Decorative stone is one of the most prestigious options for the foundation facing. Among the many other facing materials, artificial stone is in high demand due to a wide range, a tempting price, as well as a number of other characteristics - an external beautiful view, environmental friendliness, availability. In addition, the cladding of the base with artificial stone is a very practical solution, since all the finishing works do not take a lot of effort and time.

What is artificial stone?

The decorative stone is made of material, surface relief and the appearance of which, very close to natural.

The production of this material is based on two technologies:

• production of a cement-based molding solution;
• manufacture of a stone of artificial for cladding of gypsum base.

In addition to the main component of the mixture for the manufacture of artificial stone, various components add to the composition:

• sand;
• colored fillers;
• crumb from marble.

All these components contribute to increased strength, strong frost resistance, help to absorb moisture and reduce the weight of the stone.

Important! Two of these types of stone is easy to make home on their own, using silicone patterns as a form. To do this, mix the necessary components according to the recipe, fill in special forms and wait for complete hardening.

Why is an artificial stone - an ideal solution for the foundation cladding?

Over the past few years, artificial materials for clagging cladding pretty quickly replaced natural and began to be used quite often during construction work.

Much popularity, artificial stone deserved thanks to the following advantages:

• the composition of the stone is exclusively from the natural components;
• a small weight that does not pinch the foundation by excessive load;
• easily affects installation work, which makes it easy to fix the stone on any surface;
• form and color are completely identical to natural wilder stone;
• has a strong structure preventing deformation;
• a wide selection of color solutions suitable for any design.

Important! Please note that the total cost of cladding the base with artificial stone is much lower than the natural one. At the same time, such a decision contributes to the overall strengthening of the foundation, and, accordingly, increased the technical characteristics of the building, extended operational period.

How to decorate the base with your own hands?

The process of performing facing works is quite simple. The main thing is to clearly comply with all the rules and save the sequence of actions.

Before starting work, get acquainted with the main stages of the cladding technology:

1. Create a project.
2. Select the technology on which you will decorate.
3. Purchase the appropriate type of material.
4. Buy a special tool.
5. Prepare the surface for laying a stone in advance.
6. Do directly the cladding process itself.

Features of artistic design

Creating a design scheme of the decorative finish of the foundation, we must note that the appearance should be harmoniously combined with the rest of the finishing material of the entire facade and roof, both in relation to the shade and form:

1. Clear smooth lines of stones of the same form will become an excellent solution when finishing the foundation if the entire design is made of bricks, and some elements of the facade decor echo with a shade of artificial stone and its size.
2. If the building is erected from monolithic concrete - prefer the asymmetrical location of large parts over the surface of the base.

Important! Please note that the imitation of the cladding of the base of the wild stone in the neutral gray color scheme is well combined with any style and finishing modern materials.

What technology laying to give preference?

Depending on the personal wishes to the expected result, select one of the two proposed styling options:

• with visible seams;
• installation of jack.
  

  Important! Selection Make, based on the designer idea. But remember that the consumption of material during the installation of the jack will be much larger than when designing seams.

How to choose the right artificial stone?

Before making a purchase, familiarize yourself with the following criteria that must comply with the quality of the material in order for the operational and aesthetic characteristics to actually meet the established requirements:

1. Appearance. To create imitation under natural stone, consider the veil that in nature does not exist identical in shape and the caller of two identical objects. Therefore, the extensive represents a number of elements models, the less imitation is noticeable.
2. Stone size. For a visual result in the form of a powerful masonry, a successful variant will be boulders, the shape of which resembles plates with multifaceted irregular edges.
3. The dimensions of the filler particles. To create the effect of naturally coating, color filler grapple should not exceed 5 mm size. Also, the increased size of inclusion fragments will further lead to cracking and crime of stone.
4. The quality of the material surface. On the outside of the stone should not be uncharacteristic bulbs and irregularities. The rear side should be moderately rough to ensure a good chain of the surface.
5. Painting method. Give the advantage to stones, with a fully painted mass. Otherwise, when chopping a piece of decor after a certain period of operation, a resonance will arise between the external and inner color.
6. Select manufacturer. Preference give to domestic manufacturers, as they produce products that are most acceptable for our climate and will not require additional processing.
7. Equipment. Check out the packaging method in advance to ensure comfortable transport without damage. Often the stone is packaged in a box of dense cardboard.

How to correctly calculate the desired number of stone?

After the artistic planning process, perform an approximate calculation of the required material, taking note of the following criteria:

• mounting technology;
• area and material from which the foundation is made;
• form and size of stone.
  

  Important! When buying a material, consider the likely overrun, so purchase an additional 10% substance from the total number.

