Production of artificial stone with their own hands - the process is interesting and creative. You can make the stone tiles of the color and shapes you need.

Where an artificial decorative stone is used

Artificial decorative stone decorate the facades of the building, fences, lay out the garden paths, are used to finish interior.

Natural stone looks beautiful, but at cost, it is more expensive and working with it is more difficult.

Manufacture of artificial stone with their own hands will help create an original design and save money.

What materials can be made artificial stone

The choice of material for stone depends on where you are going to use it.

Gypsum or acrylic is used for the interior decoration.

For external work, we need a material that is not afraid of moisture. Here the most suitable option is a cement basis.

At cost, the most expensive - acrylic stone, there is a gypsum, cement costs themselves cheaper.

To give the product strength and savings of the main consumables into the mixture for fill, add fillers - sand, crushed stone fraction, marble crumb.

Also, fiber-fiber is added to increase strength - special microfiber. Fiber broker prevents the cracking of finished tiles.

To increase the physical properties of the stone use plasticizers. The use of plasticizers allows to reduce the amount of water in the solution, due to its density increases.

MELFLUX 2651 F hyperplasticizer (manufacturer of Germany) is represented as a yellowish powder. It is used for gypsum and cement mixtures. It is added from 0, 15 to 0, 2% to the total mass of the knead.

Stone Making Forms

The form can be purchased ready or do yourself.

Finished forms are usually sold complete with materials necessary for the manufacture of stone - pigments, plasticizers, fibrovolok.

It is convenient to use a form of polyurethane, silicone, rubber - after pouring the mass The finished stone is easily removed from flexible forms. For the manufacture of paving slabs it will be better suitable for a solid plastic matrix.

The matrices are produced by type of stone for every taste - slate, brick, rock, torn stone, sandstone, cobblestone. The choice is very large - in size of stone, thickness and appearance.

Prices for finished forms are high - from 3 to 6 thousand. One form is designed to prepare 4-6 stones. The disadvantage of flexible forms is their wear. After multiple fillings, relief loses its previous outlines.

Much cheaper will cost the manufacture of a silicone or polyurethane matrix on their own. The cost of packing polyurethane weighing 7 kg about 3 thousand rubles. One package is enough for you to create several forms.

For the manufacture of a form, use silicone on acetic basis or polyurethane Por-A-Mold SX (gray), Duramould et 30a (yellow), ET 45A (red) - Duradold \u200b\u200b(manufacturer England) or polyurethanes. Property produced by the United States. Polyurethane color does not matter.

Polyurethane of these firms is convenient because it is not very quickly grapped after mixing the components. You will have enough time to fully use the prepared mixture.

In order for the finished form to easily move away from the model and formwork, the separator for matrices is used.

The separator for the matrix can be prepared by itself - in proportions:

1. Bee wax 1 h.
2. Paraffin 3 hours
3. Living turpentine.

Melt the wax and paraffin on the water bath and add turpentine. Lubricate the surface of the stone and sides to the fill.

• Pick up the samples of stones that will serve you with the model.
• Spread them on a hard-based smooth side down at a distance of 1, 5-2 cm from each other. This is necessary for the formation of partitions of the matrix. For the foundation, the Fiberboard or a sheet of furniture chipboard with a smooth surface is suitable. Outline contour stones with a pencil.
• Apply silicone samples on the smooth side and press to the surface.
• Apply the sealant stones along the contour. This is necessary in order for the stones to be air and polyurethane when pouring. Use silicone for aquariums - it reliably fills all the gaps and you will not have a leakage.
• Hold the drying time - about 2 hours.
• Install and secure side sides - formwork, observing the distance from the edge of the stone 2 cm.
• Seat silicone all corners to prevent polyurethane leakage.
• Leave the matrix for 12 hours for complete drying sealant.
• Treat the sides and the surface of the models of the wax-based matrices. Dry time 2 hours.
• Mix polyurethane components.
• Pour the polyurethane matrix or fill with silicone. Polyurethane pour a thin trickle so that air bubbles not formed.
• When using silicone, tamper it with a brush dipped in soap solution. For soap mortar, detergents are suitable, which do not contain alkali.
• After 24 hours, disassemble the structures and remove the samples from the finished form. Silicone forms need drying within 2 weeks, it is possible to use them in 24 hours.

