Press the tile to the base, moving it in both directions, making sure that the glue does not come out on outside finishing. To compact it, you can use a mallet.
3. To trim decorative stone, use a grinder with a diamond blade. If the stone is made of gypsum, then it is best to adjust it using a hacksaw with fine teeth, intended for processing wood products. If necessary, artificial stone can be shaped using sandpaper or pliers.

As a rule, installation of stone tiles using the seamless technique is faster, the main thing is to lay the stone as tightly as possible. Wall cladding with seams is more complex, but the result is more interesting. To fill the seams, use a special syringe or a tight bag with a hole. As soon as the putty begins to harden, we compact it and level it according to the seam with a rubber spatula, and clean it with a stiff brush. We complete the work by painting the seams with the paint that comes with the tiles.

Decorative stone is good in all respects, but this factor is not a reason to use it in every room. Violation of design rules will lead to the fact that the living space will begin to resemble stone cave. Although, perhaps, such an association will just appeal to extreme owners.