Instruments

To finish the foundation with a full course without interruptions, pre-take care of the availability of all necessary materials for cladding and tools:

• level;
• smooth and toothed spatulas;
• primer;
• grout;
• putty;
• rollers;
• glue;
• roulette 2 meters;
• files;
• saw;
• kiyanka;
• durable thread or cord;
• metal brush;
• sandpaper;
• spatula for grouting seams - 6-10 cm;
• perforator;
• pistol for filling seams.

What glue is suitable for outdoor decoration of the base?

The choice of a suitable glue is an equally important process than the choice of decorative stone. The result of the work done and the appearance of the facing depends on its quality. In order to decide on the brand of glue, certainly consider the following points:

1. Consult with the seller and explain why you need glue. After the expiration of a long time after the completion of construction, the glue structure should not be collapped when exposed to external factors - wind, frost, solar activity.
2. Choose the brands of the proven manufacturers, which are presented in the list:
   • Getacore;
   • Plitonit;
   • Ceresit;
   • Opal;
   • Fastener;
   • UNIPLUS;
   • Confiad;
   • Litokol;
   • Corian;
   • Coral;
   • Montelli;
   • Acrylica.
     

     Important! With this approach, you will save yourself from unforeseen difficulties during the installation and the need for emergency reconstruction after its completion.

Preparation of the surface of the foundation

Preparatory works often take a long time due to the fact that the basis on which lay a stone usually has similar properties with the very artificial stone. Therefore, any problems with the tenacity of the lining of the base does not occur.

But still should be a series of activities for surface treatment to ensure the highest possible adhesion:

1. With a metal brush or spatula, thoroughly clean the surface of the base.
2. If cracks and cracks were detected at stripping, tighten them with putty.
3. According to sealed uneven places, it is re-walking, but perform sweeping with emery paper.
4. Make sure that the putty thoroughly froze and then the entire area open the layer of primer.
5. Give the treated surface to dry completely.

Laying stone

After all preparatory work, wait for a suitable dry weather and boldly proceed to the facing.

Place the stone sequentially in several stages:

1. Install a clear line between the upper and lower level of decorative lining.
2. Determine the markup with special beacons or threads.
3. Styling rows do smooth, without any asymmetric lines, but the material fragments themselves place in the rows without the deliberate clarity of the lines when using elements of different sizes and form or with the same strict decoratedness in the event of the same, correct geometry of stones.
4. On the asphalt near the construction works carried out, put stones in such a sequence in which they will be mounted in the foundation.
   Important! Carefully make sure that the common canvas responded to your taste preferences - the color, size and shape of the stone harmoniously approached each other and perceived as a whole. If the picture you see meets the designer idea - you did everything right. In the case when a visual result did not satisfy you, try other variations in laying stones.
5. Carefully examine the glue preparation instructions.
   Important! Consider the time of complete drying of the mixture to correctly determine the amount required for one-time kneading.
6. Prepare the solution by sticking to all the rules set forth on the package.
7. Apply the solution on the foundation and on the rear part of the decorative stone.
8. Stacking Start from the beginning of the edge of the bottom row.
   Important! This principle will help withstand a flat line of masonry and will prevent the slaughter of the stone.
9. After applying the adhesive mixture, cladding elements are tightly entering the foundation.
10. Spend gently rubber hammer on the stone to adjust the correct location.
11. If you have chosen technology with pronounced seams, then there are 1,5-4 centimeters gap between the boulders.
12. Drop the elements for the installation of incomplete fragments of stone.
13. Clean the cutting edges.
14. Perform the laying of these parts to the surface of the base.
15. If necessary, adjust the edges on the stones so that the general picture acquires a taking view.
16. All the gaps formed grease the glue or a special solution for grouting.
    Important! Carefully perform the stamps of the seams so that the solution does not hit the front of the decor.
17. The period of complete drying of the glue is at least 24 hours.
18. If necessary, open the surface with hydrophobic primer to increase the resistance to natural precipitation.
    Important! When choosing such a primer, pay attention to the fact that the applied layer should absorb moisture, and not to create a film.

Video

Browse the video example of laying an artificial decorative stone to clearly imagine the full amount of upcoming work and properly organize your time.

Conclusion

The whole process on laying the facade with a decorative stone is not so complicated as it may seem initially. In addition, the fulfillment of the trim of the base will bring a lot of pleasant moments with their own hands, and at the design stage, where the flight of fantasy is required, and during installation, during which it is important to adhere to the rules and recommendations described above. Under such conditions, the appearance of your facade will look unusually attractive, original and even luxurious, emphasizing the solidity and resistant style of the entire architecture, and testifying to the impeccable taste of the owner of the house.