Interior made of artificial stone, made by hand

Recommendation points

• What is artificial decorative stone
• What is the secret of stone-like tiles
• What is the difference between a professional mixture and a homemade one
• Purchase of finished decorative stone
• How to make decorative tiles with your own hands
• How to choose gypsum for DIY tile making

What is artificial decoration stone made of? How to make a decorative artificial stone with your own hands? What do you need to finish the outer surface “like a stone”? How to choose the right mixture for making decorative stone? Read about this in our article..

What is artificial decorative stone

This is a tile with a one-sided relief in the form of a stone surface or a group of stones – a masonry area. Usually it has a rectangular shape of different sizes, but there are also figured models (mosaic). The first samples (about 15 years ago) were used exclusively for interiors, since they were imperfect and quickly gained moisture. Over the course of several years, the technology has been brought to a state close to perfection. Today, outdoor factory tiles are not afraid of rain or frost and are guaranteed to last from 20 years.

What is the secret of stone-like tiles

A high-quality mixture gives excellent performance properties to decorative stone. As before, the main raw material is high-strength gypsum GVVS-16 (for outdoor use) or GVVS-13 (for internal work). Such a mixture does not require any reinforcement of the tiles and allows it to be cast with a minimum thickness of 15 mm. This lightweight decor is called “stone wallpaper”. Thicker tiles are great for creating a rusticated façade and for adding volume.

Today the market of professional gypsum mixtures for the production of decorative stone is represented by only one product – the mixture “KAMNEDEL” from the company SGK (“Samara Gypsum Plant”). It is produced from high quality local raw materials (gypsum) on modern equipment. The plant has 70 years of experience in the production of gypsum mixtures.

Technical characteristics of the KAMNEDEL mixture:

What is the difference between a professional mixture and a homemade one

As we already mentioned, decorative embossed tiles are used for indoor and outdoor use. The purpose depends on the brand of gypsum and the presence of hydrophobic (water-repellent) additives necessary to prevent the gypsum from picking up moisture from the atmosphere. Quite confidently, you can make tiles for interior work from gypsum and sand at home. But if you have to clad street surfaces, then you should choose a ready-made mixture.

Purchase of finished decorative stone

The assortment of finished decorative stone is large, the market is saturated. The reason for this is the technology, which is cheap and simple to the limit. For the organization of production, only the purchase of forms and components is required. The mixture hardens at room temperature, does not require vibration. As a result, anyone who has free space in the garage can make it for sale. It should be noted that with strict adherence to technology (proportions), the quality of everyone will be approximately the same (normal).

However, there is also a “but” here. The performance characteristics of a finished product of this nature (tiles, bricks) can rarely be assessed at first glance. They appear over time. By purchasing suspiciously cheap gypsum tiles, you run the risk of:

• a high percentage of defects that are found inside the package;
• the coating (coloring) may be unstable and fade;
• gypsum will show high water absorption and the tile will get wet;
• weak gypsum (low grade, cheap) in the composition of raw materials – fragile tiles as a result;
• the acquisition of counterfeit products stimulates the violation of the law and weakens the economy.

The simplest and most effective protection against such risks is the purchase of high-quality artificial stone.

How to make decorative tiles with your own hands

The reason why the average man seeks to do the maximum work with his own hands is an attempt to minimize the cost of building materials and the work itself. In the case of a decorative stone, the benefits are obtained for the following reasons:

• raw materials are always much cheaper than the finished material;
• the margin for the retail price of raw materials is significantly lower than for finishing materials;
• 100% quality control of work, proportions of ingredients;
• the ability to quickly supplement the material in case of damage or adding a volume of work;
• careful and accurate experimental color matching;
• surplus product can be exchanged or sold privately;
• at the end, there will be forms that can be reused.

Disadvantages of self-manufacturing:

• 100% responsibility for the result;
• all benefits described above will be paid for by your time and efforts.

The production process consists of the following stages:

1. Preparation of the solution. For internal tiles, you can prepare a solution based on gypsum GVVS-13 with the addition of sand. We need:

1. Gypsum GVVS-13 – 5 kg.
2. Coarse sand – 1.5 kg.
3. Water – 2 l + 400 ml separately.
4. Spatula 15-20 ml.
5. Citric acid – 1/4 teaspoon.
6. Color.

Attention! All of the listed dry components (except for the color) can be replaced with a ready-made dry mixture.

2. Before mixing the components, it is also necessary to tint the forms (if the appearance solution requires it). To do this, add color to the water with a small spatula and lubricate the necessary parts of the form with it with a brush..

3. Mix all the components with a mixer until a creamy consistency.

Attention! Time of the initial thickening of the solution –
5-7 minutes.

4. We fill the molds with a solution, casing along the casting.

5. Carefully level and remove excess mortar from the sides and walls of the mold.

6. Withstand 30 minutes.

7. Cover the entire mold plane with a solid sheet of plywood. Turn the shape over and carefully remove the finished tiles.

The installation of the tiles is carried out indoors with cement or gypsum glue, outside with a suitable glue for outdoor use. After laying it can be protected and additionally decorated with paints, varnishes, various grouting.

How to choose gypsum for DIY tile making

This material complies with the requirements of GOST 125–79 “Binder gypsum materials”. There are 12 brands – from G-2 to GVVS-25. They all differ in the flexural strength of the mini-beam being tested. G-2 corresponds to 3.5 MPa, GVVS-25 – 25.3 MPa.

1. G-2 is mainly used for casting molds and temporary samples, for example, in art workshops.
2. G-5 is used in construction as an additive to mortar, putty base, glue or temporary fastening.
3. G-6 is considered medical or molding due to its low porosity.
4. G-10, GVVS-13 and GVVS-16 are considered high-strength sculptural material.
5. Higher grades are used as additives to improve glue properties, accelerate hardening.

Currently, most of the building materials, which are raw materials of primary (gypsum, mineral wool) and secondary (expanded polystyrene, cement) processing, are produced in the region of application. In our case, all factories, including foreign enterprises, are located in Russia.

Gypsum of different brands and manufacturers:

In the next article we will tell you how to make a silicone mold for the production of decorative stone with your own hands..