Even a novice master can lay decorative stone, and professionals who are thoroughly versed in construction affairs consider this work easy. But any construction work will not lead to the desired result if you do not follow a certain technology and do not use materials specially designed for these works. The work on surface finishing with decorative stone consists of three stages: surface preparation, stone laying, jointing.
Before facing, the surface is treated with a primer specially designed for this purpose. This is necessary for better adhesion between the stone and the wall. Primers for each type of surface are different. Before you start working with a primer, the surface that will be decorated with stone must be cleaned of foreign elements, and these are: plaster residues, dust, stains. This procedure will increase the reliability of fastening decorative stone. To apply the primer to the surface, you need a brush or roller. Do not proceed with cladding until the primed surface is dry. To prepare large areas for cladding, a reinforcing mesh is required. The grid must be fixed with fasteners according to the scheme 40 x 10-15 cm (horizontally and vertically, respectively).
For the 2nd stage of work – laying decorative stone with your own hands, you need some kind of tile adhesive. Before applying the composition, you need to read the instructions that came with the adhesive and find out how to use it for interior and exterior surfaces.
The adhesive solution is applied according to one of three existing methods: it can be applied directly to the wall, to stone tiles and to both surfaces at the same time. The presence of a notched trowel facilitates the process of applying the adhesive, makes it easier to lay stone tiles and improves their fixation.
In order to imagine the appearance that the wall will take on after facing, it is necessary, without starting work, to lay out the tiles on a flat horizontal surface. The lined plane has a more attractive appearance if you use a stone that has a different thickness, color and texture pattern and arrange it arbitrarily. To do this, you can take it from different packages. Do not allow vertical seams to match.
You need to start laying work with corner elements, alternating those that have a short side with long ones. When laying seamlessly, the lower elements are laid first. In the process, you will need a hacksaw or a grinder (depending on the base of the tile). At temperatures below +50C it is impossible to work with external surfaces.
When an old brick is laid, it is necessary to perform jointing, since when laying it, gaps from 10 to 12 mm are left between the elements and they must be filled with grout. The material for grouting can be the composition that was used for laying decorative stone. Filling the seams is done with a spatula, or you can put the solution in a plastic bag or use a special gun. The solution is allowed to dry, and then the brush is moistened, the width of which is less than the width of the seam and smoothed out. To remove excess grout after drying, use a hard brush.
In some cases, after laying with a decorative stone with your own hands, a special protective and hardening coating is applied to protect against direct environmental exposure. Polymer varnishes can be used as protection. A protective coating is also produced, giving the stone a decorative effect.