How to make a form of polyurethane is shown in the video.

How to give a stone the desired color?

Pigment is better added when mixing the mass.

Also, the divorced pigment is applied to the form before the fill of the solution. The form is not completely painted, but separate fragments. It gives the tile individual drawing, which helps to create a high-quality imitation of natural stone.

Please note that you need a pigment, and not a regular kel for paints. Pigments are iron oxide inorganic dyes. The Pigments of the company Hermann Ter Hell & CO GmbH (Germany) are pure color, easily bred with water and are well mixed with the components of the solution. Various colors are allowed to mix each other.

The amount of pigment is added by the sample method. See which color you can only have a complete solo grazing. Make the first cake with a pigment one form, after drying, decide how much the pigment needs to be added. Do not forget that its share in the composition should not exceed 3% of the total mass of the solution.

Operation of work in the production of stone from cement or gypsum

• Set the shapes on the horizontal surface.
• When working with a gypsum solution, lubricate the shape with oil or solidol.
• Divide the pigment in a small amount of water.
• Apply the pigment on the form if you wish to get a stone uneven color.
• Move plaster or cement with filler.
• Pour the required amount of water into the tank.
• Add a diluted pigment and plasticizer to water.
• Fall off the main components and mix thoroughly.
• Fill the shapes with the resulting mixture.
• Swipe on the edges of the matrix to remove excess solutions.
• After the solution hardens, free the stone from the form and fold it for the final drying.
• Rinse the form for the preparation of the next batch.

Features of work with cement mortar

• The cement is mixed with river sand with a ratio of 3: 1.
• Small crushed stone or clay sand are added as a filler into cement solutions. Crushed stone added if the stone is made for tracks or steps device. Ceramzite sand is used in the manufacture of tiles for vertical surfaces.
• Metal mesh will help to increase the strength of the stone. In this case, the shape is filled with half, then the mesh is placed on top and the solution is added to the edge of the form. The use of the grid is necessary in the manufacture of a large thickness stone.
• When the solution starts to harden - after about 3-4 hours, the corner of the spatula or dump truck will forth the furrow - this is done to improve the clutch of the stone with the surface when installing it.
• Casting time of cement mortar 12 hours. For complete drying and hardening required 2 weeks. Do not leave the finished stone in the sun. Spread it out in a flat place, cover with a film. With hot weather, periodically spray with water.

Features of working with a gypsum mixture

• Products made of plaster without fillers and additives are fragile. For strength to 6 parts of the gypsum, 1 part of the hazed lime and 0, 5 pieces of fine sand are added.
• Gypsum grabs quickly, so the knees are made in small portions.
• The form can be released in an hour. Time of complete drying - 24 hours.
• Adding a plasticizer or citric acid into water slows down the gripping process.

Artificial acrylic stone with their own hands

If a large size is required, and you are going to use it in places with a large load - it is better not to engage in amateur. High demands are presented to acrylic stone for tabletops or bar racks - resistance to mechanical effects, abrasion, preservation of their qualities for a long time.

For self-making tabletop or window sill from acrylic, it is difficult to find the form, ensure the temperature and span surface. Making an acrylic stone of small sizes is possible at home.

You will need the necessary components, form for low tide and time. Stone manufacturing time for about 3 hours.

Composition:

1. Acrylic resin - 25%.
2. Cutter from 2 to 4%.
3. Filler or composite material 70%.
4. Pigment additives - depending on the color you want to get.

• mix thoroughly components;
• fill in the form. The form is needed from polyethylene, glass, metal - only to such surfaces acrylic resin does not stick;
• create favorable conditions for pouring. The optimal temperature is 25º. Helding time 2 hours.

How to make an artificial stone. Video.

How to make a form for artificial stone.

Making a stone from plaster with pre-staining forms.