Decorative stone acts today as one of the most suitable materials for surface finishing both inside and outside buildings. This material is quite easy to process, it can not only be drilled, but also cut. But to get a good result, you should be guided by the installation technology, it will be presented below. You can use decorative stone for interior decoration, as one of the elements of which is the arch.
Tool preparation
Decorating arches with decorative stone begins with the preparation of tools, among which are:
- construction mixer;
- cutting machine;
- a bucket for mixing the adhesive solution;
- paint brushes;
- trowel;
- grouting syringe;
- wedges of the same thickness.
Among other things, you will need a building level and a spatula. It is important to worry about the presence of a brush for metal and a rubber mallet, with the help of the latter you can adjust the elements on the surface after installation. For measuring and cutting material you will need a construction tape measure. Do not do in the process of work without a household spray. Wedges can be made of wood and plastic, they will allow you to form seams. You can replace the cutting machine with a cutting machine.
Preparation of materials
Decorating arches with decorative stone is carried out after preparing all the necessary consumables, among them it should be highlighted:
- glue;
- primer;
- grout;
- water repellent.
When choosing glue, you need to pay attention to its purpose. For certain varieties of finishes, different varieties of adhesive compositions are produced, usually they are designed to maintain the estimated weight of the material. Therefore, first you need to choose finishing materials, and only then proceed with the acquisition of glue. If the work is supposed to be carried out at low temperatures, then the choice of the adhesive composition should be taken more seriously, it should have the appropriate properties.
Surface preparation
Decorating arches with decorative stone without fail involves the preparation of walls. To do this, you need to rid the base of the old whitewash, wallpaper or paint. The master will have to align using putty. The surface of the arch must be primed, this composition will hold together small particles, so any finish will be held as tight as possible.
On sale you can find primers for any surfaces. If you have to work with a concrete wall, then it should be treated with Concrete Contact primer. When the conditions in the room are characterized by increased humidity or temperature, the back of the decorative stone should be moistened before laying.
Recommendations for stone finishing of drywall arches
Decorating arches with decorative stone is carried out according to a slightly different technology, when it comes to the design of drywall. To prepare for such work, you need a light stone. Such manipulations should be carried out exclusively indoors. If the GKL arch is in the open air or under a canopy, then it cannot be decorated with stone.
The surface of the drywall is treated with a primer, which should be left until dry, only then you can proceed with the installation of products. The primer is applied with a roller, and not only the external, but also the internal surfaces are treated with the composition.
Preparation of stone for laying
If you will be finishing the arches with decorative stone (photos of design options are presented in the review for review), for starters it is recommended to mix all products from different packages first. In the next step, the stone must be laid out on the floor. The position of the individual elements is selected so that the texture looks the most advantageous. For example, you can distribute elements according to shades or shape, as well as size.
Glue application rules
Before starting work, you must read the instructions and dilute the glue in a bucket according to it.
The composition is mixed with a construction mixer until a homogeneous mass can be obtained. Using a spatula, the mixture is applied to the wall only in the place where the product is supposed to be installed. On the reverse side, the stone must also be treated with glue, which is applied with a spatula. The layer thickness should not seem more than 1 cm. If this parameter is exceeded, the product will slide down the wall.
Glue is applied to the entire surface of the stone, while avoiding voids that can cause condensation inside the masonry during operation. This recommendation applies to walls, the adhesive should be applied evenly on their surface.
Methodology for the installation of decorative stone
When finishing the arch with decorative stone in the apartment, you must follow certain instructions. The stone is applied to the place treated with glue and pressed to the surface. It is important to use the construction level, and with a mallet, the products are aligned vertically. The stone can be moved from side to side to achieve its tight fit to the surface.
In order to check how high-quality the masonry is, during installation it is necessary to tap the products with a screwdriver handle. This will help to understand whether voids have formed inside. If there are any, then the stone is removed, cleaned of glue, and the work is repeated again. When finishing the arch with decorative stone in the apartment, you should definitely consider the photo. They will allow you to understand which material is better to prefer. As soon as the finish was on the wall, you need to gently tap on its surface, the exposed glue is removed with a spatula. If the mixture appeared at the ends, you do not need to remove it, it will improve the quality of adhesion of the material to the wall. Work can be done using one of two technologies:
- without seams;
- with the layout.
Stone laying with seams
When decorating the arch with decorative stone with your own hands, you can form seams between the products. They are grouted using a syringe filled with grout. The solution should be applied in such a way that it extends 4 mm from the outer edge of the product. This will form a pronounced relief. To obtain a smooth texture, it is necessary to fill the seam at the same level with the front surface of the stone. 30 minutes after applying the grout, it is necessary to smooth the seams with a special spatula or spatula. When choosing a grout, you should know that the compounds can mimic the color and texture of this solution. Grout may have a different color.
Chipping Processing
When finishing the door arch with decorative stone, it may be necessary to process chips. The stone is cut in size, but if its edge remains flat at the junction, the wall will not look natural. You can perform a cleavage by outlining its outline with a knife. At the next stage, the excess part is bitten off with pliers. There is no need to bite off the product along the edge of the mark, it is necessary to start with small pieces, otherwise the product may break where it is not needed. Errors can be corrected with a file, with it you will give the chip smoothness. Additionally, the surface is processed with sandpaper. However, sometimes chips are not smoothed out.
Final decoration
Finishing the interior arch with a decorative stone can be completed by applying varnish or tinting mixture. The latter allows you to hide defects and cracks that have formed during operation. For applying the composition it is better to use an airbrush, however, some masters do with paint brushes. The airbrush allows you to apply the mixture from a long distance, while holding the tool is necessary at an angle to the surface to be painted. You should not cover the entire area completely, it will be enough to tint the main protrusions and depressions, this will help to get a deep texture.
An interesting effect can be achieved if bronze or gold coloring pigments are used as the basis for the mixture. In this case, only the ends of the tiles need to be tinted. Metal with this finishing technique is not striking, but with a certain lighting of the ends, the masonry begins to play with golden highlights.
Conclusion
The arch is a rather small element of the interior, but its design sometimes takes several days. However, you should find time and effort for this work, because decorating this part of the room will make it possible to decorate the house, making it more comfortable, and the interior more elegant.